About the Author

Stephen P. McCarron is the founding partner of McCarron & Diess, a law firm specializing in cases and issues involving produce and the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). He began his legal career as an attorney at PACA in Washington, D.C. in the late 1970’s. He then worked as a Public Defender in Montgomery County, Maryland, and tried many jury and non-jury cases. After leaving the public defender’s office in 1982, he began practicing PACA law exclusively. He has handled hundreds of PACA cases of all types from all segments of the industry, and has an active legal practice in Washington, D.C. representing international and domestic produce companies throughout the country. He was a legal consultant to United Fresh during the last major PACA legislative changes in 1995, and to the NAFTA Committee which established the Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC). He also played a significant role in the 2011 changes in USDA regulations allowing post-default agreements under the PACA trust.