The alcoholic beverage and hospitality industry is filled with passionate and creative individuals who may be stifled by regulatory or legal restrictions. I enjoy assisting these clients because being trusted to navigate the legal landscape and providing them with the solutions they need to turn their ideas into reality is an incredibly rewarding experience. My passion stems from the critical thinking and complex problem solving necessary to achieve client outcomes, while still complying with applicable laws.
Adams and Reese Special Counsel Eric Evans is a member of the Intersection of Business and Government Practice in the firm’s Nashville office where he counsels emerging and established businesses alike across the three alcoholic beverage tiers, in corporate and hospitality matters, and those in the cannabis/CBD industries.
Practicing law in Tennessee since 2015, and drawing on his prior experiences as a commercial litigator having seen the aftermath of businesses and contracts that fell apart, Eric provides his clients with as-needed general counsel services – including entity structuring, liability shielding, and negotiating and resolving internal and external business disputes in formal mediation and arbitration – and prides himself on identifying and resolving issues before they arise.
When the law and business interests converge, Eric assists clients in navigating regulatory, compliance, and liability-based restrictions by creating inter-organizational structures and frameworks that allow his clients to operate in their preferred manner, while still complying with applicable laws.
Education
Bar Admissions
Community Involvement
- Nashville Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Board Member (2021-Present)
- Social Committee Co-Chair (2022-Present)
- Carbolic Smoke Ball Committee Co-Chair (2022-Present)
- Race Judicata Committee Co-Chair (2021)
- Nashville Bar Foundation - Leadership Forum, Class of 2022
Areas of Practice
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Nashville Bar Association, and Young Lawyer’s division
- Providing general counsel services for Kentucky-based distillery including inter-entity structuring for liability and regulatory compliance, and the preparation and negotiation of all manner of agreements for its associated live music venue, restaurant, historic train depot, locomotive, over-night accommodations, production facility, warehouses, and contract distilling/bottling partners;
- Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating vendor, distributor, and third-party service provider contracts;
- Negotiating and representing clients selling and purchasing interests in liquor-licensed and beer-permitted businesses;
- Identifying and successfully obtaining economic incentives from various state agencies;
- Coordinating multi-state rollout, licensure, regulatory compliance matters, and brand registrations for a Kentucky-based distillery;
- Reviewing label designs for compliance with federal requirements and obtaining federal Certificates of Label Approvals (COLAs), and;
- Obtaining liquor licenses for all manner of retail, distributor, and manufacturing businesses.