We're Not Just Liquor Lawyers: What BevLaw Group Actually Does for Hospitality Businesses

If you've heard of BevLaw Group, there's a decent chance you think we handle liquor licensing. And you're not wrong. We do handle licensing, and we're good at it. But if that's all you think we do, you're missing about 80% of the picture.

It's a misconception we run into constantly. Someone will get on a call with us, hear about our monthly retainer model, and say something like, "I don't think we'd need that much legal work. We already have our licenses handled." And every time, we have the same conversation: licensing is just one piece of what it takes to keep a hospitality business protected.

The truth is, most restaurant and bar owners don't realize how many legal touchpoints exist in their day-to-day operations until something goes sideways. And by then, they're usually paying a lot more to fix the problem than they would have paid to prevent it.

The Licensing Misconception

Let's be clear: licensing matters. If you're selling alcohol in Tennessee, you need the right permits, you need them filed correctly, and you need to stay on top of renewals. We handle all of that, including applications for beer permits, liquor-by-the-drink licenses, special event permits, and direct correspondence with the ABC and local beer boards. If your license gets challenged or denied, we handle that too.

But here's what most owners don't think about: what happens after the license is on the wall?

You've got your permits. You're open. You're serving. Now you're also signing vendor contracts, drafting employee policies, navigating health department inspections, running private events, managing staff issues, and trying to stay on top of regulations that seem to change every year. Every one of those things has legal implications, and most of them have nothing to do with your liquor license.

That's where the "we're just liquor lawyers" assumption starts to cost people.

What Owners Actually Need (But Don't Always Know to Ask For)

When we bring on a new client, one of the first things we do is a document audit. We ask them to send over everything: vendor agreements, lease terms, employee handbooks, event contracts, insurance paperwork, the whole stack. And almost every time, they're surprised by how much we're looking at.

One client came to us while they were opening their business. They initially questioned whether our monthly fee made sense for their situation. Then they sent over the documents. Leasing agreements, contractor contracts, insurance policies, HR paperwork. Suddenly they were seeing the scope of what we actually do, and their reaction was, "You guys cover all of this?"

Yes. We do.

Because here's the thing: a hospitality business doesn't just need help getting licensed. It needs help staying out of trouble across every area where trouble can find it. And in this industry, that's a lot of areas.

The Full Scope of What We Cover

Let me walk you through what's actually included when you work with BevLaw Group, because this is where the misconception really breaks down.

Regulatory Guidance

Licensing is one slice of regulatory life. Beyond that, there's alcohol sales regulations, happy hour restrictions, ID-checking procedures, advertising rules, and a dozen other things that vary by jurisdiction and change more often than most owners realize. We help you understand what's required, build protocols that keep your team on the right side of the rules, and stay ahead of changes before they catch you off guard.

We also help with health department inspection prep, food safety practices, zoning questions, and employment law guidance. None of that has anything to do with your liquor license, but all of it can create problems if you're not paying attention.

Document Review and Drafting

This is the one that surprises people the most. We review and revise every operational document that touches your business. Private dining agreements, vendor contracts, employee policies, handbooks, customer waivers, terms of service, and anything else that could create liability if it's not written correctly.

We also have a library of templates that clients can access: staff training acknowledgments, incident reports, daily operations checklists. These aren't generic downloads from the internet. They're built specifically for hospitality businesses and designed to protect you when something goes wrong.

If you need a document adjusted, you don't have to worry about editing legal language yourself and hoping you didn't break something. You just tell us what you need changed, and we handle it.

Employment and Staff Protection

Wage issues, staff disputes, HR policies, training documentation. All of it falls under our scope. We help you build the kind of employee infrastructure that protects both your team and your business, and we're there when situations come up that need a legal eye.

This is a big one for multi-location groups and operators with larger teams, but it matters for smaller businesses too. One poorly written policy or one mishandled employee situation can create problems that far exceed what most owners budget for.

Regulatory Defense

If you get a violation notice from the ABC, a beer board, the health department, the fire marshal, or any other regulatory body, we're there for the initial defense. That includes written responses, hearing representation, and mitigation strategies. We cover overserving citations, serving minors, improper advertising, late renewals, health code violations, fire safety issues, and zoning disputes.

The goal is to resolve things early, before they escalate into something bigger. Most regulatory issues don't have to turn into major problems if they're handled correctly from the start.

Law Enforcement and Civil Action Support

If something more serious comes up, like a law enforcement matter or a civil claim, we provide early-stage support. That means immediate risk assessment, strategic guidance, and help figuring out the right next steps. Some situations eventually require separate engagement for litigation, but a lot of them can be managed effectively in the early stages if you have someone in your corner who knows what they're doing.

Ongoing Legal Intelligence

Laws change. Regulations shift. Enforcement trends evolve. We keep our clients informed about what's happening so they're not caught off guard. That includes updates on new legislation, ABC ruling interpretations, local ordinance changes, and anything else that might affect how you operate.

You shouldn't have to track all of that yourself. That's part of what you're paying us for.

Why the Monthly Model Works

Most attorneys bill by the hour. Which means every time you have a question, you're doing mental math about whether it's worth the cost to ask. That leads to a predictable pattern: owners avoid calling until something is already a problem, and by then it's more expensive and more complicated to fix.

Our model flips that. One monthly fee covers ongoing legal support across all of the areas I just described. You can call us three times a week if you need to. You can send over a contract for review without worrying about racking up a bill. You can ask the "dumb" questions early, before they turn into expensive ones.

One of our clients put it this way: a few questions to an attorney billing hourly could cost more than a full month with us, and that's before you get any documents reviewed or real work done. With BevLaw Group, you get unlimited access.

Some months you might use us heavily. Other months might be quieter. But you're always covered, and you're never surprised by a bill.

What We Don't Cover (And Why That's Clear Upfront)

We're transparent about the boundaries. Our scope doesn't include filing or defending lawsuits, affirmative litigation, contested transactional matters, or continued representation in formal regulatory proceedings beyond the initial defense stage. Those situations require a separate engagement letter and retainer.

We tell you that upfront because we want you to know exactly what you're getting. No surprises, no fine print, no awkward conversations later about what's included.

The Bottom Line

If you think of us as "the liquor license people," you're only seeing a fraction of what we do. Licensing is important, and we handle it well. But the real value is everything else: the document reviews, the regulatory guidance, the staff protection, the defense work, the ongoing intelligence, and the ability to call us whenever something comes up without worrying about the meter running.

We built BevLaw Group because hospitality businesses deserve legal support that actually fits how the industry works. Not reactive, not transactional, not a relationship where you only call when something's already broken.

If you're running a restaurant, bar, or hotel in Tennessee and you want to understand what comprehensive legal support actually looks like, schedule a free consultation. We'll walk through your situation, explain what's covered, and help you figure out whether we're the right fit.

Schedule your free consultation.