Kate Noble Wegrzyn (pronounced “Way Grin”) is a partner and business lawyer with 麻豆传媒.聽 Kate is chair of the firm鈥檚 Supply Chain team. She is also a member of the firm鈥檚 Manufacturing Sector Advisory Board and is a member of the Food & Beverage Team. Kate is the former Editor in Chief of the LexisNexis published 聽entitled 鈥淚nternational Agency and Distribution Agreements.鈥
Kate鈥檚 areas of focus include drafting commercial contracts and counseling businesses on supply chain matters, including聽force majeure聽issues, pricing, procurement strategies, dealer and customer arrangements, licensing issues, and logistics and transportation. Clients appreciate Kate鈥檚 practical, business-focused approach to commercial counseling and contract negotiation.
鈥淚 appreciate and enjoy working with Kate and her team as they are proactive, efficient, and pragmatic in their approach to legal issues.聽 I trust in their work product and advice regarding our supply chain.鈥澛 聽Associate General Counsel at a top privately held food service distribution company
Kate is an author and editor of the following publications:
- 麻豆传媒’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.
- 贵辞濒别测’蝉听Blockchain in Supply Chain series, which explores the application of blockchain technology usage in the supply chain.
- 贵辞濒别测’蝉听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
- Represented a global appliance manufacturer in connection with complex supply chain arrangements, including drafting and negotiating agreements with national homebuilders and creating a playbook for the manufacturer鈥檚 sale team to use to negotiate business points in such agreements.
- Represented a leading consumer baking and decorating products company in the negotiation and drafting of distribution agreements with some of the largest wholesale distributors in North America.
- Represented a global food ingredients company in negotiating a long-term industrial chemical supply agreement and counseling regarding terms relating to pricing structures, supply continuity, and commercial warranties.
- Advised an international flooring manufacturer on warranty frameworks and risk mitigation strategies, including drafting and refining warranty terms for commercial and consumer warranties in U.S. markets.
- Represented a gas engine manufacturer in negotiating a logistics and warehousing agreement covering approximately $60 million in inventory.
- Represented a global food packaging company in a comprehensive overhaul of its commercial contract forms, including procurement documents, sales agreements, and terms and conditions, and negotiated a $2 billion supply agreement for the company in connection with the sale of a key manufacturing facility.
- 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聽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,聽State Bar of Wisconsin
Affiliations
- Chair, Wisconsin Humane Society board of directors
Presentations and Publications
- Co-author, “,” LexisNexis (March 1, 2026).
- Quoted, “Extreme Weather, Regulation Rank As Top Supply Chain Risks,” Law360 (January 3, 2024)
- Co-author, 鈥The Pros and Cons of Blockchain in Supply Chain,鈥 Blockchain in Supply Chain: Article 3, Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 25, 2021)
- Co-author, 鈥At What Price?: Pricing Strategies to Deal with Rising Costs,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 24, 2021)
- Co-author, 鈥Types of Blockchain: Public, Private, or Something in Between,鈥 Blockchain in Supply Chain: Article 2, Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 19, 2021)
- Co-author, 鈥An Overview of Blockchain in Supply Chain: What鈥檚 the Link?,鈥 Blockchain in Supply Chain: Article 1, Manufacturing Industry Advisor (August 11, 2021)
- Co-author, 鈥Rethinking China: How Manufacturers are Analyzing Right-Shoring to Consider the Benefits and Costs of a Shift in Supply Chains,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 24, 2021)
- Co-author, 鈥Food & Beverage Supply Chain Desk Reference,鈥 麻豆传媒 (March 2021)
- Quoted, “,鈥 Law.com International (October 8, 2020)
- Co-author, 鈥Managing the Commercial Impact of the Coronavirus: What Claims In-House Counsel Should Expect in the Near Future,鈥 麻豆传媒 Coronavirus Resource Center Blog (March 17, 2020)
- Co-author, 鈥,鈥 Supply Chain Brain (March 16, 2020)
- Quoted, 鈥,鈥 Milwaukee BizTimes (March 12, 2020)
- Co-author, 鈥,鈥 麻豆传媒 Client Alert (February 27, 2020)
- Contributor, 鈥2020 International Trade and Trends in Mexico,鈥 麻豆传媒 Survey Report (February 2020)
- Co-author, 鈥Incoterms庐 2020: The Terms They Are A-Changin,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (January 15, 2020)
- Co-author, 鈥Automotive MarketTrends | September 2019, Issue 3,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (September 5, 2019)
- Co-author, “Manufacturing MarketTrends | July 2019, Issue 2,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (July 12, 2019)
- Co-presenter, 鈥,鈥 webinar, Strafford (2019)
- Co-author, 鈥Supply Chain Agreements: Structuring Key Provisions,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Insights (June 13, 2019)
- Co-author, 鈥Manufacturing MarketTrends | April 2019, Issue 1,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor聽(April 17, 2019)
- Author, 鈥Commercial and Consumer Warranties: A Primer,鈥澛Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 20, 2019)
- Author, 鈥The Art of Holding Harmless: Indemnification Provisions in Supply Agreements and How They Differ from Warranty,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor(February 27, 2019)
- Author, 鈥Best Practices for Customers Structuring Directed-Buy Arrangements,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (January 30, 2019)
- Author, 鈥Shhh … Don’t Tell Anyone: Tips on NDAs,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (May 9, 2019)
- Author, 鈥Overview of Distribution Supply Chain Options,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 26, 2018)
- Co-editor, 鈥淚nternational Agency and Distribution Agreements,鈥 LexisNexis庐 (2018)
- Author, 鈥Consequential Damage Disclaimers in Supply Agreements,鈥 Manufacturing Industry Advisor (March 14, 2018)
What Every Multinational Should Know About 鈥 How to Cope with New Court Decisions Expanding Supply Chain Integrity Risks: Six Steps for Enhancing Supply Chain Compliance
Supply chain integrity and economic sanctions compliance failures may now carry risks that extend far beyond traditional regulatory enforcement. In certain circumstances, they may serve as the evidentiary foundation for large-scale civil litigation tied to supply-chain integrity, terrorism financing, or human rights abuses.
What Every Multinational Should Know About 鈥anaging the Aftermath of the Supreme Court鈥檚 Historic IEEPA Tariff Decision (Part VIII)
In a recent filing before the CIT, CBP described a new capability being developed within the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) called CAPE (Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries).
What Every Multinational Should Know About 鈥anaging the Aftermath of the Supreme Court鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥anaging the Aftermath of the Supreme Court鈥檚 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鈥anaging the Aftermath of the Supreme Court鈥檚 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鈥anaging the Aftermath of the Supreme Court鈥檚 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.