Verto Legal Solutions (VLS) provides legal services to trade associations and companies in food, agriculture, and science-based industries.  Our attorneys have strong working knowledge of the laws and regulations impacting the approval, use, and labeling of food ingredients.

We approach the counseling of food importers and manufacturers comprehensively, with attention to all relevant provisions including chemical management, and environmental and workplace safety laws.

Verto Solutions, LLC, an association management and scientific services firm in Washington, D.C, founded Verto Legal Solutions to meet the growing need for legal services for the associations managed by Verto Solutions and their member companies.

Meet the team

John Cox
Managing Director

John Cox focuses his skills helping associations serve their members in effective and innovative ways. He has provided advocacy, communications, and legal counsel to the food and cosmetic ingredient industries since 2000. John is a lawyer, a communicator, and an association executive, bringing passion and expertise to all three roles. He manages several key functional areas at Verto Solutions and holds leadership positions with several client associations.

John provides legal services to associations and their member companies through Verto Legal Solutions (VLS).  VLS was established by the owners of Verto Solutions to provide non-profit corporate governance and regulatory counsel to trade associations including ones managed by Verto Solutions, and their member companies.

Joanna Drake
Partner

Joanna Drake focuses her practice on food and regulatory-related issues to provide sophisticated legal counsel to trade associations and companies in the food and beverage industry.  Ms. Drake brings over a decade of industry experience to her clients. Prior to joining Verto Legal Solutions, she served as Assistant Counsel to WILD Flavors, Inc., where she structured and negotiated a variety of commercial transactions, counseled on corporate confidentiality issues and provided strategic guidance on a wide variety of FDA regulatory compliance matters.

In addition to her J.D., Ms. Drake received her M.A. in Applied Economics from the University of Cincinnati and her B.A. in International Affairs from Xavier University where she also majored in German. Ms. Drake holds memberships with the Ohio State Bar Association, Kentucky Bar Association, Washington, DC Bar Association, Food and Drug Law Institute and the DC section of the Institute of Food Technologists. 

Our expertise

  • Association governance & non-profit corporate compliance
  • Food and food ingredient law & regulations
  • Food labeling
  • Chemicals management
  • Color additives
  • Consumer protection laws
  • Environmental law & regulations
  • Generally recognized as safe ingredients
  • Trade and import law & regulations
  • Workplace safety