Insights

San Francisco – July 17, 2025: Crowell & Moring has added two experienced in-house counsel from Amazon to its Litigation Group, expanding the firm’s abilities to serve clients facing complex consumer product liability issues. Clay Marquez, former Senior Corporate Counsel for WW Stores at Amazon, and Meghan McMeel, former Senior Corporate Counsel for Devices at Amazon, join the firm as partners in San Francisco.

2026 will be a significant year for retailers and e-commerce companies, with significant changes on the horizon that will affect the entire industry and ecosystem. Potential headwinds and developments in product safety, pricing, artificial intelligence, data privacy, website compliance, and environmental responsibility are expected. But amidst these changes, there are likely significant opportunities that retail and e-commerce businesses can capitalize on.

As microplastics begin making headlines and sparking scientific inquiry into the impacts of these pervasive particles, state legislators, regulators, and law enforcers—as well as private plaintiffs’ counsel—are taking action. In California, a bipartisan coalition of legislators passed AB 823, expanding the scope of an existing state ban on products containing plastic microbeads. Governor Newsom vetoed the bill, citing concerns that the ban would inadvertently slow the adoption of non-plastic alternatives.

After months of anticipation, the Senate has received a nomination for a Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).