Agricultural attorneys need to know about everything from crop insurance disputes to counseling produce and food companies on labor and regulatory issues. The annual Ohio Agricultural Law Symposium will be held June 23-24 at the Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark. It is designed to provide insight into key issues in the agricultural legal community. 

The goal of this year symposium is to help attorneys representing Ohio's farm and agri-business clients, stay up-to-date on current legal developments, says Peggy Hall, director of Ohio State University Extension's Agricultural and Resource Law Program and a conference organizer. 

Symposium Focuses On Ag Law

"Agricultural law is a complex area of law practice," she says. "Agricultural attorneys must understand laws ranging from crop insurance to labor regulations. 

"Keeping up with the many laws that affect agriculture is challenging and so important." 

The symposium will feature two nationally known speakers: 

•Allen Olson, a Georgia-based agricultural attorney who will discuss representing farmers in crop insurance disputes and updates on federal farm bill policies.   
•Cari Rincker, a New York-based food and agriculture attorney who will discuss protecting the farm client's business by managing contracts, intellectual property and employment concerns. 

Other sessions will include information on:
•Trucking and labor compliance for farms.
•An update from the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
•Protecting agri-business.
•Produce and food business regulations.
•Estate and business planning.
•A bonus CLE option on ethics, professionalism and substance abuse.

The symposium will be held at Cherry Valley Lodge, 2299 Cherry Valley Road in Newark, runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. Pre-registration, available at www.ohiobar.org, is $270 for Ohio State Bar Association members or $335 for nonmembers, with six Continuing Legal Education credits available for attorneys. 

Non-CLE rates are available by calling the Bar Association at 800-232-2174. 

Law students may apply for a scholarship to attend the symposium at no cost through Ohio State's Paul L. Wright Endowment Fund in Agricultural Law. For more information, visit www.ohiobar.org or contact Hall at [email protected].