Handel Food Law Pllc

What Handel Food Law Pllc does

Handel Food Law PLLC is a boutique law firm exclusively serving the food and beverage industry. Founded by Lauren Handel after more than a decade of BigLaw litigation work representing Fortune 50 companies, the firm provides five interconnected service practices: general counsel, food regulatory compliance, labeling and advertising law, contracts, and intellectual property. Its offering is grounded in deep specialization in FDA, USDA, and FTC regulatory frameworks rather than in any proprietary technology platform.

The firm operates as a privately held LLC headquartered at a by-appointment New York office, with its principal attorney working remotely from Fayetteville, Arkansas. It serves clients across the food value chain, including CPG startups, plant-based and specialty food companies, beverage brands, and food system nonprofits. Service delivery is conducted via direct consultation by phone, email, and in-person appointment, with content marketing, conference speaking, and media coverage (Reuters, NY Post, Food & Beverage Insider) used to generate inbound demand.

Revenue is generated through three pricing models: traditional hourly billing, fixed-fee project-based engagements, and recurring subscription-based general counsel retainers. The subscription offering is intended to deliver predictable revenue and embed the firm as an ongoing outside counsel partner as clients scale. The firm has 1-10 employees, two named attorneys (Lauren Handel as Founder and Principal Attorney, Nicole Civita as Of Counsel), no external funding, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Handel Food Law Pllc

Legal name

Handel Food Law PLLC

Website

https://handelfoodlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Handel Food Law PLLC is a boutique law firm exclusively serving food and beverage businesses with regulatory compliance, labeling, advertising, contracts, and intellectual property services, offered via hourly, project-based, and subscription general counsel engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fayetteville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly billing for legal services rendered, allowing flexibility for varying client needs and scope of work.
2. Legal Services - Project-Based: Fixed-fee arrangements for specific legal projects or deliverables, providing cost predictability for defined scopes of work.
3. General Counsel Subscription: Ongoing monthly subscription services for clients requiring regular legal counsel, offering cost-effective ongoing representation with flexible options that scale with client growth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Handel Food Law PLLC is a boutique law firm exclusively serving the food and beverage industry. The firm delivers legal services across five practice areas: General Counsel services, Food Regulatory Compliance (FDA, USDA, FTC), Labeling and Advertising Law, Contracts (co-manufacturing, supply, distribution), and Intellectual Property (trademarks, trade secrets). Engagements are delivered via hourly billing, fixed-fee project work, or ongoing monthly subscription retainers.

Product overview

Handel Food Law PLLC is a law firm exclusively serving the food and beverage industry. The firm offers a unified portfolio of five interconnected legal service practices: General Counsel Services (acting as outside counsel for ongoing legal needs), Food Regulatory Compliance (navigating FDA, USDA, and state regulations), Labeling and Advertising Law (product labeling and marketing compliance), Contracts (drafting and negotiating industry-specific agreements), and Intellectual Property (protecting trademarks, trade secrets, and branding). These services work together to provide holistic legal support for food and beverage businesses, from startups to established companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Counsel Services

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with substantial FDA and food regulatory practice serving multinational food and beverage clients—provides broader M&A, IP, and litigation capabilities under one roof.
• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath: Large full-service law firm with a recognized food and beverage regulatory practice serving both emerging and established food companies—competes for the same clients but with broader capabilities.
• McDermott Will & Emery: Global law firm with a recognized food and beverage regulatory practice offering counsel on FDA compliance, labeling, and advertising matters to food industry clients across the size spectrum.
• Mintz: Full-service law firm with a dedicated Food and Beverage Practice advising companies on FDA regulations, labeling, supply chain, and IP matters—incumbent competitor with broader scale.
• Kelley Drye & Warren: Full-service firm with a dedicated Food and Drug Law practice group advising food manufacturers on labeling, advertising, and regulatory compliance—an incumbent competing for similar mid-market CPG clients.
• Arent Fox: Full-service firm with a substantial food and beverage industry group covering regulatory compliance, labeling, advertising, and litigation—competes for food industry clients with broader resource base.

Others

• Center for Food Safety: Nonprofit advocacy organization working on food safety, labeling, and agricultural regulatory policy—adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but operates at the intersection of food law and policy.

Direct peers

• Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz PC (OFW Law): Washington, D.C.-based boutique law firm focused exclusively on food, drug, dietary supplement, and agricultural law—directly comparable as a specialized food regulatory and policy practice serving FDA/USDA matters.
• Hyman, Phelps & McNamara: Largest U.S. boutique law firm dedicated to FDA law, serving food, drug, medical device, and dietary supplement companies—the closest direct peer in terms of narrow specialization on FDA-regulated industries.
• Amin Talati Wassmer: Chicago-based boutique law firm focused on food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and drug law—a direct peer offering similar specialized regulatory counsel to food and beverage brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handel-food-law-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Handel Food Law Pllc