San Diego Liquor License Attorney

When a licensee of the Department of California Alcoholic Beverage Control is accused of violating a law or rule governing the operation of licensed premises, the licensee faces a suspension or revocation of his liquor license. In many cases this represents a significant risk of serious financial consequences. At the Law Offices of Peter Shenas in San Diego, California, we represent clients throughout Southern California facing the permanent or temporary loss of their liquor license. We also represent licensees with respect to problems relating to the transfers of liquor licenses.

Experience in and Knowledge of Liquor License Law

Peter Shenas, the founder of our firm, not only has extensive experience in laws related to liquor license revocation, has also written on the subject of liquor license escrows for the California Continuing Education of the Bar. That background coupled with an in-depth knowledge of the law as it pertains to liquor licenses benefits his Southern California clients facing license suspension or revocation.

Buying or Selling Your Licensed Business

The nature of problems requiring the services of an attorney with respect to a liquor license are diverse. Most commonly there are those problems that arise between sellers and buyers of licensed premises. These problems, most generally, arise from poorly drafted buy-sell agreements or escrow instructions. The purpose of these agreements is to memorialize the agreement between the buyer and seller. We can assist you in the drafting of an agreement that will not overlook important details. Moreover, since the content of agreements providing for the transfer of a liquor license is regulated by statutes and regulations of the State of California, close attention must be paid to the content of the agreement to assure compliance. Our firm has extensive experience in the drafting of enforceable agreements and in supervising the escrows provided by those agreements.

Even in cases of well drafted agreements of sale, problems can occur in the transfer process. One of the most frequent is the unwillingness of the Department of Alcoholic Beverages to approve the transfer for reasons having to do with the identity or character of the transferee. At times the unwillingness of the Department to approve the transfer is related to the fact that the proposed license transfer is to a new location. Often these transfers are opposed by the Department because of the density of bars and restaurants in the neighborhood of the proposed new location. We can help you challenge the Department on these issues.

License Revocations and Suspensions

At the Law Offices of Peter Shenas, we recognize the complexity and severity of liquor license revocations and suspensions. Alleged violations of the state liquor license law, resulting in the filing by Department of an “accusations” frequently puts a business’ existence at risk. We will aggressively seek the best resolution of your case. When we are retained to represent a client in revocation or suspension cases we first attempt to resolve the matter by direct negotiations with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. If that fails the Department files an accusation against the licensee and the matter is subsequently decided by an administrative law judge after a full hearing involving the submission of evidence and oral argument. The decision of the administrative court judge can then be appealed. Our firm has a broad range of experience in these cases.

Contact Us

To get more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced lawyer regarding the possible suspension or revocation of your alcoholic beverage license, please contact us.

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