COMMUNICATIONS/LEGAL - FOOD LAWYER COMMUNICATIONS/LEGAL - FOOD LAWYER 19 20 is being thoroughly prepared for the meeting, setting clear goals, and trying to build a rapport that benefits both parties. If the agreement is not made clear, then this could mean big losses for the company. 4. Food Lawyers are Aces at Reading and Preparing Company Documents Legal documents are long and detailed. To the untrained eye, they can feel as though they are just long for the sake of it. Well, there is a good reason why they are long! It is to protect the company and its employees. Corporate lawyers are effective at reading and preparing documents. Using their expert communication skills, they can assist with a variety of issues. They review and edit documentation related to company policies such as employee handbooks and codes of conduct to ensure they are legally compliant and consistent with best practices. Alternatively, they may assist in the preparation of intellectual property documents, such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights, to protect the company’s intellectual property rights. 5. Food Lawyers Have Law Degrees Becoming a food lawyer for a food company will depend on the country that you live in. In the United States, no specialized degree is required to become a corporate food lawyer as any major can lead to a law degree. For those looking to practice food law, having a degree in food science, food engineering, or food business management may be beneficial as this would provide the lawyer with a unique understanding of the food industry. Though the most common route is to obtain a degree in business or commerce, it is most applicable to the work of a corporate lawyer. However, any major can lead to a law degree. For those looking to practice food law, it may even be beneficial to have a degree in food science, food engineering, or food business management as this would provide the lawyer with a unique understanding of the food industry. After completing their undergraduate degree, students must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), a standardized test that measures how likely it is that you’ll be successful in law school. After passing the LSAT, students must earn a juris doctor (J.D.) degree, which offers courses such as legal procedures, administrative law and taxation. After graduating from law school, you need to pass the American Bar Association’s (ABA) bar exam. Once you pass the bar exam, you can apply for a license to practice law in the state where you plan to work and then get hired by a food company. 6. Food Lawyers Assist with Intellectual Property At the end of the day, food businesses are still businesses. They have trade secrets such as recipes or cooking processes, that they would like to keep quiet from the world. Alternatively, they may have a secret that they want to keep quiet. Did you know that you can’t patent a recipe? Patents are only issued for novel inventions or processes that aren’t obvious. That’s why companies like Coca-Cola can’t patent their recipes. Although they might not want to do that either, as patents are publicly published. Food Lawyer assets with intangible (nonphysical) assets such as patents, or trademarks need to be protected by companies to help them maintain their competitive advantage. They will work with their company to identify potential technologies and assess risks that may arise during business transactions. For example, a cookie company may have created a plantbased egg that they can use in their recipe that has all the same functionality as the original. The company may want to protect this innovation from other organizations. 7. Food Lawyers Assist Human Resources with Company Policies If you have ever taken a job at a fast-food chain, you will notice that there are many documents that you will have to sign. It feels like there are pages upon pages of information. It’s likely that behind the scenes there is a corporate lawyer that is behind the scenes creating these documents. Corporate lawyers can assist human resource departments by providing them with guidance on compliance with labor and employment laws. For example, they can provide advice on wages and hourly laws to ensure that the organization is comply. Additionally, they may assist human resources with employee relations issues such as how to handle sensitive employee relations such as discrimination, complaints, harassment claims, and disciplinary actions. Reviewing and updating company policies: Food Lawyers can review and update company policies and procedures, such as those related to benefits, leaves of absence, and termination, to ensure that they are legally compliant and consistent with best practices. Furthermore, they can help with respect to content, adoption, and implementation of certain policies and procedures, benefits, OSHA, labor, contracts, and litigation. They may also have a role in developing a company’s policies on industry-specific issues. 8. Food Lawyers are Analytical, Communicative, and Strategic Being a corporate food lawyer requires a wide range of skills. However, there are a few that are more important than others. These skills include: • Analytical Skills: Corporate food lawyers must be able to analyze complex legal issues and identify potential risks and opportunities. They need to be able to identify. • Communication Skills: Corporate food lawyers need to be able to analyze and break down complex legal issues for those who might not be familiar with the conversations. They need to be able to explain legal concepts and issues to non-lawyers in a clear and concise manner. • Strategic Thinking: Corporate food lawyers must be able to think strategically and anticipate potential legal issues that could impact the organization’s long-term goals and objectives. Want to dive deeper in the topic of intellectual property in the food technology industry? Then check out, ‘Intellectual Property in the Food Technology Industry: Protecting Your Innovation’ by Ryan W. Donnell, John J. O’Malley, Randolph J. Huis In this book you could learn about: - The differences between patents, trade secrets, trademarks and copyrights - Intellectual Property Issues in Labeling and Marketing - How to enforce intellectual property rights - How to set up a patent Click the photo to read all about it! Looking to listen in on the conversations behind food laws? Check out Repast, a food law and policy podcast from the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy at UCLA Law. Each month they interview a thought leader in the field of food law and policy to discuss past achievements, current developments, and future challenges. You can check out the podcast on any platform you get your favorite podcasts or simply click on the image! Photo by Food Lawyer 5/pexels.com Hi! I’m Quinton, the FoodGrads Bot! For any questions please come visit me at FoodGrads.com! North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University NCA&T is an Education Partner of ours, check them out on FoodGrads! Click their logo below! 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