Attorneys Andy Freeman, Neel Lalchandani, and Monica Basche presented on the Randolph-Sheppard Act at a full-day training for state agency attorneys and staff on November 19 and on a panel for hundreds of vendors on November 20. The training was hosted by the National Association of Blind Merchants (NABM) and the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB) as part of the annual BLAST conference, hosted this year in Nashville, Tennessee. Brown, Goldstein & Levy proudly continued its tradition of sponsoring the annual conference.
Congress enacted the Randolph-Sheppard Act to increase economic opportunities for blind vendors. The Act requires federal agencies to give blind vendors priority to operate vending facilities, including food services, on federal property. The Act has helped thousands of blind merchants build successful businesses across the country, and BGL attorneys having won several precedent-setting cases to protect and expand the rights of blind vendors and state licensing agencies. During their training, Andy, Neel, and Monica spoke about their work on cases related to the Randolph-Sheppard Act, as well as opportunities to protect and expand the rights of blind entrepreneurs across the United States.
BGL attorneys have worked to educate the legal community on this little-known but important law. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Monica Basche also published a blog article about the future of the Randolph-Sheppard Act. Earlier this year, Neel Lalchandani presented on the application of the Randolph-Sheppard Act to military dining contracts.
“We are proud to represent blind entrepreneurs, state licensing agencies, teaming partners, and the National Association of Blind Merchants to protect and expand opportunities under the Randolph-Sheppard Act,” Andy said.
For over 35 years, Brown, Goldstein & Levy has been a national leader fighting to protect the rights of blind entrepreneurs under the Randolph-Sheppard Act. In 1987, we represented a group of Maryland vendors, ultimately obtaining an agreement that lowered the amount of set-aside collected by more than two-thirds. Since that first case, we have represented blind managers, groups of managers, state licensing agencies, the National Association of Blind Merchants, and the National Federation of the Blind throughout the United States in Randolph-Sheppard arbitrations, trial courts, and appellate courts. Learn more about our work with the Randolph-Sheppard Act here.
The National Association of Blind Merchants is a division of the National Federation of the Blind. It works to promote blind entrepreneurs and interested sighted persons in local, state, and national meetings to improve business opportunities and the quality of life for the blind. This includes collective action for blind businesspeople, promotion of vocational advancement, opportunities under the Randolph-Sheppard Act, and the strengthening of state-level business enterprise programs to expand the number and quality of business opportunities for the blind. BGL is proud to work alongside the NABM and all facets of the NFB in our shared mission of advocating for the rights of blind people across the country.
Learn more about our work in disability rights here.
ABOUT ANDY FREEMAN
Andy Freeman obtains results for his clients. A partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy, he has won numerous verdicts, judgments and settlements of millions, tens of millions and in one case, over one billion dollars by mastering the relevant law and getting to know his clients, their problems and the evidence in their cases. Andy is an expert at difficult cases that require complicated combinations of law and facts or that require making a new law altogether. He has been representing the interests of blind vendors under the Randolph-Sheppard Act for over 35 years. Learn more about Andy.
ABOUT NEEL LALCHANDANI
Neel Lalchandani represents individuals, nonprofits, and companies in a diverse array of civil rights and commercial matters. Among other victories for his clients, Neel has helped secure several of the largest payments in Maryland history for victims of police misconduct, including more than $80 million for innocent men imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. Learn more about Neel.
ABOUT MONICA BASCHE
Monica represents clients in a diverse range of cases from civil rights litigation, including disability rights, housing discrimination, employment discrimination, and prisoners’ rights, to commercial litigation and business disputes, including breach of contract and business torts cases. Monica has wide-ranging experience with litigation in state and federal court, as well as in administrative proceedings. Learn more about Monica.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.