Will advise clients on government investigations and litigation of consumer protection statutes on food, drug, and medical device safety; financial fraud; and consumer product safety
New York, NY (June 19, 2017) – Venable LLP announced that Michael S. Blume has joined the firm's Regulatory practice as a partner in New York. He joins Venable from the U.S. Department of Justice, where he served as Director of the Consumer Protection Branch. In that role, he led a prosecuting office charged with enforcing a variety of federal criminal and civil consumer protection statutes primarily focusing on food, drug, and medical device safety; financial fraud; and consumer product safety. During his tenure, he prioritized food safety cases leading to precedent-setting prosecutions and strengthened partnerships with consumer product safety regulators.
Mr. Blume focuses his practice on issues related to compliance, consumer fraud, and corporate liability for clients in the pharmaceutical, life sciences, food, dietary supplements, medical device, financial services, and consumer products industries. He has significant experience in matters related to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA); the False Claims Act; the Federal Trade Commission Act; and the Consumer Product Safety Act, among others.
"With virtually no aspect of business untouched by government regulations, businesses face an increasingly daunting set of regulatory challenges requiring a steady hand for guidance," said Lawrence H. Norton, Co-Chair of Venable's Government Division. "As the former head of the Justice Department's Consumer Protection Branch, Michael is in a perfect position to help clients navigate government investigations and litigation in the consumer protection space. His experience adds to Venable's strength in core consumer protection areas, including food and drug law, advertising and marketing, and financial services."
For nearly a decade, Mr. Blume served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where he handled an active civil and criminal caseload, managed civil and criminal prosecution teams, and engaged in extensive community outreach. He also worked as Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia, trial counsel at an international law firm, clerk to a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, and an aide to former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter.
Matthew T. McLaughlin, New York's partner-in-charge, added, "As we continue to expand Venable's presence in New York, we are constantly on the lookout for top-tier talent that provides the highest value to our clients. With a combination of Washington know-how and experience handling consumer fraud issues, Michael will be a valuable addition."
Commenting on his move to Venable, Mr. Blume said, "Venable is widely respected in the regulatory space, particularly with regard to its work in the pharmaceutical sector and food safety. The firm's precedent-setting work on behalf of leading industry clients was a big draw for me."
At Venable, Mr. Blume joins a preeminent Regulatory practice that provides strategic counsel across a broad range of industries where business, policy, and government regulations intersect. Many of the group's attorneys and legislative advisors come from distinguished careers in government and include former members of Congress, a Cabinet secretary, agency heads, and veteran Capitol Hill and Executive Branch legislative staffers and policy advisors from both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Blume received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1996, graduating magna cum laude, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989, graduating summa cum laude.
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Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, and high-net-worth entrepreneurs and individuals. With over 600 attorneys across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ business objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines.