Two attorneys have practiced together for 16 years, focusing on advertising/marketing, consumer protection and antitrust issues; founded widely followed blog on consumer advertising law
Washington, DC (February 9, 2012) – Venable LLP announced that Randal Shaheen and Amy Mudge, two of the country’s leading practitioners of advertising and marketing law, have joined the firm as partners in its Washington office.
Mr. Shaheen and Ms. Mudge have practiced together for 16 years and created one of the most widely-followed blogs on advertising and consumer law issues. They will continue to blog about issues critical to advertising and consumer law in a new blog entitled, allaboutadvertisinglaw.com which can be accessed at http://www.allaboutadvertisinglaw.com/. They arrive at Venable from the Washington office of Arnold & Porter.
The two attorneys regularly represent leading brands in litigation and regulatory proceedings, including actions and investigations involving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Justice Department, state Attorneys General, and also the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, an industry self-regulatory dispute resolution body.
Their clients have spanned multiple industries and have included a number of leading brands in soft drinks, rental car, packaged food, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements and other sectors, including major professional sports leagues. They have regularly advised clients on such issues as “Made in USA” labeling, marketing products to children, health and performance claims, weight loss and wellness investigations, green marketing, and the use of surveys in advertising and promotional materials
At Venable, Mr. Shaheen and Ms. Mudge join one of the nation’s preeminent advertising law practices. The firm won the coveted Chambers Award for Excellence for the advertising category for two years straight, singled out as a “one-stop shop” for its strength in transactional, regulatory and litigation work. Legal 500 named Venable a “Top-Tier Firm” for advertising and marketing. Venable’s Privacy and Data Security practice has also been ranked first tier by both Chambers USA and Legal 500. US News & World Report also named Venable the 2011-2012 Advertising “Law Firm of the Year.”
“Randy Shaheen and Amy Mudge are sophisticated and experienced counselors who understand all aspects of advertising and consumer protection law – they’ve represented leading marketers in navigating the regulatory and litigation landscape affecting how they promote their products and services,” said Jeffrey Knowles, long-time head of Venable’s Advertising, Marketing and New Media practice.
“Randy and Amy have tremendous enforcement experience, representing major brand clients before the FTC and state attorneys general. They build on the depth and breadth of Venable’s market-leading advertising practice and will be key drivers our firm’s continued growth and evolution.”
Among some of the noteworthy representations by Mr. Shaheen and Ms. Mudge:
- A popular social network in an FTC investigation of alleged Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) violations;
- A leading car rental agency in FTC investigations related to fuel charges;
- Several major consumer food manufacturers in connection with an FTC/state AG actions;
- An online security verification provider in charges related to alleged misleading marketing practices;
- FORTUNE 100 companies in implementing environmental advertising compliance guides;
- A telecommunications company in FTC and class action litigation relating to prepaid calling cards;
- Large national marketers with respect to the FTC's Do Not Call Regulations;
- One of the largest dietary supplement manufactures in an FTC investigation;
- A consumer vision products manufacturer in FTC investigation regarding Made in USA claims;
- A leading mobile content provider in FTC and state AG investigations related to mobile content marketing and billing;
- Dietary supplements manufacturers in an FTC investigation related to weight loss claims;
- State investigations for allegedly deceptive sales pricing claims by a major retailer;
- Representing one of the nation’s largest retailers in an FTC Textile Act investigation;
- Defending a major sports league in several state AG and FTC investigations; and
- Represented clients in numerous NAD and other industry self -regulatory proceedings.
The two partners have also worked on a number of antitrust actions, including:
- Defending a pharmaceuticals manufacturer in a monopolization class actions asserting that patent infringement actions were shams designed to keep generic competitors off the market; and
- A cigarette manufacturer in monopolization challenge alleging that shelf space/category management program improperly excluded competitors.
“Amy and I have been aware of Venable’s eminence in the advertising space for some time and we both felt the size and depth of the practice would be an especially good environment for us,” Mr. Shaheen said. “In addition to its prominence in FTC work, the firm has many areas of strength that fit in our wheelhouse, including dietary supplements, privacy counsel, antitrust, FDA food and dietary supplement enforcement. We’re going to be very much at home.”
They have also both been active in practice development. Mr. Shaheen served as Co-Editorial Chair for the 2011 Review of Consumer Protection Law Developments and is a contributing editor with the ABA’s publication Antitrust, The Source. Ms. Mudge serves as Chair of the ABA’s Private Advertising Litigation Committee.
Mr. Shaheen received his J.D. from Harvard Law School (1985) and his B.A. from Bucknell University (1982). Ms. Mudge received her J.D. from Cornell Law School (1995) and her B.A. from Smith College (1990).
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