Thank you for joining us at the Consumer Brands Association’s 2026 CPG Legal Forum.

The Forum convened the industry’s top legal minds in Frisco, Texas for 36 hours of candid conversations, practical insight and long-term strategic perspective. With record attendance at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, this gathering reflected both the growing complexity of the legal landscape and the strength of the CPG legal community rising to meet it.

300 attorneys and compliance leaders from across the consumer packaged goods sector exchanged ideas, pressure-tested approaches and built relationships that will extend beyond the Forum. Across 22 sessions and 21 roundtables, participants dug into the issues defining 2026, from AI governance and environmental marketing scrutiny to class action trends, supply chain risk and the expanding state regulatory patchwork.

Several themes emerged:

Legal leadership is evolving, but integrity and sound judgment remain foundational.
Today’s CPG lawyer is deeply embedded in business strategy – shaping innovation while protecting brand integrity and consumer trust.

Keynote speaker David Lat, a two-decade veteran legal commentator and founder of Above the Law and Original Jurisdiction, challenged attendees to consider the profession’s future, highlighting how technology, transparency and digital media are reshaping both legal practice and public perception. In an era of heightened scrutiny, he emphasized that credibility is a lawyer’s most valuable currency. Lat also noted that while AI tools will continue to advance, judgment cannot be automated. The lawyers who thrive will embrace innovation, communicate clearly and recognize that reputation management is inseparable from legal strategy.

Regulatory complexity demands clarity and coordination.
Discussions at the Forum underscored the increasingly dynamic federal and state landscape impacting CPG, from competition and consumer‑protection priorities to evolving environmental‑marketing standards and AI‑related oversight. Speakers emphasized the need for proactive engagement, disciplined compliance systems and strong cross‑functional collaboration. Effective legal teams translate regulatory change into practical guidance that enables confident, not cautious, business decision-making.

Partnership is the profession’s competitive advantage.
A consistent theme across the Forum was that strong legal outcomes are built on internal alignment. General counsels and litigation leaders stressed that legal departments must operate as business partners, bringing empathy, commercial awareness and solutions‑oriented thinking to every conversation. That means distilling complexity without oversimplifying it, anticipating risk before it escalates, and ensuring legal, regulatory, communications, and operations teams move in concert to serve the industry’s ultimate regulator: the consumer.

Looking Ahead
The 2026 CPG Legal Forum made clear that while the industry’s challenges are significant, the sophistication and strength of the CPG legal community is equally formidable, especially when aligned around collaboration and a growth‑minded approach to risk.

Consumer Brands is proud to support and convene this community to deliver timely insights and intelligence and drive positive policy outcomes. As planning begins for 2027, we welcome your feedback and ideas for future programming. Thank you for helping to shape the next chapter of the legal landscape for CPG.