ANAHEIM, Calif. — March 4, 2016 — Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP shareholders Robert J. Herrington, Justin J. Prochnow, Rick L. Shackelford, Anthony J. Cortez, and Antonio Gallegos will participate in this year’s Natural Products Expo West convention, held Wednesday, March 9, to Sunday, March 13, 2016, at the Anaheim Convention Center. This event is the world’s largest natural, organic, and healthy products expo.
Greenberg Traurig’s Exhibitor-Presented Seminar is titled “Labeling Litigation: Strategies for Marketing Products While Avoiding the Courtroom,” and will take place Friday, March 11, at 12:30 P.M. The session will discuss strategies for handling food labeling class action lawsuits, as well as defending against and limiting the risk of such claims.
Herrington, a shareholder in the Los Angeles office, serves as co-chair of the firm's Products Liability & Mass Torts Practice. He focuses his practice on defending consumer products companies in complex, multi-party litigation, including class actions, government enforcement litigation, product defect litigation, and mass torts. Herrington represents companies in a variety of industries, including apparel and footwear, retail, emerging technologies, advertising and publicity, online retailing, food and beverage, nutritional supplements, personal care products, and sports and fitness. He is also the author of the best-selling book, Verdict for the Defense (Sutton Hart Press 2011), and a co-author of The Class Action Fairness Act: Law and Strategy (ABA Publishing 2013).
Prochnow, a shareholder in the Denver Litigation Practice, focuses his practice on assisting companies with regulatory, business, and legal needs in the beverage, food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, medical device, and OTC industries. He works closely with companies to ensure regulatory compliance with statutes and regulations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, and other regulatory agencies, including the review of product labels, labeling, advertising, websites, and other marketing materials. Prochnow assists companies with responding to governmental and regulatory actions, including FDA inspections and warning letters, FTC Civil Investigative Demands, and ASRC and NAD cases. Prochnow prepares and reviews business documents for industry members, including consulting, manufacturing, supply, and distribution agreements. Prochnow and his team also defend industry companies from both governmental agencies and civil litigators in litigation ranging from breach of contract cases to the growing number of class actions alleging false and misleading advertising.
Shackelford, a shareholder in the Los Angeles office, serves as co-chair of the firm’s Los Angeles Litigation Practice and co-chair of the firm’s Class Action Litigation Practice. He focuses his practice on complex litigation in numerous fields, including consumer class actions, product liability, and false advertising. Shackelford has successfully defended three major juice companies in federal jury trials in cases brought by competitors alleging false advertising in violation of the Lanham Act. He has also represented several other food and juice makers in consumer class actions alleging deceptive trade practices and false advertising, including challenges to nutrition, ingredient, and health claims made in a variety of media. Shackelford has also defended clients in consumer product liability cases, including Proposition 65 claims.
Cortez, a shareholder in the Sacramento office, is a regulatory compliance attorney and business litigator with a focus on the representation of national consumer product companies and other businesses in compliance, commercial litigation, and government enforcement matters. Throughout California and nationally, Cortez advises and defends clients in legal, regulatory, and administrative proceedings involving numerous industries including food, drug, supplement, cosmetic, apparel, and industrial products, among others. He is regularly involved in complex and high-dollar value litigation involving federal and state consumer protection and environmental laws, including CA’s Proposition 65, false adverting law, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations, and other labeling or marketing laws. He has handled matters involving the FTC, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC).
Gallegos, and of counsel in the Denver office, focuses his practice on regulatory compliance, litigation and dispute resolution for the food, nutrition and medical consumer products industries. These include food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, medical device, and pharmaceutical companies. He advises on regulatory matters involving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and similar state-level agencies. He also represents companies in consumer and business lawsuits, government investigations and regulatory enforcement actions.
Named a Law360 2016 “Food & Beverage Group of the Year,” Greenberg Traurig’s Food & Beverage team represents a multidisciplinary practice in which members leverage deep experience in the industry to advise clients on transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters. Transactional areas range from product development and distribution, to M&A deals and commercial contracts, as well as import and export agreements. Clients regularly turn to Greenberg Traurig to lead them through bet-the-product and bet-the-company litigation, including claims involving false advertising, consumer protection violations or class actions, and intellectual property disputes. The team also assists clients to avoid investigations or regulatory penalties from the FDA, with advice on compliance for product labeling, safety, recalls, and advertising and marketing reviews.