Administrative and Regulatory Law

Government regulations can have a profound impact on business operations if not addressed properly. Our attorneys help clients in heavily regulated industries navigate their way through the myriad of government regulations and assist with the interpretation of applicable rules and guidelines of various state and federal agencies. We provide sophisticated, multidisciplinary legal counsel with attention to detail and the extensive resources of a full-service firm.

Several of our lawyers have the benefit of having worked for regulators and provide first-hand experience and knowledge of agency best practices and preferences. This includes federal agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as state-specific health care and environmental agencies and attorneys general offices.

Williams Mullen has extensive experience advising clients on matters before a broader group of federal agencies. A full list of those federal agencies is listed below.

• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ­­
• Department of Justice
• Department of Energy
• Department of Labor
• Department of State
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Federal Aviation Administration
• Federal Communications Commission
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Federal Trade Commission
• Food and Drug Administration
• General Services Administration
• Internal Revenue Service
• Immigration and Naturalization Service
• Mine Safety and Health Administration
• National Labor Relations Board
• Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
• Office of Foreign Assets Control
• Securities and Exchange Commission
• U.S. Copyright Office
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Administrative law touches all business activities that are subject to statutory control or regulation. Our experience spans a wide range of industries, including environmental; health care; consumer products, such as beverage alcohol, tobacco products and firearms; energy; and government procurement/contracts.

We help our clients throughout the regulatory lifecycle. This includes obtaining federal and state permits and licenses and navigating the agency rulemaking process. We also represent clients’ interests in administrative reviews and enforcement proceedings before all levels of state and federal agencies, commissions and boards. We have experience advising clients on risk management and mitigation strategies related to the increasing oversight of consumer protection by state attorneys general. And, should they arise, we have extensive experience representing clients in litigation stemming from these administrative processes.

We also counsel clients beyond the initial regulatory hurdles. Our team works with consumer product companies to address a broad range of legal issues affecting the product cycle, from supply chain sourcing to intellectual property protection to product packaging, manufacturing, sales, distribution and testing requirements. We help the same clients manage the rules and regulations surrounding marketing campaigns such as promotional executions and sweepstakes and compliance with consumer protection laws.

We advise on new federal and state legal developments that have a significant effect on heavily regulated industries, such as raw material and component sourcing, manufacturing, environmental and waste disposal laws, food and drug requirements and building and zoning requirements, as well as compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and employment and discrimination laws. 

Advocating for a client on an administrative law matter may involve pursuing both legal and political strategies to solve a problem. We partner with our Government Relations Practice when necessary to develop an approach that enables our client’s point of view to be effectively heard when and where it matters most.

We have experience advising clients on risk management and mitigation strategies related to the increasing oversight of consumer protection by state attorneys general. As such, our team has well-developed professional relationships with public officials and public agencies, and this experience strategically informs the service that we provide to our clients.