Ginna Winfree Burrell chairs the firm’s Alcoholic Beverage Practice, drawing on her extensive experience at the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to advise clients on all aspects of alcohol licensing and regulation in Tennessee and beyond. She represents restaurants, hotels, clubs, resorts, stadiums, music and event venues that serve or sell alcohol, as well as manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, and retailers. This broad perspective allows her to seamlessly guide clients through complex licensing and compliance processes, anticipating and addressing potential issues before they arise.

In her practice, Ginna counsels clients on the full range of alcoholic beverage laws and regulatory compliance, including:

• State and federal liquor license requirements.
• Regulatory, entitlement, and enforcement matters.
• Temporary and emergency suspension hearings.
• Probation and consent order violations, disciplinary orders, and appeals.
• Citations, enforcement matters, administrative hearings, and other court actions pertaining to alcoholic beverage-related ordinances, statutes, and regulations.

Ginna began her career at the TABC in 2011 as a Staff Attorney, shortly after the expansion of Tennessee’s distillery laws that allowed more than 40 additional counties to manufacture spirits. She helped create the agency’s modern review process for new distillery applicants and assisted in drafting and implementing updated rules to align state requirements with those of the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Promoted to Assistant Director in 2013 and later serving as Interim Director, she oversaw the implementation of the “wine in grocery stores” legislation—the most significant change to Tennessee’s alcohol laws since 1967—and facilitated the issuance of more than 400 new licenses statewide.

Prior to joining Bass, Berry & Sims, Ginna led the Alcoholic Beverage Law practice at Gullett Sanford Robinson & Martin (GSRM Law), where she advised clients across the manufacturing, distribution, and retail tiers of the industry. Her work included serving as alcohol counsel in major industry acquisitions, assisting with alcohol-related litigation, and acting as General Counsel to the Tennessee Distillers Guild.