Ryan M. Gembala

Overview

Ryan Gembala is a Director of Dooley Gembala McLaughlin Pecora. Ryan's practice is dedicated to helping clients successfully navigate their legal issues. He has been protecting his clients’ interests for more than 15 years. He takes on a wide variety of cases and clients, and focuses his practice on representing the needs of the food industry and public school districts.

Ryan represents clients in federal courts across the country as well as in administrative proceedings before the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Within the food industry, handles matters arising under the following:

• Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act
• Packers and Stockyards Act
• Food Safety Modernization Act
• Premises liability and related issues

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan helped school districts successfully navigate unprecedented issues relating to staff, students, and the communities they serve. Ryan has represented management in collective bargaining, handled labor grievances and arbitrations, addressed disciplinary matters, worked as an expulsion hearing officer, and generally guided school administrators and school boards. He is a regular speaker on school safety, special education, and legislative/legal updates impacting schools.

For the restaurant industry and food service entities, he delivers counsel on how to protect their businesses - from establishing policies and procedures, to conducting safe training practices to employees on topics related to food allergens and the responsibility to follow government laws and regulations. He counsels restaurants on the duty to warn regarding ingredients that present a risk of harm to consumers due to the presence of food allergens. With employee awareness and training, the prospects of litigation by restaurant patrons lessens.