Reed Smith LLP, a leading international law firm, today announced the addition of Tracy K. Genesen, who joins the firm as a San Francisco-based partner in its Global Regulatory Enforcement group. Ms. Genesen joins Reed Smith from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where she was a partner focused on regulatory litigation.
“Tracy brings Reed Smith a unique blend of experience in regulatory, constitutional and commercial matters for clients doing business in a mix of state and federal regulatory environments,” said Debra H. Dermody, Co-Chair of Reed Smith’s Global Regulatory Enforcement Group. “She will play a significant role in expanding our firm’s work in these key areas on the West Coast.”
Over her 23 years in practice, Ms. Genesen has handled trial and appellate work in both state and federal courts, including an array of complex multi-district federal court litigation, and has appeared throughout the country before state and federal regulatory bodies on behalf of clients in the airline, energy, software, healthcare and alcoholic beverage industries.
Ms. Genesen is nationally recognized in the area of constitutional law relating to the interstate sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages, particularly with respect to wineries. She also provides regulatory advice to producer, retailer and social media entities in the alcoholic beverage industry.
“Reed Smith has all the various practices to support my clients at the trial and appellate levels, as well as a global platform that will allow me to expand my practice,” said Ms. Genesen. “This firm is very well-positioned to address the issues facing the California wine industry in a worldwide market. I will also have the opportunity to serve the firm’s many existing clients that are involved in interstate retail sales of alcoholic beverages. From every perspective, Reed Smith is a great fit for my practice.”
In 2010, Ms. Genesen was named a “Top Women Litigator” by the Daily Journal, which hailed her as the “primary go-to litigator for American wine industry trade associations on constitutional issues.” She served as the American Wine Industry’s litigation strategist for the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case of Granholm v. Heald and won the FamilyWinemakers v. Jenkins case in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
A graduate from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Ms. Genesen launched her career at the California State Bar, where, for four years, she oversaw high-profile attorney ethics and discipline cases as the lead legal and policy advisor to the Chief Trial Counsel.
In 2004, she joined Nossaman, Gunthner, Knox & Elliot, a regional Sacramento firm, where she filed significant federal constitutional challenges to state statutory regimes affecting California wineries seeking to conduct business. Teaming up with Ken Starr, who was then at Kirkland & Ellis, for the appellate work on these matters, Ms. Genesen was subsequently recruited to that firm, where she became a partner in 2007.
A frequent speaker on alcoholic beverage, constitutional and energy law, Ms. Genesen is a currently Lecturer in Law at both Stanford Law School and the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France.
Additionally, with her wealth of experience working in the energy industry, particularly in matters related to the exploration, production and transmission of oil and natural gas, Ms. Genesen also joins Reed Smith’s more than 100-attorney global Energy & Natural Resources Group.
