The Legal department series is split into individual, general, and trademark files, and it comprises the following six subseries:

Subseries A. Frederick J. Lind, Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary, Director, 1935-1974

This subseries is divided into six sections: (1) Correspondence Files; (2) Lawsuits; (3) Government Investigations; (4) Philanthropy; (5) Trade Associations; and (6) Distributor Files. (1) The correspondence files are listed in following order: a) Subsidiary and Allied Company Correspondence (1940-1972). b) Departmental Correspondence (1935-1973, bulk 1957-1970) (begins at the folder, Advertising: Calvert) regards daily operations of the Legal Department and coordination with other Seagram departments and includes information about Seagram's real estate. c) Correspondence with Individuals (1950-1972) (begins at the folder Abramson, Milton G.) is mainly about staff death benefits and other legal matters. d) State Correspondence (1956-1971) (begins with the folder Alabama Correspondence) regards state regulations, pricing and controls. e) The Oil Correspondence (1953-1967) (begins with the folder Colorado Oil and Gas) documents petroleum investments and litigation. Finally, there is a small collection of f) Miscellaneous Correspondence (1933-1973, bulk 1952-1973), beginning with the folder Ake, Ralph vs. Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Inc. and Coopers' International Union of North America, AFL-CIO. (2) The section of Lawsuits includes general litigation files (1939-1967). (3) Government Investigations (1934-1970, bulk 1952-1970) regard state and federal probes on matters such as liquor taxation, labeling, sales, advertising and control. Also included are files about Seagram's securing oil leases in Lacassine Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana from the Department of the Interior. (4) Philanthropy files pertain to company and family charitable activities including the Samuel Bronfman Foundation (1959-1972). (5) The Trade Associations section (1954-1974) contains some committee minutes, annual reports, newsletters, legislative bulletins and public relations literature from state and national liquor trade associations such as the Distilled Spirits Institute, Inc. (DSI) and the Licensed Beverage Institute (LBI), as well as some materials from general business associations and businesses affiliated with the liquor industry. (6) Distributor files (1957-1970) include correspondence and agreements.

Subseries B. Vincent E. O'Brien, Vice President and General Counsel, 1955-1981

This subseries is divided into four sections. (1) Company and Departmental Records (1955-1979) contain mainly correspondence regarding legal matters and general operations of the legal department and other Seagram departments. (2) State Correspondence (1960-1976, bulk dates 1970-1976) pertains to legislation, regulations, pricing, state liquor control boards and disputes with state liquor control boards. (3) Investigations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (1967-1972) comprise this section. (4) The Trade Associations section (1959-1981) contains literature from national liquor industry groups and affiliated industries. It includes correspondence from several committees of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Inc. (DISCUS).

Subseries C. Ernest R Brendel, Assistant General Counsel, 1971-1979

This small subseries mainly contains contracts and agreements

Subseries D. Nicholas Cheper, Attorney, 1951-1953

This small subseries contains records relating to compliance with Korean War-era economic regulations: Controlled Materials Plan; Price Controls; and Priority allocations for Defense Production.

Subseries E. Legal Department General Files, 1909-1984

This subseries is divided into four sections. (1) Government Investigations (1909-1963, bulk 1931-1969) include Federal probes including the Kefauver Commission and those relating to alcohol advertising, misbranding, labeling, grain allocation and nomenclature; and competition between American and Canadian whiskeys. Other sections are (2) Pharmacraft Corporation and Laboratories (1944-1964, bulk 1956-1964); (3) Patents (1940-1981); and (4) Miscellany (1948- 1984).

Subseries F. Trademarks, 1932-1991

The trademarks subseries is divided into three sections. (1) General trademark files (1932- 1991) include correspondence regarding trademark renewals and infringements; research on possible trademark infringements and new trademarks; and bottle labels. (2) Country files (1938- 1982) contain the same type of materials as the previous section, but are arranged by the countries in which the trademarks were listed. (3) Departmental correspondence and related files (1934-1983) include trademark searches, U.S. Trademark Association literature; and correspondence with White & Case, the company's law firm for trademark work.