Consumer Product Safety

The consumer product industry constantly faces new and complex product safety issues such as ever-changing regulations, lawsuits, government enforcement actions, recalls, financial penalties and unfavorable brand exposure. In the past decade, several high-profile recalls of consumer goods prompted the federal government to implement a series of sweeping new laws and regulations meant to expand consumer product safety standards. The complexity of today’s product safety regulatory environment makes it more important than ever for businesses to retain experienced legal counsel to protect their interests and reputation.

Snell & Wilmer has over 75 years of broad legal experience in consumer product safety representation. Whether a company is seeking advice on new laws or facing litigation or enforcement actions, our attorneys are focused on developing a plan of action that will best achieve our clients’ goals in an effective, time-sensitive and cost-efficient manner.

Our attorneys represent and advise manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and re-sellers involved in a wide variety of industries and products. Those businesses include appliances, chemicals, clothing, consumer electronics, household products, lighting products, power tools, recreational products, sporting goods, water filtration systems and window coverings. In addition to defending litigation, our attorneys provide consumer product safety services in the following areas:

• Regulatory Counseling: Our attorneys advise U.S. and international businesses on new and changing regulations and how to comply with warnings and labeling standards. We help clients coordinate recalls and voluntary product replacement programs on small scales or when thousands of products have been recalled. We also work with clients to analyze related insurance, indemnification and supplier/vendor issues.
• Risk Management Guidance: We provide counseling to manufacturers, suppliers and distributors in many areas of regulatory matters including those involving the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), product recall strategies and risk management issues. We respond to CPSC inquiries about incidents and work with clients to conduct investigations. We also alert our clients about new product safety concerns and amended legislation or court rulings that may impact their businesses.
• Litigation Advising: Litigation can take a heavy operational and financial toll on a business. We can help our clients develop proactive strategies and procedures to avoid litigation, such as recall readiness plans, product safety audits, record retention programs and pre-litigation discovery plans. We take particular satisfaction in helping our clients avoid litigation through periodic reviews of contracts, policies, procedures and document management. We also provide informal and often less expensive alternatives for dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration.

Connected, Experienced and Recognized: An interdisciplinary group of attorneys from across the firm’s offices comprise Snell & Wilmer’s consumer product safety team. We are positioned to assist clients in a wide variety of legal issues on the federal and state levels. Our product liability attorneys combine extensive experience with state-of-the-art case management technology and handle complex cases involving consumer products. Our intellectual property attorneys prepare and assess assignment, development and licensing agreements relating to intellectual property, and evaluate registrability, patentability, validity and infringement issues relating to intellectual properties for manufacturers. Our corporate attorneys represent clients in import and export advice, trade regulation, customs duties and compliance, licensing, product development and supply agreements, joint ventures and audits. Our group has extraordinary trial experience and has produced an impressive record of favorable verdicts.

Innovative and Invested: Snell & Wilmer defends all of its consumer product clients with attorneys who use their technical backgrounds and trial skills to deliver efficient and effective results. We are committed to understanding our clients’ businesses. We strive to provide each of our clients with the best team available to achieve satisfactory outcomes through their products’ lifecycle.