Vincent “Vince” O’Brien is senior counsel with Nixon Peabody LLP. He has extensive experience in beverage alcohol law, which he has practiced since his first day as an attorney in 1963. He joined the law firm of White & Case and was assigned to its Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc., account. Five years later, he was named general counsel and director by Seagram and was later elevated to executive vice president while maintaining his roles as general counsel and director.
Eleven years after joining Seagram, Mr. O’Brien left to join forces with Abe Buchman in creating the beverage alcohol boutique firm of Buchman & O’Brien. In June of 2004, following the retirement of Mr. Buchman, Vince joined the national firm of Nixon Peabody LLP, where he established the firm’s Beverage Alcohol Group. At Nixon Peabody, Vince represents beverage alcohol clients in all aspects of the beer, wine, and spirits industries throughout the world.
Mr. O’Brien is a frequent lecturer and speaker on beverage alcohol issues at international symposia and conferences, such as Vinexpo, Vinitaly, Intervitis, Pacific Rim wine festivals, and Impact Seminars. His engagements include four published presentations at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) global symposia concerning appellations of origin. He has also been a guest lecturer at Aix-Marseille Law School in France, and was named as a member of a special industry advisory committee to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regarding wine and spirits intellectual property issues during Uruguay Round GATT negotiations.
Mr. O’Brien has been honored by wine societies in France and Hungary and is a recipient of the Chevalier de l’Ordre Mérite Agricole bestowed by the French government.
Publication
Mr. O’Brien is the author of a chapter on beverage alcohol law practice for West’s Guide to New York Practice.