Washington, DC
tel: +1 202.942.5734
fax: +1 202.942.5999
fax: +1 202.942.5999
Randal.Shaheen@ aporter.com
Practice Focus
Consumer Protection and Advertising
Mr. Shaheen practices in the area of consumer protection and advertising. Mr. Shaheen has represented dozens of clients in federal, state, andNational Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (NAD) proceedings, covering virtually all consumer product areas. He is a co-editor for the blog on consumer marketing legal issues, www.consumeradvertisinglawblog.com.
Representative Matters
- Represented Imbee.com with respect to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation of alleged Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) violations
- Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. in connection with an FTC investigation related to fuel charges
- VeriSign with respect to alleged misleading marketing practices. The matter was resolved by persuading the FTC to accept class action settlement in lieu of consumer redress
- Philip Morris USA with respect to marketing initiatives
- Helped implement environmental advertising compliance guide for FORTUNE 100 company
- Poultry manufacturers in connection with Lanham Act case against Tyson Foods
- Provide general advertising advice to clients such as Method Products, Sanderson Farms, PepsiCo., Major League Baseball
- Represented Clifton Telecard Alliance in FTC and class action litigation relating to prepaid calling cards
- Successfully represented several large companies with respect to the FTC's Do Not Call Regulations
- Represented one of the largest dietary supplement manufactures in an FTC investigation
Representative Matters
Representative Consumer Protection Matters
- Represented Imbee.com with respect to FTC investigation of alleged COPPA violations
- Budget Rent A Car System, Inc. in connection with an FTC investigation related to fuel charges
- VeriSign with respect to alleged misleading marketing practices. The matter was resolved by persuading the FTC to accept class action settlement in lieu of consumer redress
- Philip Morris USA with respect to marketing initiatives
- Helped implement environmental advertising compliance guide for FORTUNE 100 company
- Poultry manufacturers in connection with Lanham Act case against Tyson Foods
- Provide general advertising advice to clients such as Method Products, Sanderson Farms, PepsiCo., Major League Baseball
- Represented Clifton Telecard Alliance in FTC and class action litigation relating to prepaid calling cards
- Successfully represented several large companies with respect to the FTC's Do Not Call Regulations
- Represented one of the largest dietary supplement manufactures in an FTC investigation
Representative Antitrust Matters
- General Electric Corporation in its acquisition of SMV. DOJ concerns were resolved without the issuance of a second request.
- SBC in its US$16 billion acquisition of AT&T. Assisted SBC in resolving state Attorney General concerns over proposed acquisition.
- GHX, a leading online health care business to business exchange, in its successful acquisition of Neoforma, one of its leading rivals.
- Dealer Track, a leading supplier of various online services to auto dealers, in its acquisition of Credit Online, one of its leading rivals.
- Schwan Foods in its US$240 million acquisition of Mrs. Smith's. FTC concerns over the acquisition of competing frozen dessert company resolved without issuance of second request.
Professional and Community Activities
Professional Activity
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Adjunct professor, George Washington University Law Center (Constitutional Law)
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Georgetown University Law Center, Adjunct Professor (seminar on recent antitrust developments)
Pro Bono Activity
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Represented Lieutenant Colonel Martha McSally, highest ranking US female fighter pilot in successful effort to overturn Department of Defense requirement that female military personnel in Saudi Arabia wear an abaya (a loose robe traditionally worn by Muslim women)
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Represented 12-year old girl arrested for eating a french fry on the Washington, DC Metro system
Blogs
Amy Ralph Mudge, Robert Pitofsky and Randal M. Shaheen. "Consumer Protection and Advertising Blog." 2010.
Articles
Randal M. Shaheen, Amy Ralph Mudge and Matthew Shultz. "Regulation of Environmental Marketing Claims." (PDF: 264 kB) PLI's Environmental Regulation and Commercial Implications 2010 Handbook 22 Feb. (2010).
Amy Ralph Mudge and Randal M. Shaheen. "Current Issues in Dietary Supplement Marketing." (PDF: 3.48 MB) FDLI Update November/December 2008.
Randal M. Shaheen, Amy Ralph Mudge and George Langendorf. "Made In The U.S.A., Except In California." (PDF: 790 kB) Advertising Compliance Service, July 7, 2008.
Randal M. Shaheen, Amy Ralph Mudge and Matthew Shultz. "Carbon Neutral: The New Green - Substantiation Issues for the Next Generation of Environmental Claims." (PDF: 104 kB) The Antitrust Source December 2007.
Robert Pitofsky, Randal M. Shaheen and Amy Ralph Mudge. "Pricing Laws are No Bargain for Consumers." (PDF: 328 kB) Antitrust, Summer 2004.
William Baer, Deborah L. Feinstein and Randal M. Shaheen. "Taking Stock: Recent Trends in U.S. Merger Enforcement." (PDF: 100 kB) Antitrust Spring 2004.
Randal M. Shaheen. "Should Media Outlets be Held Liable for Deceptive Advertising?." Legal Backgrounder 11 Jul. (2003).
Presentations
Amy Ralph Mudge, Randal M. Shaheen and Randall Miller. "Recent Developments in Pharmaceutical Marketing Enforcement and Litigation." ABA Antitrust Section Private Advertising Litigation Committee Brown Bag Panel September 14, 2009.
Advisories
"Commissioner Jon Leibowitz Named FTC Chair." (PDF: 261 kB) Mar 2009.
"FTC Examines Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents." (PDF: 243 kB) Jul 2008.
"FTC Examines Marketing Of "Green" Buildings And Textiles." (PDF: 237 kB) Jul 2008.
"FTC Examines Green Packaging Claims." (PDF: 224 kB) May 2008.
"FTC Issues Staff Report On Consumer Protection Challenges Arising From Emerging Technologies." (PDF: 244 kB) Apr 2008.
"FTC Examines Carbon Offset & Renewable Energy Certificate Markets in Conjunction with Green Guides Review." (PDF: 282 kB) Jan 2008.
"FTC and HHS Applaud Industry Efforts but Underscore Importance of Future Progress in Addressing Childhood Obesity." (PDF: 141 kB) Jul 2007.
"FTC and European Commission Focus on Obesity." (PDF) Mar 2005.
JD, Harvard Law School, 1985
BA, Bucknell University, 1982
District of Columbia
Pennsylvania