An Interview with Jessica Bahr

• Author: Shane Delsman
• Position: Shane Delsman is a shareholder with Godfrey & Kahn S.C. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He can be reached at sdelsman@gklaw.com.
• Pages: 7-9

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PROFILES IN IP LAW

An Interview with Jessica Bahr

Vice President, Associate General

Counsel at Constellation Brands

By Shane Delsman

Shane Delsman is a shareholder with Godfrey & Kahn S.C. in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He can be reached at sdelsman@gklaw.com.

Jessica Bahr is Vice President, Associate General Counsel at

Constellation Brands, Inc., the number one total beverage alco-

hol company in the United States and passionate producers of

premium beer, wine, and spirits brands. Jessica joined the Con-

stellation Brands Beer Division in 2015 as Senior Counsel, with

responsibility for supporting the marketing department and

managing the trademark portfolio. In early 2019, Jessica took

on a new role to lead the legal Advertising, Marketing, Promo-

tions & Trade Practices team for total beverage alcohol. Prior

to joining Constellation Brands, Jessica worked as an associate

attorney for Neal & McDevitt LLC and as an advertising lawyer

at Re:Sources USA, a Publicis Groupe Company. Jessica lives in

Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and son.

Tell us a little bit about Constellation Brands.

Constellation Brands is a Fortune 500® company and leading

international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spir-

its, with operations in the United States, Mexico, New Zealand,

Italy, and Canada. Constellation is the number three beer com-

pany in the United States, with high-end, iconic imported brands

such as Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Modelo

Negra, and Pacico. The company’s beer portfolio also includes

Ballast Point, one of the most awarded craft brewers in the

United States, and Funky Buddha Brewery. In addition, Constel-

lation is the world leader in premium wine, selling great brands

that people love, including Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois,

Kim Crawford, Meiomi, Mark West, Black Box, Rufno, and

The Prisoner. The company’s premium spirits brands include

SVEDKA Vodka, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey.

What was your career path to Constellation?

When I graduated from law school, I began practicing law

in private practice. I worked for a boutique IP law rm doing

trademark work as well as client counseling in other areas of

intellectual property. After spending a couple of years there,

I was presented with an opportunity to move in-house to the

agency side at a large media conglomerate. I worked in the

advertising law department there servicing advertising agen-

cies within the organization. And then, a very close friend and

mentor came to me with an opportunity and basically said, “I

think you should apply for this job.” It was with Constellation

Brands. I think she thought that it would be a good t because

it combined both areas of my practice, the substantive trade-

mark law and advertising work as commercial counsel. I

ultimately went through the application and interview process

and, after interviewing with not only the legal department but

the business side as well, was offered the opportunity. I’ve

been at Constellation now for three and a half years.

Have you always wanted to do brand management and

advertising legal work?

I have. I have an undergraduate degree in journalism, and

after working in television news during school, I realized it

wasn’t for me. After I graduated, I worked for a live entertain-

ment company and then an ad agency in marketing and public

relations roles. At my rst job, I was involved in booking talent

to perform at the company’s various live entertainment venues—

primarily family shows and comedians. And, at the advertising

agency, I was part of a team that helped launch a new brand. I

really enjoyed being a part of that process and observing what

went into creating a brand from the ground up. I had a little bit

of exposure to the legal side of things through both of those jobs

over the course of a few years and found myself really intrigued.

So, when I went to law school, I went with the hope and expec-

tation that I would someday work as a brand attorney in the

advertising and marketing space, not really knowing the types of

law that would apply to that.

Was there anything that maybe made you think that you

should transition from outside counsel to inside counsel?

There was nothing pressing at the time I made the change—

it just felt like it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I didn’t

know it at the time, but I love being on the client side of things

because you have the opportunity to really insert yourself in

the development process and the business and feel like you’re

an extension of the brand—more of an ambassador than you

might otherwise be working in private practice.

What is a typical day like for you at Constellation?

Every day is a little bit different. I would say about a third

to half of my desk is transactional work, focused on drafting

and negotiating sponsorship, licensing, talent, and other agree-

ments. And then the remaining portion is spent working with

the business teams to identify and mitigate risk with brand and

marketing execution and supporting new product development.

As it relates to the Beer Division trademark portfolio, prosecu-

tion and enforcement matters were a portion of my desk. I also

spend a lot of time in meetings, as many matters are addressed

in person during working sessions.