2024 Speakers

Tsan Abrahamson

Partner, Cobalt LLP

Tsan Abrahamson’s practice focuses on strategic counseling in the areas of social media, sweepstakes, intellectual property, advertising, trademark clearance, trademark and copyright prosecution, licensing, and other business transactions. She also manages the adverse proceedings practice at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Tsan has an extensive practice in the area of marketing promotions, including social media promotions, such as on Facebook and Twitter, gift card and gift certificate marketing, print and online sweepstakes, contests, give-aways, warranties, rebates, and coupon promotions. She also advises on corresponding privacy issues related thereto.
Tsan’s advertising practice includes working with regulatory agencies to comply with federal guidelines, including new FTC guidelines regarding affiliate marketing, CAN-SPAM. and the Deceptive Mail Prevention and Enforcement Act. She also advises on ad campaigns, including script review, storyboard clearance, and network media placement.

Sarah Brew

Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Sarah Brew provides clients with a unique 360-degree perspective on the legal issues and risks facing food companies, coupled with practical business-sensitive advice. As one of the country’s leading food litigators, Sarah effectively defends food industry clients against consumer fraud class actions and represents food processors, distributors and retailers in foodborne illness cases and supply chain disputes arising from recalls and contaminated products. She is also a nationally known food regulatory lawyer, counseling clients across the gamut of regulations, compliance and enforcement actions. Sarah is nationally ranked by Chambers as a “USA Top Lawyer,” and she leads Faegre Drinker’s nationally ranked Food Litigation and Regulatory Practice.

Karley Buckley

Associate, DLA Piper

Karley Buckley is a litigator who represents clients in complex commercial disputes.  Karley focuses her practice on defending companies in high-stakes commercial litigation in state and federal courts. She has represented clients in a wide range of industries, including the medical device, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and hospitality sectors.  Karley is experienced in all stages of litigation, from initial case strategy and investigation through trial and appeal. 

Ashley Joyner Chavous

Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP

Ashley Joyner Chavous’s practice focuses on high-stakes criminal and civil enforcement matters, internal corporate investigations, and compliance counseling.

Ashley represents financial institutions, public companies, and senior executives in investigations and enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and other U.S. regulators. She has conducted internal investigations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and South America. She has represented companies and individuals in a variety of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement matters and regularly counsels clients facing difficult FCPA issues in various business contexts. With extensive experience handling diverse compliance and governance issues, Ashley assists clients across a wide range of industries with ant-corruption due diligence, and developing and implementing anti-corruption compliance programs.

Ashley has experience representing clients at all stages of litigation, from case inception through trial and appeal. She has argued motions before state and federal courts, and examined fact and expert witnesses at trial.

Conrad J. Choiniere, PhD

Acting Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Conrad Choiniere is acting Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.  Dr. Choiniere has been with the agency for over 20 years, and in his current role, he provides executive leadership for a broad portfolio of scientific and regulatory functions such as compliance, outbreak response, food safety, dietary supplement oversight and risk analytics. Dr. Choiniere chairs FDA’s Toxic Elements Working Group which prioritizes the agency’s efforts to reduce exposures toxic elements and spearheads the Closer to Zero initiative to reduce lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in foods consumed by babies and young children.  

Dr. Choiniere has a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Veronica Colas

Counsel, Hogan Lovells US LLP

Veronica Colas counsels clients on the regulations and policy issues affecting food companies from farm to table.

Using her keen awareness of today's class action litigation environment, Veronica helps develop new products, label claims, and advertising materials. She has a deep understanding of both current and forthcoming food labeling and production requirements ranging from nutrition and menu labeling, to the regulatory issues surrounding bioengineered foods and organic food production.

Veronica provides clear advice and practical solutions for compliance with labeling, advertising, and safety regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Consumer Product Safety Commission. She has significant experience in helping clients navigate regulatory enforcement challenges, such as recalls, Warning Letters, import detentions, and investigations by the Federal Trade Commission. Veronica works closely with trade associations and food companies to craft comments and develop strategies in response to public policy issues such as agency rulemaking and nutrition policy. She represents all segments of the food industry, including manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, and food service companies.

She is a regular speaker and contributor to industry publications, including providing training sessions to corporate clients on Food Law 101, food labeling and marketing, and claim substantiation.

Gustav W. Eyler

Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Gustav W. Eyler is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  He is Co-Chair of the firm’s FDA and Health Care Practice Group and a member of the White Collar Defense and Privacy Practice Groups.  An experienced litigator and a former Director of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, he defends companies and individuals in government investigations and enforcement actions and counsels clients on the design and implementation of compliance programs.

Mr. Eyler brings broad and practical experience to clients facing government investigations and litigation.  As Director of the Consumer Protection Branch from 2017 to 2022, Mr. Eyler led more than 250 prosecutors and staff in criminal and civil enforcement actions involving drugs, medical devices, food, tobacco, consumer products, and fraudulent schemes.  He personally oversaw and handled matters involving a wide range of statutes, including the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Controlled Substances Act; the Consumer Product Safety Act; the Anti-Kickback Statute; the False Claims Act; provisions administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and numerous fraud laws.  He also led the Justice Department’s partnership with the Federal Trade Commission in achieving landmark corporate resolutions in privacy and deceptive-practice cases related to social media, marketing, and health care companies.

Clients also rely on Mr. Eyler’s experience to mitigate the risk of government enforcement actions through corporate compliance programs and proactive litigation.  At the Justice Department, Mr. Eyler helped to craft new corporate compliance guidance as a member of the Deputy Attorney General’s Corporate Crime Advisory Group.  He also litigated multiple challenges to actions of the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies in courts throughout the country.

Before serving as Director of the Consumer Protection Branch, Mr. Eyler worked as a Counselor to the Attorney General, providing advice on matters related to the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Criminal Division, the FBI, and the DEA.  He also served as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.  Mr. Eyler is a recipient of both the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the Attorney General’s Fraud Prevention Award.  Prior to joining the Justice Department, Mr. Eyler worked at Gibson Dunn, as counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and as a law clerk to Judge Thomas L. Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Mr. Eyler received his J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review and an author for the Yale Law Journal.  He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University and studied history at Merton College, Oxford.

Mr. Eyler speaks and lectures regularly on white collar, life sciences, and privacy issues.

Elizabeth Fawell

Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP

Elizabeth has worked with every segment of the food industry, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, restaurants, and food service operators, as well as their trade associations.

Her work on behalf of food industry clients with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) since its inception and her understanding of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems provides her with the experience and perspective needed to counsel clients on how to comply with new requirements under the law. Elizabeth is also a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and has completed the FSPCA PCQI training.

Elizabeth understands how laws, regulations, and guidance documents are developed, interpreted, and enforced. Her extensive knowledge enables clients to prevent or respond to enforcement actions such as Warning Letters, Import Alerts, and agency investigations. She helps clients in determining whether an RFR report is necessary and whether a recall is warranted. If so, she helps manage the recall to minimize business impacts.

Elizabeth provides real-time advice during factory inspections, helps clients prepare 483 responses, and drafts inspection manuals. She assists clients in lawfully and creatively promoting their products; such as the development of labels, claims, and website and promotional campaigns. Elizabeth also supports clients in advertising disputes and with responses to FTC and Attorney General investigations.

Elizabeth helps clients stay informed of and ahead of public policy issues and develops strategies for effective advocacy before regulators. She also counsels clients on compliance with Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) safety standards, testing and certification requirements, and reporting obligations.

Elizabeth is also a member of the Food and Dietary Supplements Committee of the Food and Drug Law Institute.

Brendan Fitzgerald

Shareholder, Littler Mendelson, P.C.

In Brendan Fitzgerald's labor and employment law practice, he regularly advises and represents employers in a broad range of labor and employment law matters arising under international, federal, and state laws. As a complement to this domestic labor management relations practice, Brendan helps multinational corporations based in the United States and abroad formulate and implement strategies to respond to efforts by labor unions and nongovernmental organizations to discredit them through global campaigns. Brendan practices in various federal and state courts and administrative agencies on a variety of employment law matters, including a wide range of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, and he has assisted in the defense of a number of class actions arising under federal and state laws. 

Brendan’s entire practice is guided by his having spent more than two years in-house within the healthcare field.  During his time away from the firm, Brendan developed and implemented comprehensive labor relations and positive employee relations strategies. This experience has given Brendan a unique lens to assist clients in developing and implementing practical solutions. 

Sean Patrick Fulton

Of Counsel, DLA Piper

Sean Fulton is a member of the firm's artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics group. He is a seasoned generalist litigator and has extensive experience counseling and representing multinational companies in “bet-the-firm” state/federal litigation, including products liability/mass torts, securities class actions, employment, antitrust, bankruptcy, and other complex commercial disputes. Those multinational companies include leaders in the automotive, alcohol/spirits, banking, cryptocurrency, e-commerce, energy, manufacturing, and wireless carrier industries.

Svetlana S. Gans

Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Svetlana S. Gans is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher where she helps clients navigate complex consumer protection (advertising, marketing, privacy, and right to repair) and competition related regulatory proceedings before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, and other enforcement bodies, and provides strategic advice on related public policy issues.

Ms. Gans previously served with distinction as Chief of Staff to Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen at the FTC.  As the agency chief of staff, Ms. Gans managed and oversaw agency operations, including bureau and office heads reporting to the Chairman, a seven-member office staff, and an agency budget of over $300 million.  She also served as the Acting Chairman’s key advisor on consumer protection and competition investigations and litigation, working with a diverse team of attorneys and economists to preserve competition and protect U.S. consumers.  She created, executed, and oversaw several strategic initiatives for the agency, including the agency process reform, regulatory reform, and data security transparency initiatives.  Previously, Ms. Gans had the unique experience of serving in both litigating bureaus of the FTC: the Bureau of Competition and the Bureau of Consumer Protection.  Before joining Gibson Dunn, Ms. Gans served as the Vice President & Associate General Counsel at NCTA, the Internet & Television Association, where she helped lead the association’s consumer protection and competition policy work.

Ms. Gans was recently named as one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” for 2023.  Ms. Gans is a frequent speaker on FTC policy and enforcement issues, including FTC rulemaking.  Ms. Gans is also active  in the ABA Antitrust Law Section (“Section”), currently serving as the Section’s Committee Officer.  In that role, Ms. Gans overseas the operations of 28 Section substantive committees, including committees covering consumer protection, privacy, corporate counselling, and federal civil enforcement.

Ms. Gans is a keen supporter of, and mentor to, law students and young lawyers interested in antitrust and consumer protection law.  Ms. Gans helped create the Section’s  Young Lawyer Representative Program, now in its 12th year, and the Section’s Law Ambassador Program, each aimed at developing and promoting the next generation of consumer protection and competition attorneys.  Ms. Gans also serves on the Federal Communication Bar’s Executive Committee and as a co-chair of its Diversity Pipeline Program, an initiative designed to develop and promote underrepresented law students in the bar.  Ms. Gans also serves on Gibson Dunn’s Professional Development Committee and is active with the WICT Network – an organization dedicated to developing women leaders in the media, entertainment, and technology industries.

Ms. Gans served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr., while in law school, and as an Honors Program Paralegal for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Merger Taskforce, prior to law school.  Ms. Gans received her law degree with high honors from the University of Denver College of Law and earned her undergraduate degrees cum laude from Boston University.

Jennifer Hatcher

Chief Public Policy Officer & Senior Vice President, Government Relations, FMI

Jennifer Hatcher serves as Chief Public Policy Officer and Senior Vice President, Government Affairs for FMI - the Food Industry Association, overseeing federal, state and regulatory efforts on public policy, legislative and political issues impacting the supermarket industry.  She has held this position since April 2009 and has been at FMI in the government relations area since March 1998. 

Prior to coming to FMI, Jennifer served as Chief of Staff to United States Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL).  Jennifer also served as Special Assistant and White House Liaison at the Department of the Treasury during President George H.W. Bush’s Administration.  Jennifer has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Communication from Vanderbilt University and a Masters in Government from Johns Hopkins University.

Jennifer has participated in a variety of congressional briefings and panels and has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Committee on Ways and Means and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Maral M. Kilejian

Partner, Haynes and Boone, LLP

Maral Kilejian focuses her practice in the areas of franchise and distribution law and advertising, marketing, and promotional law.

Maral is a nationally-recognized franchise attorney who provides practical initial and ongoing counsel and legal support to franchisors in the structuring and operation of domestic franchise programs and international expansion, including in the drafting of franchise-related agreements, franchise compliance issues, franchise and business opportunity registrations and exemptions, non-traditional venues, alternative distribution channels, managing franchisee relationships, and crisis management. She represents franchisors in all stages of their business life cycle, from those just beginning to venture into franchising, to emerging brands, to mature multi-national franchisors. 

Maral is the co-chair of the Advertising, Marketing, and Promotional Law practice group and routinely advises clients on compliance, regulatory, and contract negotiation matters. She provides practical advice and guidance to clients regarding the structure and implementation of marketing and advertising campaigns, and both domestic and international promotions, contests and giveaways across various media, including text message promotions and social media campaigns. She routinely conducts advertising reviews for clients, including in the areas of claim substantiation, comparative advertising, trademark usage, and FTC and state law compliance. Maral also prepares, reviews, and negotiates sponsorship and endorsement agreements, influencer agreements, promotional license agreements, and marketing services agreements and advises in the structuring, advertising, and state regulatory requirements surrounding commercial charitable promotions.

Maral is a Certified Franchise Executive, as designated by the International Franchise Association, a Franchise Times Legal Eagle (each year since 2016), and an active member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Franchising, currently serving as a member of the Forum’s Marketing Committee. From 2015 until 2019, she served as a Topics and Articles Editor for the Franchise Law Journal, and from 2013 to 2015 she served on the Forum’s Diversity Caucus’s Steering Committee. Maral is routinely asked to speak at national conferences on franchise and advertising law matters.

Steve Lehotsky

Partner, Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP

Steven P. Lehotsky has significant experience developing and executing litigation strategies to help businesses and trade associations address their most important regulatory and public-policy challenges. 

Before founding Lehotsky Keller Cohn LLP, Mr. Lehotsky directed the litigation strategy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's leading business federation, where he worked from 2013-2021. While at the U.S. Chamber’s Litigation Center, he served as chief litigation counsel. Mr. Lehotsky led the Chamber's efforts to bring successful challenges to federal, state, and local regulations of business. He also directed the U.S. Chamber's efforts to defend pro-growth regulatory reforms. Mr. Lehotsky also led and implemented the U.S. Chamber’s strategies for filing hundreds of amicus curiae briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate and district courts, and state supreme and appellate courts. He is a frequent speaker at events and conferences on litigation and regulatory trends.

Mr. Lehotsky previously was an attorney at WilmerHale LLP in both the Washington D.C. and Boston offices, where he practiced government and regulatory litigation, appellate litigation, and counseling on constitutional, statutory, and regulatory issues for clients across a wide variety of industry sectors. He also previously practiced as a commercial litigator at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston.

In addition, Mr. Lehotsky was an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice from 2006-2009, advising the White House and executive departments and agencies on constitutional and statutory issues relating to national security, immigration, international sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and other programs, the response to the 2008 financial crisis, pandemic influenza and infectious-disease mitigation, cybersecurity, and congressional investigations, among many other subjects.

Mr. Lehotsky was a law clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court of the United States and Chief Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Adam Mandelsberg

Partner, Perkins Coie

Adam Mandelsberg prosecutes and defends high-stakes litigation on behalf of public companies, financial institutions, sports leagues and player agents, and individuals in federal and state courts nationwide. His experience includes the successful defense of a wide range of product manufacturers accused of fraud and other business torts, including those in the food and beverage, dietary supplement, and pet product industries. Adam also litigates on behalf of the nation’s leading service providers, including pioneering technology platforms, colleges and universities, and testing companies.

Adam represents businesses in a wide range of commercial disputes, including breaches of supply and license agreements, disputes related to corporate mergers and acquisitions, and various business torts. He also advises directors and shareholders on cutting-edge issues of corporate law, including alleged breaches of fiduciary duty and petitions for director removal and corporate dissolution.

Illustrative of his creativity and commitment to resolving bet-the-company disputes efficiently and to his clients’ satisfaction, Adam successfully defended a global financial institution accused of fraud in connection with a rogue trader’s scheme to disguise hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. He also successfully represented a London-based interdealer broker in a lawsuit alleging racketeering and unfair competition against a competitor in connection with its worldwide raid of the firm’s profit centers. Adam also secured the dismissal of investors’ claims in a decade-long securities-related class action lawsuit on behalf of a leading pharmaceutical company and resolved a securities-related class action lawsuit on behalf of a former executive of a leading cannabis manufacturer.

In addition, Adam has represented a wide range of pro bono clients, including a New Yorker who claimed that law enforcement agents engaged in unlawful and excessive force in the course of his arrest at his own home, a Texas death row prisoner seeking to overturn his conviction and sentence in federal court, teenage children seeking review of a New York Family Court’s finding that their parent’s abuse of alcohol constituted neglect, public housing residents seeking much-needed repairs to their apartments, and Central American migrants challenging adverse credible fear determinations and seeking recompense for their unlawful separation from minor children by U.S. agents.

Adam clerked for the Hon. Jane R. Roth of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. While in law school, Adam was an associate editor of the Journal of Transnational Law and interned for the Office of the U.S. Solicitor General (DOJ), where he helped prepare the solicitor general for appellate court arguments concerning the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He also served as an extern to the Hon. Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as an intern to the Hon. J. Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Ashley Anguas Nyquist

Of Counsel, Covington & Burling LLP

Ashley Nyquist guides clients through their most sensitive, high-stakes matters, including government investigations, independent investigations, and internal investigations into issues posing enterprise-level risk.

Ashley regularly represents clients -- from the largest multi-national companies to individuals -- in connection with government and internal investigations into alleged fraud, corruption, and other criminal conduct or issues of regulatory concern. She has considerable experience navigating complex, multi-dimensional matters involving parallel criminal, civil, and reputational risks.

Ashley routinely handles highly sensitive reviews and investigations related to workplace misconduct and institutional culture, including:

  • Leading internal investigations for corporate and non-profit clients related to allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and other misconduct by executives and other leaders;
  • Conducting independent investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct; and
  • Guiding clients through proactive workplace culture assessments designed to mitigate risk.

Ashley has worked with clients from a variety of sectors and industries, including technology, consumer products, food processing, financial services, life sciences, and education.

Ashley’s pro bono work includes representing individual criminal defendants in state court.

Before practicing law, Ashley taught high school English in rural China.

Michael J. Perry

Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

 Michael J. Perry is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, LLP and a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice Group.

Mr. Perry represents clients in merger and non-merger related investigations before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, and complex private and government antitrust litigation.  His practice spans a variety of industries, including healthcare and life sciences, energy, and technology, and he is experienced in issues at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property law. Mr. Perry has been named a leading antitrust practitioner by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Global Competition Review,  Law360 and Who’s Who Legal , described by Chambers as a “terrific lawyer who can translate complicated items into laymen’s terms.”

Mr. Perry previously served as Counsel to the Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition from 2015 to 2016 and as an attorney in the agency’s healthcare division.  During his tenure at the FTC, Mr. Perry played an integral role in many of the agency’s most significant antitrust enforcement actions, including FTC v. Actavis FTC v. Cephalon, FTC v. Sysco, and FTC v. St. Luke’s Health System.

Mr. Perry currently serves in the leadership of the Antitrust section of the American Bar Association as Senior Editor of the Antitrust Law Journal.  Before joining Gibson Dunn, Mr. Perry was an antitrust partner at an international law firm.  He clerked for the Honorable Allyne R. Ross of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and the Honorable Michael A. Chagares of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Mr. Perry received his law degree, with distinction, from Stanford University.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Wake Forest University.

Representative matters include: 

  • Representing Novartis’ Sandoz division in the In re Humira Antitrust Litigation putative class action (N.D. Ill.).
  • Represented DaVita in the FTC’s conditional approval of the acquisition of the University of Utah’s dialysis business.
  • Represented Merck in securing FTC clearance for its acquisition of Virbac’s Sentinel business and other strategic transactions.
  • Represented Indorama Ventures in securing global antitrust clearance for multiple strategic transactions, including its joint venture with other U.S. PET resin manufacturers and its acquisition of Huntsman’s integrated oxides and derivatives business.
  • Defended Arch Coal in the FTC’s challenge to its proposed joint venture with Peabody Energy to combine the companies’ U.S. thermal coal assets (E.D. Mo.).
  • Defended Valero Energy in the California Attorney General’s challenge to the proposed acquisition of Plains All American Pipeline’s Bay Area terminals (N.D. Cal.).
  • Represented RealPage in securing DOJ clearance for its acquisition of Lease Rent Options and related assets from the Rainmaker Group.
  • Defended Columbia University against antitrust claims involving digital television technology, obtaining dismissal on the pleadings (N.D.N.Y).
  • Represented Fujifilm in antitrust litigation and related actions relating to magnetic tape cartridges (S.D.N.Y.).

Representative publications and speaking engagements include:

  • “Antitrust Enforcement Policy for Cross-market Health Care Mergers: Legal Theories, Limiting Principles, and Practical Considerations,” Antitrust Law Journal (2020)
  • “Antitrust Issues with Biologics and Biosimilars in the U.S. and Europe,” ABA Section of Antitrust Law (March 2020)
  • “The First Cut is the Deepest: Use of Economics Before the Antitrust Agencies and the Courts,” Antitrust Magazine (Spring 2018)
  • “The FDA and FTC’s Increased Focus on Generic Drug Competition Signals Enhanced Attention to REMS Issues,” Antitrust Health Care Chronicle (April 2018)
  • “Antitrust Fundamentals for In-House Counsel,” Association of Corporate Counsel (May 2017)
  • “Pharmaceutical Antitrust Enforcement in the Trump Administration: Forecast Based on Past Administrations and Current Trends, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (March 2017)
  • “Patents, Antitrust and Pharma: Different Rules?,” Antitrust and Intellectual Property Conference, ABA Section of Antitrust Law (October 2015)
  • “Health Care Antitrust 101,” ABA Section of Antitrust Law (March 2015)
  • “State and Federal Enforcement in Non-reportable Transactions,” ABA Section of Antitrust Law (February 2015)
  • “After Actavis: FTC Update,” Intellectual Property Owners Association (January 2014)

Mr. Perry is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, California, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Marc Roth

Partner, Colbalt LLP

Marc Roth is a partner with Cobalt LLP where he advises clients on all things advertising, marketing, promotions and privacy, having practiced in these areas for decades, in various capacities. He is a former Federal Trade Commission attorney and served as Chief Marketing Counsel for a Time Warner subsidiary.  He is a frequent speaker and author on marketing, privacy and technology law.  He is recognized by Chambers and Best Lawyers US as a leading lawyer in national advertising and transactional law. 

Sarah Sunday

Assistant General Counsel, Head of Food Law Group at Nestle USA; Chairwoman of the 2024 FMI Legal and Regulatory Conference

Sarah Sunday is Assistant General Counsel for Food Law at Nestlé USA where she is head of the food law group.  Sarah represents internal clients on a range of FDA, USDA, and state compliance matters related to food safety and quality, regulatory suitability of ingredients, labeling and claims development as well as a range of post-market issues. Prior to joining Nestlé USA, Sarah served as in-house counsel with Kraft Foods.  Before going in-house, Sarah was in private practice at firms in Washington, DC.

Brian P. Sylvester

Partner, Perkins Coie

Brian Sylvester, a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, focuses his practice on regulatory matters before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and analogous state regulatory bodies. He is a leading authority on food tech regulation in particular, and serves as a trusted advisor to global brands, startups, life science companies, investors, and trade associations.

Brian’s regulatory practice spans new product development, labeling and advertising, audits and investigations, recalls and crisis management, and enforcement actions. He also has deep knowledge in import and export, due diligence, consumer litigation, comment preparation, and public policy advocacy at the federal and state levels.

In the area of food and beverage, Brian has extensive experience developing regulatory strategies to commercialize a range of food tech innovations, including transgenic crops and alternative proteins like cultivated meat and fermentation-derived food ingredients, among others. He draws on his tenure as a former regulator at USDA to counsel clients on strategic considerations around engagement with and advocacy before USDA and FDA on numerous complex issues, including those of first impression.

Brian is a prolific author and frequent speaker at industry-leading events in the United States, the European Union, Israel, and other parts of the world. He is regularly called upon to offer insights on trending legal issues by preeminent industry and global publications.

Suzie Trigg

Partner, Haynes and Boone, LLP

As co-chair of the Food, Beverage and Restaurant Practice Group, Suzie Trigg leads Haynes Boone’s team of business-focused FDA attorneys who serve as trusted advisors who generate practical solutions to prevent problems, reduce risk, or provide course-correction.

Suzie helps companies lawfully market FDA regulated consumer products, including foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and over-the-counter drugs. She reviews the use of specific ingredients and product claims to reduce potential challenges. Suzie also frequently advises on strategies intended to reduce the risk of a product recall or potential enforcement.

In addition to providing prevention-focused regulatory guidance, Suzie leads a range of sophisticated commercial transactions. She helps retailers, restaurant chains, and consumer products companies to structure, negotiate, and document transactions, tackle critical supply-chain challenges, and pursue strategic growth opportunities. She also provides focused support for securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. 

Suzie has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in food and drug law by Texas Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) since 2016. She was also recognized as one of D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” (D Magazine Partners) in 2018 and 2020. Suzie also served as co-chair of our Healthcare and Life Sciences Group from 2018-2021.

Tyler Young

Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Tyler Young focuses on defending food and beverage companies in consumer fraud class actions and complex litigation. Tyler has handled the full range of consumer fraud class actions that food companies face—everything from cases about nutrient content and flavor claims to sustainability and animal welfare claims. Tyler applies his regulatory knowledge, class action expertise, and practical judgment to craft winning litigation strategies. In addition to consumer fraud class actions, Tyler represents food and beverage companies in a wide variety of litigation matters, including disputes with activist non-profit groups, disputes with vendors and suppliers, government investigations, and litigations related to product recalls. Tyler has been recognized as  “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers every year since 2017.