Tracy Genesen
Professional Profile
Tracy Genesen is a seasoned trial and appellate attorney who is a partner in the San Francisco office of Kirkland. She directs a variety of complex multi-district federal court litigation focusing primarily on constitutional challenges to state alcohol regulatory statutes. Ms. Genesen provides legal guidance to wine industry trade associations and serves as the national spokesperson on the legal and public policy aspects of direct shipping of wine to consumers. She has provided strategic and substantive advice to legal team and wine industry trade associations on direct shipping lawsuits.
Ms. Genesen's experience includes serving as Legal Director for the Coalition for Free Trade and Counsel to Family Winemakers of California. She has directed and coordinated co-counsel and wine industry leaders in the writing of merits and amicus briefs; co-authored amicus briefs for submission to the United States Supreme Court and the Fourth, Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals; advocated public policy reform before numerous federal and state agencies; provided legal guidance to wine industry trade associations and served as the national spokesperson on the legal and public policy aspects of direct shipping of wine to consumers. She has also represented state governmental agencies in land use and Fair Political Practice Act litigation and handled professional liability and attorney discipline matters.
Ms. Genesen has managed high-volume complex civil litigation cases in the health care and software industries. In addition, she served on a litigation team that successfully defended a corporation in a healthcare fraud prosecution. She has also served as an in-house ethics advisor and has litigated professional liability and attorney discipline matters.
Ms. Genesen served as primary legal and policy advisor to the Chief Trial Counsel with particular emphasis on high profile attorney discipline cases such as the O.J. Simpson criminal lawyers, the lawyers for the Menendez brothers, and the Stephen Yagman matters. She has advocated discipline reform legislation before the California legislature and governmental agencies, taught "Ethics in the Courtroom" to the California judiciary, and acted as the legal spokesperson for the attorney discipline system.Memberships & Affiliations
American Bar AssociationOther Distinctions
Legal Director of Coalition of Free Trade & Wine, Napa Valley, CaliforniaSeminars
Annual Events
Family Winemakers of California Annual Membership Meeting, Sacramento, California, 2003-2007.
Lecturer, National Conference of State Legislatures, Seattle, Washington, August 2005, Denver, Colorado, 2002.
2006
Wine Fair Trade Coalition presentation to FTC - Policy and Planning Department, December 2006.
Panelist, WineAmerica Fall Board of Directors & Membership Meeting, "Beyond Granholm: Implications of the Decision, Strategies and Challenges," Canandaigua, New York, November 2006.
Presenter, American Bar Association 2006 Administrative Law Conference, "Legal and Regulatory Implications of the Supreme Court Wine Direct Shipment Case: Granholm v. Heald and Beyond," Washington, D.C., October 2006.
Panelist, National Conference of State Liquor Administrators, "Reading the Tea Leaves: Post Granholm Jurisprudence & State's Ability to Regulate," New Orleans, Louisiana, October 2006.
Speaker, Wine Industry Financial Symposium, "Beyond the Supreme Court Decision - A New Look," Napa, California, September 2006.
Speaker, The Institute of Masters of Wine Napa 2006 Symposium, "Legislation, Regulation and Restrictions: What Does the Future Hold?," Napa, California, July 2006.
2005
Presenter, Hearing: California Senate Select Committee on Wine, Healdsburg, California, December 2005.
California Alcohol Beverage Committee, Interstate Retail Shipment of Wine, Sacramento, California, November 2005.
Presenter, State Law Resources, Inc. Fall Meeting, "Legal and Policy Implications of Supreme Court Decision in Granholm," October 2005.
Speaker, Wine Industry Financial Symposium, "What Now? Strategic Implications of the Supreme Court Victory," Napa, California, September 2005.
Lecturer, CLE International Seminar on "Interstate Direct Shipping of Wine," San Francisco, California, August 2005.
Presenter, Industry Roundup Luncheon, presentation re: direct shipping challenges and issues, July 2005.
Presenter, Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, July 2005.
Presenter, Coalition for Free Trade, "A Wine Industry Celebration: Toasting the Supreme Court!," Sonoma, California, June 2005.
Capital Public Radio, interview, May 2005.
Media interviews, appearances on CNBC, CNN, May 2005.
Joseph Phelps Winery, presentation, April 2005.
Speaker, Coalition for Free Trade, Wine Marketing Symposium, February 2005.
2004
Visiting Lecturer, University of California at Davis, "Constitutional Implications of the Wine Wars," Spring 2004.
2003
Speaker, Federal Trade Commission, "Hearings on Anti-Competitive Barriers to Free Trade," Washington D.C., October 2003.
Speaker, International Bar Association, "Wine Tourism, Distribution and Marketing," Napa, California, September 2003.
Speaker, Wine Industry Financial Symposium, "Direct Shipping Workshop," Napa, California, September 2003.
Speaker, Federal Trade Commission Legal Department, "Inquiry Into Direct Shipping Debate," Washington, D.C., August 2003.
Visiting Lecturer, Sonoma State University, "Wine Entrepreneurs Class," Sonoma, California, Summer 2003.
Speaker, National Conference of State Legislators, "Direct Shipping of Wine: Will the Supreme Court Decide?," San Francisco, California, July 2003.
Speaker, Unified Wine Grape Symposium, "The Direct Shipping Debate," Sacramento, California, January 2003.Courts
United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 2006
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 2005
United States Supreme Court, 2004
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, and Eleventh Circuits, 2003
Supreme Court of California, 1992
Supreme Court of Illinois, 1989
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 1989
