BALTIMORE, Aug. 2, 2007 — Health Communications, Inc. (HCI) today announced that Richard Blau, chair of Gray Robinson's Alcohol Beverage & Food Department, has accepted an invitation to present a session entitled "Recent Settlements and Judgments" at HCI's Annual Alcohol Responsibility Conference (AARC) on Thursday, August 23 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.
As an attorney with Gray Robinson, Mr. Blau has litigated jury and bench trials in state and federal courts. In the area of Alcohol Beverage regulation, Mr. Blau successfully litigated on behalf of manufacturers, setting important precedents for the industry in Geary Distributing Company v. All Brand Importers, Inc. (imposing constitutional limits on the application of a state beer franchise law) and in Jim Taylor Corporation v. Guinness Import Company (defining "brand extension" under Florida law). In addition, Mr. Blau recently concluded a six-year term as chair of the ABA's Committee on Beverage Alcohol Practice, and is a member of the Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys.
Mr. Blau's session will include information about the legal climate of serving and selling alcohol and the challenges it presents to licensees. Some of the topics include: expanding tort liability, challenges facing mass-audience venues, the special risks facing chain and multi-location retailers, and new regulatory initiatives that impact the future of retail beverage sales. In addition, Mr. Blau will offer professional advice on how establishments can protect themselves, pitfalls to watch out for, and when to engage legal counsel.
The two-day conference offers new initiatives and insightful discussions on alcohol-related issues, such as server and seller training techniques, state and jurisdictional challenges, corporate responsibility policies and procedures, community coalition strategies, prevention funding opportunities, enforcement initiatives and risk management perspectives.
Attendees represent perspectives from a full spectrum of groups and industries related to responsible alcohol issues, including hospitality, law enforcement, insurance, state and local government, human resources, risk management, liquor liability attorneys and more. The goal of the conference is to get all facets of the community involved in an open discussion about what works and what doesn't work in promoting responsible alcohol consumption. For more information, visit .
About Health Communications
Health Communications, Inc. is the provider of TIPS (Training for Intervention Procedures), the leading alcohol server training program in the country. In 25 years, HCI has certified 50,000 trainers and over 2.5 million servers worldwide in the TIPS program. TIPS gives servers and sellers of alcohol the knowledge and confidence they need to recognize potential alcohol-related problems, and teaches them how to effectively intervene to prevent alcohol-related tragedies.
Contact:
Trevor Estelle
703-524-1200 ext. 357
Email
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