Kate Noble Wegrzyn (pronounced “Way Grin”) is a partner and business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Kate is chair of the firm’s Supply Chain team. She is also a member of the firm’s Manufacturing Sector Advisory Board and is a member of the Food & Beverage Team. Kate is the former Editor in Chief of the LexisNexis published treatise entitled “International Agency and Distribution Agreements.”
Kate’s areas of focus include drafting commercial contracts and counseling businesses on supply chain matters, including force majeure issues, pricing, procurement strategies, dealer and customer arrangements, licensing issues, and logistics and transportation. Clients appreciate Kate’s practical, business-focused approach to commercial counseling and contract negotiation.
“I appreciate and enjoy working with Kate and her team as they are proactive, efficient, and pragmatic in their approach to legal issues. I trust in their work product and advice regarding our supply chain.” Associate General Counsel at a top privately held food service distribution company
Kate is an author and editor of the following publications:
- Foley’s Supply Chain Desk Reference, which covers, among other things, the following topics: battle of the forms, distribution supply chain options, warranties, product recall and hazard reporting issues, indemnification, consequential damages and disclaimers, and nondisclosure agreements.
- Foley’s Blockchain in Supply Chain series, which explores the application of blockchain technology usage in the supply chain.
- Foley’s Accelerating Trends, an interactive report that provides frameworks and tools to address key supply chain considerations in moving production or sourcing out of China.
Representative Experience
- Assisted a major food brand in the negotiation of an exclusive brokerage agreement in connection with all of its sales to major big box stores.
- Led an audit of all key customer contracts for a public company related to the imposition of surcharges and force majeure-related issues.
- Drafted and negotiated a contract manufacturing agreement for one of the key ingredients of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Represented a multinational consumer goods company in the negotiation of a license agreement in connection with travel-sized branded lotions to be placed into luxury hotels and spas throughout the country.
- Represented a global food packaging company in connection with a US$200m supply agreement for the supply of paper products to a European entity.
- Represented a public company on negotiating all of its laboratory services agreements for the provision of coronavirus testing to state governments, companies, and healthcare entities across the country, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.
- Represented an iconic consumer goods company in a supply and joint development agreement related to a new cooler offering.
Awards and Recognition
- Recipient, 2022 Wisconsin Legal Innovator Award, State Bar of Wisconsin
Affiliations
- Chair, Wisconsin Humane Society board of directors
Presentations and Publications
- Quoted, “Extreme Weather, Regulation Rank As Top Supply Chain Risks,” Law360 (January 3, 2024)
- Co-author, “The Pros and Cons of Blockchain in Supply Chain,” Blockchain in Supply Chain: Article 3, Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 25, 2021)
- Co-author, “At What Price?: Pricing Strategies to Deal with Rising Costs,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 24, 2021)
- Co-author, “Types of Blockchain: Public, Private, or Something in Between,” Blockchain in Supply Chain: Article 2, Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 19, 2021)
- Co-author, “An Overview of Blockchain in Supply Chain: What’s the Link?,” Blockchain in Supply Chain: Article 1, Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 11, 2021)
- Co-author, “Rethinking China: How Manufacturers are Analyzing Right-Shoring to Consider the Benefits and Costs of a Shift in Supply Chains,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 24, 2021)
- Co-author, “Food & Beverage Supply Chain Desk Reference,” Foley & Lardner LLP (March 2021)
- Quoted, “Foley & Lardner Supply Chain Lawyers See Demand for Near-shoring,” Law.com International (October 8, 2020)
- Co-author, “Managing the Commercial Impact of the Coronavirus: What Claims In-House Counsel Should Expect in the Near Future,” Foley & Lardner LLP Coronavirus Resource Center Blog (March 17, 2020)
- Co-author, “Five Legal Tools to Mitigate Manufacturing Risk,” Supply Chain Brain (March 16, 2020)
- Quoted, “From checking contracts to remote work, advice for navigating the coronavirus,” Milwaukee BizTimes (March 12, 2020)
- Co-author, “Managing the Commercial Impact of the Coronavirus: An Effective Supply Chain Response Plan,” Foley Client Alert (February 27, 2020)
- Contributor, “2020 International Trade and Trends in Mexico,” Foley Survey Report (February 2020)
- Co-author, “Incoterms® 2020: The Terms They Are A-Changin,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (January 15, 2020)
- Co-author, “Automotive MarketTrends | September 2019, Issue 3,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (September 5, 2019)
- Co-author, “Manufacturing MarketTrends | July 2019, Issue 2,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (July 12, 2019)
- Co-presenter, “Supply Chain Agreements: Consequential Damage Disclaimers, Indemnity, Force Majeure, Termination, Warranty Provisions,” webinar, Strafford (2019)
- Co-author, “Supply Chain Agreements: Structuring Key Provisions,” Manufacturing Industry Insights (June 13, 2019)
- Co-author, “Manufacturing MarketTrends | April 2019, Issue 1,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (April 17, 2019)
- Author, “Commercial and Consumer Warranties: A Primer,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 20, 2019)
- Author, “The Art of Holding Harmless: Indemnification Provisions in Supply Agreements and How They Differ from Warranty,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor(February 27, 2019)
- Author, “Best Practices for Customers Structuring Directed-Buy Arrangements,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (January 30, 2019)
- Author, “Shhh … Don’t Tell Anyone: Tips on NDAs,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (May 9, 2019)
- Author, “Overview of Distribution Supply Chain Options,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 26, 2018)
- Co-editor, “International Agency and Distribution Agreements,” LexisNexis® (2018)
- Author, “Consequential Damage Disclaimers in Supply Agreements,” Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 14, 2018)
What Every Multinational Should Know About …Managing the Aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Historic IEEPA Tariff Decision (Part VI)
For companies that acted as importers of record, the most immediate risk is procedural: failing to take the steps necessary to preserve and secure refund rights. The Supreme Court’s decision does not automatically result in refunds, and the process will be shaped by ongoing litigation at the CIT and potential administrative actions.
What Every Multinational Should Know About…Managing the Aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Historic IEEPA Tariff Decision (Part V)
The conundrum for companies that indirectly paid the IEEPA tariffs, such as those that re-ceived price increases or outright tariff surcharges, is that the importing system is set up so that all refunds will be made by CBP directly to the importer of record. Nonetheless, compa-nies that indirectly paid the IEEPA tariffs may have contractual options, or potentially can use commercial leverage, to seek a refund of some or all of the price increases.
What Every Multinational Should Know About…Managing the Aftermath of the Supreme Court’s IEEPA Tariff Decision (Part IV)
Importers of record need to ensure they are best positioned to secure any refunds, while also adapting to the new replacement tariffs. Therefore, on the customs side, we recommend the following steps for importers of record dealing with these issues.
What Every Multinational Should Know About…Managing the Aftermath of the Supreme Court’s IEEPA Tariff Decision (Part III)
The importer of record is the entity that initially pays all tariffs and thus is the entity that would receive any IEEPA tariff refunds. Nonetheless, behind the scenes there often are a variety of mechanisms importers of record may have used to handle the often unexpected tariffs, including pushing back on suppliers for price concessions, using surcharges to pass along tariffs, or generally increasing price. In many cases, other parties may be looking to share any potential refunds.
How Supply Chain Mapping Strengthens Supply Chain Integrity
The last six years have brought vast changes in the U.S. regulatory landscape (e.g., tariff volatility, new supply chain integrity rules), unprecedented raw material shortages, and a global pandemic, just to list a few high-profile examples. This has led to unprecedented supply chain unpredictability.
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What Every Multinational Should Know About… Managing the Aftermath of the Supreme Court’s IEEPA Tariff Decision (Part V)
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the IEEPA tariffs, attention is now shifting from whether the tariffs were...