Each winter, the Legal Food Hub runs a free webinar series to help inform farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food and farm organizations about important legal topics relevant to their businesses. All webinars are free and registration can be found below. Recordings of the webinars will be available in our Resource Library at the end of the series. Please email mlovellegan@clf.org with any questions.
January 29: Farm Employment Law Basics
Attorney Rachel Armstrong, Farm Commons
With just a few key rules, farms can navigate employment law with confidence. Learn the fundamentals of farm employment law including classifying workers and the obligations of every farm employer.
About Rachel Armstrong (click to expand)
As the founder and Executive Director of Farm Commons, Rachel Armstrong creates the organization’s innovative approach to farm law education and risk reduction. Her vision for changing the way consumers experience business law has been awarded with two prestigious fellowships: a 2012 Echoing Green Global Fellowship and a 2018 Ashoka Fellowship. As leading authority on direct to consumer farm law she has authored dozens of publications on farm law matters for farmers, alongside several academic and trade publications for attorneys. Ms. Armstrong instructs continuing legal education classes for the American Bar Association, teaches farm law for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is a co-author of “Farmers’ Guide to Business Structures,” published by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. A graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and the University of Wisconsin Madison, she lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and three young children.
February 5th: Fiscal Sponsorship
Attorneys Elizabeth Manchester and Russell Stein, Partridge Snow & Hahn
When looking to start a charity, many groups turn to a fiscal sponsor prior to receiving tax-exemption from the IRS. A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit organization that “sponsors” certain charitable projects. A fiscal sponsorship is a relationship between the two parties that provides a way for a start-up charity to have an administrative “home.” This relationship allows the start-up time to administratively and financially grow and the ability to receive tax-deductible donations. A fiscal sponsor can be a very helpful steppingstone. This webinar will provide the information you need when considering whether to enter into a fiscal sponsor relationship.
About the speakers (click to expand)
Partner Russell Stein of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP advises nonprofit organizations, charities, and private foundations on a variety of issues ranging from start-up organizational matters through mergers and dissolutions. Russell provides guidance on joint ventures and partnerships between nonprofit and for-profit entities, including advice regarding state regulations and registration requirements involving commercial co-venture agreements.
Partner & Nonprofit Chair Elizabeth Manchester of Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP advises public charities, private foundations and supporting organizations regarding board education and training, fiduciary obligation advice, compliance, donor representation, endowment fund management, finance, Form 990, reporting issues, governance, joint ventures, affiliations, and litigation prevention. In addition, she advises nonprofits regarding managing bequests and complex gifts for organizations, mergers and acquisitions, obtaining and maintaining tax exemptions, policies, political and lobbying restrictions, and tax-exempt organizations.
February 12th: Succession Planning
Attorney Deborah Foppert, Archer & Foppert and Farmer Jayne Merner, Earth Care Farm
Succession planning is a critical step to ensuring your business can continue to operate even if someone retires or leaves the company. Succession planning is very specific to your business and should be done with the guidance of an attorney. Attorney Deb Foppert of Archer & Foppert has supported many businesses with their succession plans. During this session Deb and Jayne Merner (a farmer) will illustrate what succession planning looks like, common pitfalls and tips for working with an attorney.
About the speakers (click to expand)
Attorney Deborah Foppert of Archer & Foppert graduated from law school in 1986. She started working at Edwards & Angell in the real estate and corporate lending department in Providence and then was one of three attorneys to open the Newport office of E&A. After nine years at E&A, Deb taught for a number of years at St. George’s School, later rejoining A&F full time in 2013. Deb is the primary point of contact on all real estate conveyancing matters.
Farmer Jayne Merner owns Earth Care Farm in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Earth Care Farm was founded by Jayne’s parents and has been running since 1977. It is a vegetable and composting farm. The family worked with Deb Foppert to create a succession plan and are happy to share their personal experience of succession planning with the hope of helping others.
February 19th: Nonprofit Formation
Attorney Ryan Barry, Bulkley Richardson and Gini Mazman, Nourishing the North Shore
A nonprofit is a legal entity aimed at providing a collective, public or social benefit as opposed to a legal entity operating to generate money for its owners. Forming a nonprofit and maintaining a nonprofit is a relatively involved process. During this webinar we will hear from an attorney who specializes in forming nonprofits and a member of a newly formed nonprofit. Together, they will cover the ins and outs of forming a nonprofit as well as common pitfalls and best practices.
About the speakers (click to expand)
Ryan Barry is the Chair of Bulkley Richardson’s Schools, Colleges and Universities practice group and Co-Chair of the firm’s Health Care practice group. He also has significant experience in design and construction law, as well as business law. Ryan represents businesses and charitable organizations of all types with respect to organization, mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions and contracts.
Nourishing the North Shore is a nonprofit in Newburyport, Massachusetts with a mission to provide equal access to healthy food through our partnerships with food access partners, local farms and our community members. Gini has an MBA and years of business leadership experience in nonprofit agencies as an employee, founder and as a board member. She is currently the board president of Nourishing the North Shore, a volunteer with several local and national nonprofits, and an independent consultant to emerging small business owners.
February 26th: Food Safety Liability Basics
Attorney Chloe Forkner Johnson, Farm Commons
It’s every farmer or rancher’s worst nightmare: Someone claims to have gotten sick from the food they produced. No matter how safe the operation is, the risk is always there. The good news is there are ways to manage and mitigate the impacts of this risk. We’ll discuss the best practices every farmer or rancher can adopt to get a foothold in managing their food safety liability exposure.
About Chloe (click to expand)
Chloe Forkner Johnson is Farm Commons’ Staff Attorney. Chloe’s work focuses on ensuring farmers and the agricultural community receive sharp legal analysis as she writes newsletters, books, guides, and supports curriculum development. Chloe farmed for many seasons, learning from Neil Taylor near her hometown in Ellenwood, GA, Ken Dawson of Maple Springs Farm in Cedar Grove, NC, and Kelly Morrison of Color Fields Farm in Durham, NC. Chloe earned her bachelor’s degree from New College of Florida and went on to study law at the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, GA. She began her legal off-farm career as a public defender, providing legal services for low-income clients and, later, developing equity programs for lawyers and court systems with a non-profit in Raleigh, NC. As an agricultural professional, Chloe has advised farmers through the Brannan Law Firm in Hillsborough, NC, on small business formation, zoning, and real estate issues. Chloe most recently worked at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) as the Local Foods Systems Manager. At CFSA, she led market access efforts and provided technical assistance to growers on GAP certification and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Chloe owns land with four friends in Cedar Grove, NC, and is slowly turning that raw piece of land into a homesite and a place to grow her food and flowers.
