Matthew McLaughlin, Esq. Awarded 2017 Brewers Association F.X. Matt Defense of the Craft Brewing Industry Award

Craft Beer Attorney Coalition member, Matthew McLaughlin, Esq. of McLaughlin, PC and the Mississippi Brewers Guild, was awarded the 2017 Brewers Association F.X. Matt Defense of the Craft Brewing Industry Award at the annual Craft Brewers Conference that took place April 11th-13th in Washington, D.C..

This award is named for the late F.X. Matt, president of the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, N.Y., from 1980-1989, and a tireless and outspoken champion for the small brewing industry. Nominations are open to individuals who have given aid and support to the causes of small, independent brewers, and by doing so have supported the Brewers Association’s goal of vigorously defending the craft beer industry.

Matthew serves as General Counsel for the Mississippi Brewers Guild and was instrumental in helping draft a bill to update state laws that would allow direct-to-consumer sales for small brewers among other items in the bill language.

This is the second member of the CBAC that has been awarded this prestigious BA award. In 2015, Brook Bristow of Bristow Beverage Law and the South Carolina Brewers Guild also received the F.X. Matt Defense of the Craft Brewing Industry Award.

The Craft Beer Attorney Coalition is a member-based, non-profit organization that has been developed to advance the professionalism of the craft beer industry’s legal representatives.  Our members dedicate themselves to the legal world of craft beer with their commitment to industry-specific education training and pro bono community services to existing breweries and breweries-in-planning nationwide.  http://craftbeerattorneycoalition.org/

Currently, we have members serving the following states:

• California – Candace Moon, Esq.
• Colorado – Candace Moon, Esq.
• Georgia – Taylor Harper, Esq.
• Minnesota – Jeffrey O’Brien, Esq.
• Mississippi – Matthew McLaughlin, Esq.
• North Carolina – John Szymankiewicz, Esq.
• Ohio – Adam Armstrong, Esq.
• South Carolina – Brook Bristow, Esq.
• Tennessee – Matthew McLaughlin, Esq.
• Texas – Angel Tomasino, Esq.