Gowling WLG is pleased to welcome Julie Lane as a partner in its Ottawa office. Working closely with colleagues in the firm's Food & Beverage Group, Julie will harness her extensive sector background – including as former Chief Legal Officer (CLO) of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) – to help clients streamline the regulatory path to market and position themselves for commercial success.

Over the course of her nearly 20-year career at the LCBO – culminating in her promotion to CLO and Senior Vice President in 2018 – Julie played a central role in all legal and regulatory matters involving this Crown corporation. These include the historic liberalizing of Ontario's alcohol market and the development of a provincial regulatory framework in connection with Canada's legalization of recreational cannabis.

"As a past legal leader of one of the world's largest purchasers of alcohol products, Julie's not only been on the front lines of a shifting regulatory landscape; she's been instrumental in shaping it," said Cyndy Elderkin, managing partner of Gowling WLG's Ottawa office.

"This unique vantage, coupled with her keen commercial sensibility and responsive, personalized approach to service, positions her well to help our clients market their products with confidence, while strategically managing compliance risk."

Julie's practice spans the full spectrum of laws and regulations that underpin Canada's food and beverage sector – from importation, production and distribution to marketing, advertising and sale. She complements this regulatory focus by providing valuable advice to clients on complex public procurements and government initiatives, and the commercial agreements arising from such activities.

Learn more about Julie's practice here.

About Gowling WLG's Food and Beverage Group

Gowling WLG's Food & Beverage Group has the knowledge and experience to manage a wide spectrum of regulatory concerns affecting the manufacturing, processing, marketing, advertising, sale distribution and recall of foods, beverages and natural health products. Our professionals frequently work with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, the Competition Bureau, Advertising Standards Canada and other governmental and self-regulatory agencies to support and represent our clients' matters.