Trade Association Law

A trade association is a group of competitors and colleagues who come together to discuss their industry and market. As a coalition of competitors, your trade association is subject to strict examination and enforcement of many state and federal antitrust laws. Laws such as the Sherman Act are essentially the rules of the competition, governing industry and ensuring that unfavorable contracts or conspiracies never happen. For this reason, the Wysocki Legal Group’s counsel is an essential advisor for your trade association in its day-to-day activities, strategies, and overall compliance within its membership.

Any trade association should expect to receive governmental scrutiny in historically problematic antitrust areas. Your trade association can avoid violations (whether intentional or inadvertent) such as self-regulation, price fixing, division of customers, or restrictions of membership with our legal representation and expert interpretation of antitrust laws.

Our trade association clients have found our experience invaluable during board or organizational meetings, both formal and informal. Unlike internal discussions in your business, conversations about vendor relations, pricing procedures or discounts among trade association members are illegal – and can unfortunately lead to your trade association being targeted by government antitrust enforcers, damage suits, and heavy fines. We can help a trade association’s board and membership to identify and halt potentially improper discussions before they occur, and to appropriately document meeting topics of discussion.

In addition to helping trade associations conduct business openly to avoid violations – or the perception of violations – we also interact with lobbyists on the trade association’s behalf to help gain favorable legislation to further a particular industry’s growth.

Intelligent legal counsel provides your trade association with sound business advice and best practices to support the economic benefits of membership. Contact Wysocki Legal Group, P.C. We look forward to learning how we can assist your organization.