Trade Associations: Other Areas
Trade Associations: Other Areas
Intellectual Property: An association's IP assets may present new opportunities for revenue or may just need to be protected in new ways in the online environment. Crowell & Moring attorneys have helped association clients obtain and protect trademarks and copyrighted materials, including developing forms and processes for both obtaining rights in contributions to publications or professional meetings and licensing use rights to others. IP Group members have also advised association clients on patent issues affecting their membership, including enforcement of pharmaceutical and digital technology patents.
Litigation: Crowell & Moring's attorneys have litigated the type of sophisticated and complex business cases that can arise with associations. The firm also has extensive experience in pursuing matters on behalf of the trade association as a representative of its members -- whether contesting federal regulations, responding to challenges to certification programs, representing the association's industry in private litigation or similar actions. We have represented association clients on regulatory matters before over 80 federal cabinet-level and independent agencies, the Executive Office of the President, Congress, and international agencies. We also work with associations to keep their members up to date on the latest developments in laws regulating the export from, or import into, the United States of commercial and military commodities, technology, software, and, when applicable, certain services.
Health Care: Crowell & Moring regularly serves as outside general counsel for health care industry related trade associations. Serving in that role, we bring to our association clients a deep knowledge of the industry along with our general trade association expertise. Having worked with our industry clients on many issues, including antitrust, fraud and abuse, and managed care contracting, we are able to help fashion industry-wide solutions. We keep our clients current on the latest developments in the law and conduct training and educational sessions on topics of particular interest to the association membership. Further, many health care trade associations interact with the Federal government, and our public policy and government relations expertise in health care is a valuable asset regularly taken advantage of by our association clients.
Environmental and Natural Resources: We represent trade associations and other nonprofit organizations involved in industries concerned with climate change, nanotechnology, water and air quality, endangered species, resource extraction, public land use, reclamation, toxic substances and worker safety and health. Our association and other nonprofit clients in these areas of high public concern benefit from our ability to apply the full range of possible legislative, judicial and administrative solutions to problems facing their members.
Aviation: Crowell & Moring lawyers serve as general counsel to two aviation industry nonprofit associations and represent other industry associations on specific administrative and judicial industry-wide issues. Helping aviation clients understand and shape rulemaking proceedings initiated by the various U.S. agencies that regulate aviation is an important part of our practice. Firm lawyers regularly assist clients evaluate and prepare comments in agency proceedings that have industry-wide implications, and engage extensively in appellate work on a variety of administrative agency decisions.
International Trade: Crowell & Moring, along with its affiliated trade and investment consulting firm, C&M International, represents a number of trade associations across a range of industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, insurance and chemicals. We provide our clients with detailed strategies to solve problems in foreign markets, and experienced advice and support to achieve priority industry goals in bilateral, regional and multilateral trade negotiations.
Insurance: The purchase of insurance is a significant aspect of every trade association. Crowell & Moring has assisted its clients in reviewing and evaluating directors' and officers' liability policies, professional liability insurance, comprehensive general liability, liquor liability and meeting cancellation insurance. We have also advised our clients on the appropriate notice with regard to any potential claims under the policies and ensured that appropriate coverage is provided.
Administrative Law and Judicial Review of Agency Action: Crowell & Moring represents national and regional trade associations in administrative and regulatory matters spanning the full breadth of the firm's practice groups. We have represented clients on regulatory matters before over 80 federal cabinet-level and independent agencies, the Executive Office of the President, Congress, and international agencies. Our practice encompasses traditional administrative rulemaking and adjudication, advocacy in the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals and District Courts, as well as the regulatory aspects of transactional counseling, due diligence review, global market access, international standard-setting, and regulatory controls applicable in the European Union.
Privacy: Crowell & Moring specializes in the development and implementation of privacy and data protection programs, offering a one-stop service to meet clients' compliance needs. We are experienced in carrying out data protection audits and dealing with government authorities in order to implement and maintain annual registrations of data practices. We also advise clients on the myriad U.S. state and federal laws falling within the privacy arena, such as HIPAA; COPPA; the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act; the Fair Credit Reporting Act; the CAN-SPAM Act; and consumer data collection in the retail, financial, and other industries. We host and manage project documentation databases on behalf of our clients and provide advice on how to manage data protection compliance issues in an efficient and cost effective manner. Our litigators have handled a range of privacy-related litigation in courts across the country, including privacy class actions.
Contracts: Crowell & Moring assists clients in developing specialized contracts, such as hotel contracts, exhibit hall leases, management contracts, employment agreements and office leases. Our focus is to minimize the risks and ensure the association receives the benefits sought, whether the clauses deal with termination, attrition, cancellation, mitigation, trade secrets, force majeure or similar concerns. We have also assisted our clients when contracts are breached, terminated or in need of modification to fit changed circumstances.
Meetings, Conventions and Trade Shows: Key assets of most trade associations are its meetings, conventions and trade shows. Crowell & Moring has assisted association clients in dealing with all aspects of these activities -- from negotiating contracts, to dealing with protesters, to assessing liability claims, to ensuring proper insurance coverage, to resolving cancellation and attrition issues. Crowell & Moring's attorneys have contributed to articles and books dealing with this crucial aspect of a trade association's business.
For more information on Crowell & Moring's Trade Associations Practice Group, please contact Chris Ondeck or Jeff King.