Restaurant and Hospitality Law Primer - 2021 Edition

Agenda / Content Covered

All times are shown in Eastern time.

• Hot Topics and Current Threats
  1:00 - 1:45, Valerie J. Bluth
  • Health and Safety Best Practices - COVID-19 Lessons Learned
  • Mitigating Risks Posed by App-Based Food Delivery Services
  • Post-Pandemic Litigation Risks and Liability Concerns
  • Insurance Best Practices
• Entity Selection and Start-Up Challenges
  1:45 - 2:30, Jason S. Kim
  • New Restaurant Entity Selection
  • Tax Planning Considerations
  • Ownership and Financing Issues
  • Internal Rules - Top Tips and Traps
  • Bar/Restaurant Regulatory Overview
• Restaurant Lease Negotiations Deep Dive (With Sample Provisions)
  2:45 - 3:30, Christy Reuter
  • Unique Risks for Restaurants, Due Diligence
  • Contingency Clause Mistakes
  • Use Issues, Systems and Maintenance Traps
  • Build-Out Concerns
  • Assignment Rights
  • Property Conditions
  • Additional Operational and Business Hazards
• Select Employment and Labor Law Issues
  3:30 - 4:15, Valerie J. Bluth
  • Wage and Hour Threats - Overtime, Tips, Classification, Minors and More
  • Immigration Issues and Work Status
  • Key Policy Considerations
  • Leave Management

Accreditation Details:

VALERIE J. BLUTH is a member of the labor and employment practice group of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP. An experienced litigator, she represents clients in all aspects of employment law, including claims asserted under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family & Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the New York Labor Law, the New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law, in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies. Ms. Bluth also regularly advises clients regarding employment discrimination and harassment, wage and hour compliance, employment policies and practices, unemployment insurance and Workers' Compensation claims, internal investigations, reasonable accommodations, leave of absence management, terminations and disciplinary actions, labor-management relations, grievance processing, collective bargaining agreement interpretation and application, alternative dispute resolution, and a variety of other workplace issues. Additionally, she routinely drafts employment, restrictive covenant and non-disclosure agreements as well as employment policies and employee handbooks, and develops and presents training programs for managers and staff regarding various principles of workplace law. Ms. Bluth also represents clients in traditional labor matters, including labor arbitrations and National Labor Relations Board proceedings. She has represented and advised both small businesses and large corporations, in both unionized and non-unionized settings, in the hospitality, real estate, analytics, startup, advertising, automotive, retail, information technology, luxury brand, cosmetics, journalism, and healthcare industries as well as in the nonprofit, education and municipal sectors. Ms. Bluth received her B.S. degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations and her J.D. degree from Fordham Law School. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section.

JASON S. KIM is a partner with Blank Rome LLP. His practice focuses on representing domestic and foreign companies, financial institutions, funds, and serial entrepreneurs in acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures and related financing and capital raises with special emphasis on cross-border deals. Mr. Kim also served as an Adjunct Professor at USC Gould School of Law from 2009 through 2018 and taught International Business Transactions covering the legal principles and practices involved in private business transactions and movement of goods, services, capital, knowledge, and technology across the boundaries of different nation-states. He is admitted to practice in California and is a member of the International Association of Korean Lawyers, the Korean American Bar Association of Southern California, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Kim received his B.A. degree from the University of California and his J.D. degree from UCLA School of Law.

CHRISTY REUTER is a partner and chair of Meister Seeling & Fein LLP's hotel and hospitality group, and is also a member of the real estate and corporate groups. Ms. Reuter specializes in domestic and global hospitality transactions and represents hospitality companies seeking to expand within the United States and in countries around the world. She has negotiated deals in cities throughout the United States in various countries and cities, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Japan, Turkey, Monaco, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Hong Kong. Ms. Reuter provides strategic legal and business counsels to clients at every stage of a transaction. She regularly guides clients through the material business and legal issues in complex corporate transactions including joint venture negotiations, operating or shareholder agreements, license and management agreements, and commercial leasing. She also regularly assists clients with review of employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements, and vendor and contractor agreements. Ms. Reuter is the former general counsel for the internationally acclaimed hospitality group Cipriani, which she still represents. Ms. Reuter received her B.A. degree from State University of New York at Albany and her J.D. degree from St John's University School of Law.