Consumer Goods
Overview
Our team of experienced lawyers advises many well-known retail and consumer goods businesses. We have a true understanding of the commercial and legal issues faced by retailers, franchisors, manufacturers and distributors during the retail and commercial life cycle.
We are well placed to advise you on strategic transactions, litigation and regulatory issues across the full suite of corporate and commercial matters, including:
- Advertising and media: we review advertising content and marketing programs to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations, offering dispute resolution services and negotiating media agreements
- Competition law: policies and compliance, dawn raids, inquiries and investigations
- Complex litigation and class action defense: our lawyers handle complex litigation and class action defense matters, including, for example, those involving antitrust concerns, online privacy and digital accessibility claims, sales tax collection challenges, and consumer fraud allegations
- Corporate transactions and private equity: we assist retail companies, as well as private equity investors in the sector, with mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, regulatory compliance and venture capital transactions
- Dispute resolution: class action defense across areas such as privacy, digital wiretapping, ADA (including Title III), false advertising and consumer protection claims (including California section 17500 claims), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and state law analogues, and California’s Proposition 65
- Doing business internationally (including under franchise and concession structures)
- e-Commerce: standard terms, policies and compliance with relevant laws
- Employment litigation defense: we have a proven track record of successful litigation defense in high-stakes wage and hour class and representative actions as well as single-plaintiff employment discrimination and harassment claims
- Financial regulatory: we advise on payment solutions, compliance with merchant card rules and laws and regulations related to issuing consumer credit, and store cards
- Finance transactions: we assist restaurants with various debt financing options, including credit facilities, securitizations and leasing transactions
- Franchising and licensing: our team provides litigation, transactional and regulatory support for franchisors, advising on franchise agreements, trademarks and brand licensing
- Import-export counseling and services: we provide comprehensive counsel on customs compliance, import regulations, export controls and foreign corrupt practices, facilitating smooth international trade operations
- Insurance and insurance recovery: our team represents clients in leveraging insurance policies to recover losses and to mitigate financial impact, with experience that includes catastrophic injury, COVID-19 loss, cybersecurity claims and other claims
- Intellectual property: we offer full scale IP counsel, from advice on protection of IP, through enforcement and litigation globally
- International trade, sanctions and customs: global audit and advice
- Labor and employment counseling: our team counsels on all employment topics affecting consumer goods establishments to ensure compliance with, state and local laws, including wage and hour laws, reductions in force, WARN, hiring and firing, disabilities and the accommodation process, anti-harassment, discrimination and retaliation policies, workplace safety, and minors
- Privacy, data protection and data governance: including GDPR, CCPA (and other U.S. state privacy laws), PIPL, as well as drafting and advising on policies and disclosures, contracts, data security and incident response
- Social media and digital media: advertising and claims review, agency agreements and engagements
- Software and technology: bespoke software development, licensing and IT outsourcing (including services and maintenance)
- Technology, data security and privacy: we advise on technology issues, data security and privacy matters, helping clients navigate e-commerce, information security and social media challenges for advertising and selling products, as well as engaging with consumers online
- Tax: our lawyers handle various tax issues for companies selling products and having retail locations with employees in jurisdictions globally
We also handle worldwide trademark portfolios for several major brand owners – including worldwide filings and prosecutions, multi-jurisdictional clearance, and regional and multi-jurisdictional enforcement.