News

Whiteman Osterman & Hanna Partner Alexandra Becker was recently interviewed by WRGB and featured on CBS 6 News discussing the upcoming end of to-go alcohol sales in restaurants in April 2025. Read the full article here.

Acquiring or selling a business can be a daunting task, even more so when the business holds one or more liquor licenses. To ensure a successful outcome, it is important for you to understand the threshold issues for transactions generally, as well as those unique to these types of transactions so you can hopefully avoid common pitfalls.Asset vs. equity purchaseFirst, the type of purchase – asset vs. equity (stock or membership interest) -- is not only the key to the structure of the [...]

Obtaining a liquor license in the state of New York can be a complicated process, and the ongoing backlog at the New York State Liquor Authority (the SLA) is resulting in application processing times of between six and eight months; however, in many cases, applicants may be able to obtain a temporary permit to operate while the application is reviewed.If you are thinking of starting or purchasing a business requiring a liquor license, there are a number of threshold issues to consider before you [...]

Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, the Capital Region’s largest law firm, has extensive experience representing clients in the area of Alcoholic Beverage Law and is continuing to grow this practice with the addition of Alexandra Becker and Richard Burstein.Alcoholic beverage regulation is uniquely complex. The industry is constantly evolving and COVID has exacerbated the already high demand for licenses and need for new capabilities, including take out of alcoholic beverages and the [...]

As a craft brewer, your focus is on making the best beer possible.  However, being a craft brewer means you are also a small business owner, which means that you also have to focus on managing a successful business.  As your brewery grows, it will inevitably lead to hiring employees.  Being an employer can be incredibly rewarding, as the right employees can become valuable assets to your business.However, becoming an employer can also be scary at times because having employees [...]