Louis J. Terminello

Overview

Louis J. Terminello is a partner, Chair of the Hospitality, Alcohol and Leisure Industry Group, a member of the Firm Management Committee and serves as the Managing Partner of the Miami office at Greenspoon Marder. He concentrates his practice on administrative law and providing legal services to all tiers of the alcohol beverage industry, including retailers, suppliers and wholesalers. He handles a wide array of transactional, civil, criminal, and administrative matters for hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and package stores throughout Florida.

Mr. Terminello has more than 40 years of experience in the alcohol beverage and tobacco industry as a regulator, industry attorney and industry member. He previously served as a senior law enforcement investigator with the State of Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco in Miami for over 10 years.

Mr. Terminello was an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University’s Chaplain School of Hospitality and Tourism Management teaching Beverage Law Management/Alcoholic Beverage Law from 2006 through 2013 and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law teaching Alcohol Beverage Law. He has lectured at Florida Bar CLE events on various alcoholic beverage law topics on several occasions. Additionally, he has been appointed Special Counsel to U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustees for alcoholic beverage issues in the United States Bankruptcy Court on numerous occasions. Mr. Terminello has also been admitted as an expert witness in alcoholic beverage issues in circuit courts throughout the State of Florida. Louis has owned and operated several South Florida restaurants and nightclubs.

Mr. Terminello is recognized among the “Top Ranked Lawyers” in the Nationwide: Food & Beverage category by Chambers and Partners USA since 2022.

Click here to view his Partner Spotlight.

Bar Admissions

District of Columbia
Florida
New York
Pennsylvania

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

Education

J.D., cum laude, University of Miami School of Law, 1990
- Honor Council President, 1989-1990
- Inter-American Law Review, Member, 1988-1990
B.S., Northeastern University, 1974

Experience

Professional and Community Involvement

Law360, Hospitality Editorial Advisory Board, 2023
Urban Land Institute
- Entertainment Development Council, 2024-Present
- Recreational Development Council, 2018-2023
Dade County Bar Association, Member
New York State Bar Association, Member
American Bar Association, Member
Paul Harris, Fellow
University of Miami School of Law, Alcoholic Beverage Law, Adjunct Professor, 2017-Present
Florida International University’s Chaplain School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Alcoholic Beverage Law, Adjunct Professor, 2006-2014

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, “Regulating Beverage Alcohol-Past Practices and Current Perceptions,” Celesq/WestLegalEd Webinar, Septemeber 12, 2019

Awards

Recognitions

U.S. News & World Report, “Best Lawyers in America,” Leisure and Hospitality Law, 2023-2024
Chambers & Partners, “Top Ranked Lawyers – Nationwide: Food & Beverage,” 2022-2024
South Florida Legal Guide, “Top Lawyer,” 2020-2021
Martindale-Hubbell, Rated AV Preeminent®

Publications

In the News

Quoted, “Watch: Inside storied past of Jeffrey Soffer’s Story nightclub in Miami Beach,” The Real Deal, April 14, 2023
Quoted, “Hospitality Cases To Watch In 2023,” Law360, January 2, 2023
Quoted, “Legal Impacts of The Pandemic on The Hotel and Lodging Industry,” Hotel Executive, December 2022
Quoted, “With Omicron Pending, Businesses and Citizens Weigh How To Proceed” Sun Sentinel, December 8, 2021
Quoted, “NY Pot-Potency Tax Raises Compliance, Complexity Concerns” Law360, April 15, 2021
Quoted, “Fla. Vaccine Passport Ban May Be Spoiling For Court Fight,” Law360, April 9, 2021
Quoted, “Coronavirus Q&A: Greenspoon Marder’s Hospitality Chair” Law360, March 19, 2021
Quoted, “South Florida hotels are bouncing back from COVID, but they can’t find enough workers” Sun Sentinel, March 12, 2021
Quoted, “City of Miami Continues to Fight Cannabis Dispensaries, Despite State Law,” Miami New Times, March 8, 2021
Quoted, “Cheers! South Florida Lawyers Predict That Night Life Will Revive Hospitality Sector,” Daily Business Review, November 20, 2020
Quoted, “Miami-Dade Restaurants ‘Disheartened’ by Second Order to Close as COVID-19 Numbers Climb,” Daily Business Review, July 7, 2020
Quoted, “Fla. Court Lets Caterers Receive Offsite Alcohol Deliveries,” Law360, June 30, 2020
Quoted, “Who Can’t Pay Rent? Law Firms Seek Breaks on Offices Due to Coronavirus,” GlobeSt.com, April 24, 2020
Quoted, “Alcohol Stocks: Still Dramatically Oversold?,”US News & World Report, April 16, 2020
Featured, “Law Firms Gear Up Amid Outbreak,” South Florida Business & Wealth, March 24, 2020
Quoted, “Beer Soap, Cocktail Delivery: Fort Myers, Naples Restaurants Get Creative in Face of COVID-19,” The News-Press, March 23, 2020
Mentioned, “SFLG Briefing,” South Florida Business & Wealth, March 2020
Featured, “Miami Attorney, Former Nightclub Owner, State Investigator Knows Hospitality,” Daily Business Review, February 24, 2020
Quoted, “Miami-Dade Company Wins Case To Sell Alcohol Through Automated Dispensers,” South Florida Business Journal, February 5, 2020
Quoted, “Beer and Wine Vending Machines May Be on the Way in Florida,” Sun Sentinel, February 4, 2020
Quoted, “Fla. Court Says Law Doesn’t Bar Automated Alcohol Sales,” Law360, February 3, 2020
Mentioned, “Miami Commission Considers Projects Starting With 20-Year Extension For E11even,” Daily Business Review, September 25, 2019
Quoted, “Tiger Woods Sued in Bartender’s Drunk Driving Fatality,” South Florida Business & Wealth, July 2019
Quoted, “Cannabis Enters Hotel Scene,” The Harvest Investor, June 8, 2019
Quoted, “Joint Effort? More Breweries Adding Cannabis as Consumers Prefer to Toke than Drink,” MSN, June 6, 2019
Quoted, “How Hotels are Adapting to Cannabis Legalization,” Leafly, May 22, 2019
Quoted, “Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Tiger Woofs Faces Stiff Challenge Because of ‘Habitual Drunkard’ Law,” USA Today, May 17, 2019
Quoted, “The Legalities of Hosting a Drink Event,” SevenFifty Daily, November 29, 2018
Quoted, “Changing Marijuana Laws Pose Problems For Hospitality,” Hospitality Law, September 2018
Quoted, “E11EVEN Gets OK for Nightclub Expansion to Miami Rooftop,” Law.com, May 17, 2018
Quoted, “South Beach Club Mokai Gets to Reopen After Horse in Club,” Miami Herald, March 19, 2018
Quoted, “Miami Beach’s Mokai Lounge to Reopen After Shutdown Over Horse Video,” NBC Miami, March 19, 2018
Featured, “Some Say He’s a Hero: How a Lawyer Saved the Party,” Law.com, September 1, 2017
Quoted, “Nightclub Allowed to Reopen After Promising that Women Won’t Expose Their Breasts Again,” Miami Herald, August 25, 2017
Quoted, “El Ruido Ahoga al Downtown de Miami. ¿Es un Mal Negogoio Vivir en Esos Condos de Lujo?,” El Nuevo Herald, July 12, 2017
Quoted, “Downtown Miami Club: We’re Working On the Loud Noise. But We Aren’t Paying These Fines.,” Miami.com, July 7, 2017
Quoted, “Downtown Tower Dwellers to Dance Clubs: Turn Down the Noise!,” Miami Herald, July 5, 2017
Quoted, “Nightlife, Fashion Among Law Firms’ New Niches,” Miami Herald, April 24, 2016
Featured, “Greenspoon Law Firm Expanding Its Alcohol Business,” Sun Sentinel, September 10, 2015

Publications

Co-Author, “Timely Reporting Changes to Operations Is Essential,” The Grapevine Magazine, November 1, 2024
Co-Author, “The Contract Packaging Agreement,” The Grapevine Magazine, August 30, 2024
Co-Author, “A Short and Quick Guide to Wine Importation Regulatory Process,” The Grapevine Magazine, July 1, 2024
Co-Author, “CBMA: A Short Guide to the Rules of the Road,” The Grapevine Magazine, April 30, 2024
Co-Author, “Basic Mechanics & Benefits of the Alternating Proprietorship Arrangement,” The Grapevine Magazine, March 1, 2024
Co-Author, “The Role of the Municipality and Local Ordinances and the Producers’ Operational Goals,” The Grapevine Magazine, January 2, 2024
Co-Author, “The 21st Amendment Enforcement Act & Retail Sales in Interstate Commerce,” The Grapevine Magazine, November 3, 2023
Co-Author, “Contract Packaging Agreements,” Beverage Master, October 5, 2023
Co-Author, “Cities Should Explore Minn. Municipal Alcohol Store Model,” Law360, April 13, 2023
Co-Author, “To Taste or Not to Taste – The Grapevine Magazine,” The Grapevine Magazine, January 11, 2023
Co-Author, “How Cos. Can Prep For Alcohol Beverage Excise Tax Changes,” Law360, December 22, 2022
Author, “The Florida Alcohol Beverage Law: A Body of Law in Flux and Change,” The Florida Bar Journal, March 2022
Author, “Hawaiian Punch Not Sold Here” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, December 2, 2021
Author, “In Vino Veritas-Perhaps Not” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, November 17, 2021
Author, “Industrial and Beverage Alcohol and Wasted Food” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, November 9, 2021
Author, “Legal Considerations for Restaurants Following the Biden Vaccine Mandate” Retail & Restaurant Facility Business, September 29, 2021
Author, “Alcohol Beverage Licensing Qualifications of Applicants” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, September 9, 2021
Author, ““Executive Order Promoting Competition In The American Economy” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, August 25, 2021
Author, “A Note on Supply Chain Problems – A Pain in the Glass” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, August 12, 2021
Author, “Spirit of the Times” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, June 16, 2021
Author, “CBMA Reduced Tax Rates and U.S. Importers” GM Hospitality, Alcohol & Leisure Blog, May 4, 2021
Author, “Alcohol Taxation Provides Good Model For Cannabis Taxes,” Law360, April 7, 2021
Author, “_____% THC BY OZ.?” GM Cannabis Blog, April 5, 2021
Author, “5th Circ. Liquor Sales Ruling Skirts Commerce Clause Issues,” Law360, August 21, 2019
Author, “Will Protectionist Alcohol Rules Withstand More Supreme Court Scrutiny?,” Daily Business Review, June 27, 2019
Author, “Supreme Court Is Asked if Retailers Can Ship Alcohol Directly to Consumers,” Daily Business Review, February 4, 2019
Author, “Distinct Rules,” Food & Drink International, August 13, 2018
Author, “‘Tied-House Evil’ Laws,” Food and Drink International, April 13, 2018
Author, “Repeal of Prohibition,” Leisure & Hospitality International, February 20, 2018

News & Videos

Click here to view his Partner Spotlight.

Bar Admissions

Court Admissions

Education

Professional and Community Involvement

Speaking Engagements

Recognitions

In the News

Publications

News

Videos

Practice Areas

Practice Areas