Cheftimony Episode 048 – Alcohol & Advocacy
Photo credit: Alcohol & Advocacy (http://www.bcliquorlaw.com/)
“Dan and I dive into some of the similarities between restaurant work and the practice of law and also some of the challenges Dan helps his clients address.”
Today my guest is Dan Coles, the lawyer behind the BC liquor law blog, Alcohol & Advocacy. Dan first worked in the hospitality in Halifax, years before his legal career started, doing everything from bussing tables to changing the kegs. These days, Dan is a shareholder at Vancouver’s Owen Bird Law Corporation where he focuses his practice on litigation and the hospitality sector.
Dan and I dive into some of the similarities between restaurant work and the practice of law and also some of the challenges Dan helps his clients address. You’ll hear the story of one client having a whole lot of scotch whisky seized and where the resulting case stands today. Dan also explains many parts of the regulatory regime for alcohol production and sales in British Columbia and some interesting issues that have arisen in various Canadian provinces. And for what might be the first time on Cheftimony, some legal case names do come up, with Dan sharing some thoughts on the Supreme Court of Canada decisions R. v. Comeau and Roncarelli v. Duplessis.
Please understand that nothing in this episode is legal advice. This interview was recorded over a year ago, in February 2020, and is simply Dan’s and my talk on things we find interesting in the alcohol and hospitality industries. I hope you enjoy the talk too – join us!