Kristina D. Dickens provides comprehensive legal counsel and risk analysis to all tiers of the beverage alcohol industry, including suppliers, distributors and retailers, which includes hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, bars and music and entertainment venues. She focuses her practice on multi-unit licensing, trade practice counseling and regulatory compliance matters for her clients throughout the country.
Kristina demonstrates a skilled understanding of the complexities of the beverage alcohol industry and applies those insights to her clients’ unique situations. She has extensive experience in guiding local and national companies on licensing structures, procedural and regulatory requirements and appears on behalf of her clients before federal, state and local regulatory commissions. In addition, she displays a substantial background in counseling companies, whether publicly traded or privately owned, on acquiring and maintaining licenses through ownership modifications and corporate restructuring. Kristina also counsels on the drafting of industry-related commercial agreements, including importation, distribution, food & beverage management, hotel management, license agreements, leases and purchase & sale agreements.
Professional Leadership
- The American Bar Association, Member
- Cannabis & Alcoholic Beverages Litigation Subcommittee, Co-Chair
- National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, Member
- National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, Member
- National Association of Licensing & Compliance Professionals, Associate Member
- National Beer Wholesalers Association, Member
- Academy of Hospitality Industry Attorneys, Member
- Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, Member
- Chicago Bar Association, Member
- Illinois Restaurant Association, Member
Honors & Recognition
- Recognized by Chambers USA as Up-and-Coming in Food & Beverages: Alcohol
Representative Matters
Past and Ongoing Regulatory Matters:
- Represented publicly traded food and beverage operator on 35-unit international airport project with agreement terms, multi-use licensing, regulatory and tax matters.
- Ongoing representation of national grocery store companies on multi-use licensing and food and alcohol regulatory compliance.
- Ongoing representation of numerous international hotel companies on management agreement terms, multi-use licensing, regulatory and tax matters.
- Ongoing representation of numerous national restaurant hospitality groups on corporate structuring, food and beverage agreements, multi-use licensing and regulatory compliance.
- Continued representation of beer, wine and spirits wholesalers with regulatory counseling during acquisitions and ownership transitions as well as federal, state and local permitting, federal COLAs and formula approvals.
- Ongoing trade practice advice to suppliers, wholesalers and retailers.
Presentations
- Panelist, “Don’t Let Your Career Go Up In Smoke: A Discussion Regarding the Freedoms of Cannabis Law and the Restrictions of Employment,” The American Bar Association Business Law Section, Chicago, IL 2023
- Speaker, “Illinois Special Event Retailers,” Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, Chicago, IL 2023
- Panelist, “Getting Into the Weeds Regarding Cannabis,” The American Bar Association Business Law Section, Seattle, WA 2023
- Speaker, “Federal Permitting,” Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, Chicago, IL 2022
- Panelist, “Red Alert: Data Breach – What have you done to protect your CEO’s identity,” National Association of Licensing & Compliance Professionals, Louisville, KY 2021
- Speaker, “Staying in the Know: Insight into Unique Alcohol Laws in Illinois,” Fintech – Webinar, 2018
- Speaker, “Illinois Happy Hour,” National Association of Licensing & Compliance Professionals, Austin, TX 2015
