Former staffer for Senator Orrin Hatch and Rep. Steve Chabot had major hand in key privacy and technology issues for the world’s largest retail trade association
Washington, DC (April 9, 2013) – Venable LLP announced that it has added Elizabeth S. Oesterle, as of counsel in the firm’s Legislative Practice Group in Washington. Prior to joining Venable, Ms. Oesterle spent nearly a decade in the government relations department of the National Retail Federation (NRF), the world’s largest retail trade association.
At NRF, Ms. Oesterle served as Vice President and Government Relations Counsel. She also served as the designated lobbyist for Shop.org, NRF’s digital division, dedicated to online and multichannel retail.
At the NRF, Ms. Oesterle’s primary focus was on privacy and technology issues for retailers. She also worked on issues related to consumer credit, gift cards, retail loss prevention, bankruptcy reform, legal reform and online sales tax simplification.
Among the pieces of legislation that Ms. Oesterle advised on were the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) of 2003; the CAN-Spam Act of 2003; the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005; and the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.
Prior to working at the NRF, Ms. Oesterle served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she was counsel to ranking member Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Her first position on Capitol Hill was as Counsel to Representative Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.
At Venable, Ms. Oesterle joins one of the nation’s premier government practices, boasting a number of former elected officials, policy makers and government staffers. The firm also has leading practices in advertising and privacy law – both practices won the Chambers USA Award for Excellence in successive years. US News & World Report also named Venable the 2011-2012 Advertising “Law Firm of the Year.”
“Liz Oesterle has been a key player in the retail industry’s efforts to manage the impact of a flood of new privacy and technology legislation,” said Stuart Ingis, co-chair of Venable’s Privacy and Data Security Practice and Venable’s Washington, DC office Partner-in-Charge. “She has invaluable experience working with the country’s leading merchants, and understands their concerns on a wide range of issues. She also boasts a terrific background and relationships on Capitol Hill. We look forward to having Elizabeth on the team.”
William R. Nordwind, co-chair of Venable’s Legislative and Government Affairs Practice added, “Having a lawyer, like Liz, who is a veteran of both Capitol Hill and the private sector public policy worlds is a terrific combination for our clients.”
In addition to representing numerous national retailers, direct marketers and other customer-facing companies, Venable works with some of the country’s principal industry associations, including the Electronic Retailers Association.
Ms. Oesterle commented: “I have a long history of working with Venable clients through my prior work and have seen first-hand the firm’s success in advising retailers and marketers on sensitive privacy and policy matters. I am excited about bringing my Capitol Hill and retail industry experience to work for Venable’s outstanding client base.”
Ms. Oesterle received her J.D. from Fordham University Law School (1997) and her B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross (1994).
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