Laws & Regulations Certificate Program Details
The Laws and Regulations Certificate is for industry professionals who want to expand their knowledge base around essential distilled spirits legal issues in this highly complex regulatory landscape. Whether you are in-house counsel at a spirits company, outside counsel at a firm, or a non-lawyer faced with navigating these complex issues, our certificate program gives you a foundation in the most critical beverage alcohol laws and regulations. Core courses are taught by respected industry legal experts and representatives from regulatory bodies. CLE credit will be sought for all appropriate courses in this section and anyone working toward a certificate in this program will also have access to past DISCUS CLE programs. CLE courses are denoted below with an asterisk.
If you have any questions about our CLE courses, program, or financial aid policy, please contact CLE@distilledspirits.org
To complete the program, participants must earn 25 credits as outlined below. The certificate must be earned within 24 months of attending your first course. Participants must also pass an exam to show competency in the domain.
Interest Form
Please fill out this form to indicate that you are beginning a certificate program with DISCUS Academy.
Certificate Tracker
Use this tracker to track your progress through the certificate program. Upon completion of the program, you will be asked to upload the tracker to verify completion of required courses.
Core Courses - (10 credits) Core courses provide participants with the fundamental principles necessary to understand the laws and regulations governing the spirits industry. Because of the complexity of the subject matter, each course is two hours long and worth two credits.
Leadership – (2 credits) All participants are required to take Diversity & Inclusion in the Spirits Industry & one other Leadership elective. These courses are available in the Leadership Domain and are linked below.
Responsibility – (1 credit) All participants are required to take one Responsibility course. These courses are available in the Leadership Domain and linked below.
Electives – (12 credits) The remaining 12 required credits can be achieved through Elective courses. Electives allow participants to take a deeper dive into areas of interest, giving you the flexibility to specialize in topics relevant to your career.
Core Courses (Required)
Distilled Spirits Regulatory Overview: TTB Regulations Parts 5 and 19*
FDA Beverage Alcohol Jurisdiction*
It All Goes Back to Prohibition: How the Modern Spirits Industry Was Born*
The Fundamentals of Product Approval: COLAs/Labeling and Formulas*
Trade Practice and Tied-House Considerations: What Do They Mean?*
Electives (Choose 12)
Alcohol Advertising and Marketing: How to Market Your Brands Legally and Responsibly* (coming soon!)
Alternate Routes to Market*
Antitrust and M&A: What to Expect with the Biden Administration*
Control State Basics: Bailment Warehouses, Price Posting, Product Registration, and More
Discounting Rules: Consumer Contests and Coupons*
Distilled Spirits Distribution 101 & Contract Negotiations: Understanding Franchise Law*
Employee Contracts & Rights
Environmental Safety, EPA Plant Permits, and Clean Air Act Considerations
Flowing Work Through TTB
Foundation on the Three-Tier System
Global Marketplace/Global Perspective: Legal Considerations for International Markets*
Health & Safety Compliance
Intellectual Property Considerations*
Introduction to Compliance
Introduction to TTB Basic Permitting
Market Innovation: Secondary Barrel Finishing, Expanding Beyond Distilled Spirits, and More*
Preventing Horror Stories: 10 TTB Industry Expert Tips to Remember*
Privacy, Data & Consumer Protection
Sales & Marketing Legal Compliance Training
Social Media and Digital Code Compliance 101
State Nuances*
The Confluence of Laws, Regulations, Guidance, and Policy in Regulating Spirits
Leadership
Workplace Diversity and Inclusion (Required)
Creating an Organizational Culture
Leadership Communication Styles (coming soon!)
Management Process
Sparking a Movement
Responsibility
Alcohol Responsibility
Mindful Mixology
Underage Drinking Prevention
U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol: What You Need to Know to Promote Responsible Consumption
Certificate Application Process
In order to earn a domain certificate, applicants must complete the following steps:
- Fill out the certificate form to indicate your interest in beginning the certificate program.
- Fulfill the domain course requirements as outlined above.
- Complete and submit the tracking form below. Your tracking sheet will be reviewed by DISCUS Academy staff to ensure all courses meet the requirements. Upon successful review, applicants will be eligible to take the domain exam.
- Take the domain exam and receive a score of 70% or higher. Exam questions will be taken from Core Courses. In the event of a failure, students may retake the exam one week after the failure. A maximum of 2 retakes will be allowed.
- Certificates will be available to download immediately after the exam is passed.