Harry C. Beatty, Esq.

Board of Trustees

Career Profile: A founding partner of Kent, Beatty & Gordon, Harry Beatty has been practicing law for nearly forty years. He began his career at a major New York-based firm and then spent eight years at Joseph E. (starsoffline.com) Seagram & Sons, Inc., ultimately as Corporate Counsel and assistant secretary.

At Seagram, Harry’s responsibilities included legal matters affecting the consolidated Seagram group throughout the world, including structuring transactions and ventures and handling SEC and treasury issues, employee relations and benefits, and real estate issues related to the landmarked Seagram Building and other Seagram properties.

Harry’s practice today includes the structure, negotiation, and closing of sophisticated transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures and ventures both international and national in scope. He has represented clients on diverse transactional matters in Central and South America, Europe and the Far East.

Harry has represented and continues to represent a number of enterprises in the beverage industry, including Royal Crown Cola, Virgin Cola (USA), TyKu LLC, d/b/a Davos Brands, an importer and distributor of alcohol beverage products, and Premium Beverages (Seagram Mixers). He has extensive experience with wine and spirits companies, and for over twenty years has served as principal US counsel for Destileria Serrallés, Inc., the oldest rum producer in Puerto Rico. Harry also has extensive experience with banking and financial institutions, importers and exporters, and manufacturers and distributors, particularly in the packaging industry.

Harry was named a New York Area Super Lawyer in 2015. Kent, Beatty & Gordon has been named the M&A Law Firm of the Year in New York since 2013 and the Contracts Law Firm of the Year in New York since 2014 by Corporate International Magazine, and the Best for Business Counseling New York for 2015 by AL Legal Awards.

Community Involvement: Harry is an ordained Elder of the Presbyterian Church (USA), a former member of the permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Newark, and the former President, and a former Chairman of the Finance and the Stewardship Committees, of the First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell, in New Jersey. At Harvard Law School, he was a member of the Board of Student Advisors, an honorary society that ran moot court and other competitions and mentored one-L students. He is an elected member of the Essex County, New Jersey, Republican Committee and Chairman of the municipal committee in his hometown.

Education: Harry received his undergraduate degree from Colgate University and his JD from Harvard Law School.  He is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the American Bar Association and is admitted to the New York Bar, and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.