(Wine-Searcher) - Liza B. Zimmerman gets the inside story on US liquor laws with attorney Sean O'Leary.

Having covered many of the legal issues relative to wine distribution in the US it is easy be critical of what another sales tier may be providing. So weighing various tiers' pluses and minuses with attorneys who have worked within the legal drinks field is always interesting.

It is fascinating to see what drinks attorneys find beneficial about the current US system and how it might change for the better. So with the help of Chicago-based alcoholic beverage attorney Sean O'Leary – The Irish Liquor Lawyer – as a guide, I delved into how these laws can work well for different parties in the US wine business.

O'Leary started practicing law in 1999, after working at state and local tax firms including Arthur Andersen and Pricewaterhousecoopers. He worked at the Illinois Liquor Control Commission from 2016 to 2018 and recently started the O'Leary Law and Policy Group and also has a blog called IrishLiquorLawyer.com. All responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.