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| Phone: (202) 342-8633 |
Fax: (202) 342-8451 |
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| Christie Grymes assists clients on consumer protection matters, including advertising, product safety, promotions, privacy and sweepstakes. She counsels clients in all aspects of regulatory compliance, with a focus on statutes and regulations enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission and state attorneys general. Ms. Grymes is Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Practice Group. |
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Representative Experience:
Ms. Grymes has experience handling various phases of marketing products, including:
- Reviewing advertisements and marketing materials for all media, including television, print, Internet, and telephone, to determine compliance with relevant regulations and the risk of challenge from regulators, competitors, or consumers.
- Challenging competitors' advertising before the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus and in federal court.
- Responding to inquires and complaints from regulators, competitors and consumers.
- Advising clients on product safety compliance programs, and potential reporting obligations, Freedom of Information Act requests, corrective action programs and product recalls, and enforcement and penalty proceedings with the CPSC.
She has specific expertise in commercial co-ventures and charitable promotions. For example, she counsels the following clients:
- Converse – in structuring and advertising a promotion for the RED Campaign, in which a portion of proceeds from the sale of certain sneakers are donated to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
- Nike – in structuring and advertising a promotion in which a portion of the proceeds from specially-marked products go to ninemillion.org., a global campaign founded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to bring education and sport programs to the world's refugee youth.
- Nike – in structuring and advertising a promotion in which a portion of proceeds from the sale of Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG bracelets and specially-marked clothing are donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
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Professional Activities:
Ms. Grymes is a Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Antitrust Law’s Consumer Protection Committee. She has given speeches and written articles on advertising, including NAD challenges, telemarketing, sweepstakes and contests, and product safety. She is a contributor to the Advertising Law Guide, authored by Lewis Rose and Reed Freeman, published by CCH Incorporated in May 2000. Ms. Grymes was recently named one of SmartCEO magazine's 2007 "Washington Legal Elite." |
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Publications:
"'The Year of the Recall': CPSC Lessons to Learn," Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, June 2008.
"Cause Marketing: How to Avoid the State Treasurer's Coffers from Becoming the Beneficiary of Your Charitable Promotion," Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, February 2007.
"The Do-Not-Call Quagmire: Federal Court Rulings Block Implementation But FTC and FCC Are Set to Enforce," The Antitrust Source, November 2003.
"Substantiating Claims for Over-the-Counter Drugs at FTC: How Much is Enough?," Pharmaceutical Law & Industry Report (No. 14, Vol. 1), 2003. |
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Speaking Engagements:
"Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act – What the Legislation Means for Manufacturers," Product Liability and Product Safety Council Meeting, MAPI Manufacturers Alliance, October 23, 2008.
"Falsity Fallout: The Evolution of the Falsity Standard in Recent Advertising Cases," 56th Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, American Bar Association, Washington, DC, March 26, 2008.
"How to Create A Successful CPSC Compliance Program," Kelley Drye Continuing Legal Education Seminar, New York, NY, November 13, 2007.
November Consumer Protection Update, ABA Section of Antitrust Law Teleseminar, November 5, 2007, with Jen Ngai and Katie Rogers.
"Developments in Deception: The Evolution of the Deception Doctrine in False Advertising Law Through Recent Cases and Enforcement Actions," 55th Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, American Bar Association, Washington, DC, April 18-20, 2007.
"Avoiding Legal Risks in Stealth, Peer, and Viral Marketing," Corporate Counsel Forum on e-Marketing and Privacy Law, American Conference Institute, Las Vegas, March 19-20, 2007. |
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Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Maryland
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| Education:
George Washington University, JD, 1998
University of Texas - Austin, BBA, 1994
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Office Location:
Washington Harbour, Suite 400
3050 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007-5108
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