Insights

Washington – June 10, 2026: Crowell & Moring has been recommended in eight practice areas in the 19th edition of the Legal 500 United States. In addition, partner Daniel Forman, co-chair of the firm’s Government Contracts Group, has been named to the Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame” for Government Contracts, and partner David (Dj) Wolff, co-chair of the firm’s International Trade Group, has been named a “Leading Partner” in International Trade and National Security.

Washington – June 4, 2026: Crowell & Moring earned 92 individual rankings for 81 attorneys, as well as 48 national and statewide practice area rankings, in the Chambers USA 2026 guide. The Chambers guide ranks the country’s top law firms and lawyers through in-depth research, client interviews, and feedback from attorneys at peer firms. 

Washington – November 5, 2025: Crowell & Moring ranked nationally in 20 practice areas in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms." In addition, the firm was ranked in 38 metropolitan categories. 

On December 11, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed S.8420-A/A.8887-B into law. This first-in-the-nation legislation, called the New York AI Synthetic Performers Disclosure Law, is intended to protect consumers and promote transparency in the age of AI advertising. This law represents a meaningful shift in the legal landscape for AI advertising. For the first time in any U.S. jurisdiction, the mere use of an AI-generated human likeness in a commercial advertisement triggers an affirmative disclosure obligation. The practical implications are significant, particularly for e-commerce retailers, digital advertisers, and agencies that have integrated AI-generated human imagery into high-volume creative workflows.

On February 20, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission launched an “inquiry” into “tech censorship” by calling for public comments from those who “may have been harmed by technology platforms that limited their ability to share ideas or affiliations freely and openly.” The deadline for comments is May 21, 2025.

Digital ad fraud costs advertisers billions of dollars every year. In 2017 alone, digital ad spending reached $209 billion worldwide; however, experts suspect that anywhere from $6.5 billion to $65 billion of that spend was stolen by fraudsters without consequence. But now, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a warning shot, unsealing last month a 13-count indictment against eight Russian and Kazakhstani individuals for their alleged role in masterminding and operating two large ad fraud schemes—better known as “3ve” and “Methbot.” According to the DOJ release, these individuals allegedly stole more than $35 million in ad revenue using “sophisticated computer programming and infrastructure[s] around the world to exploit the digital advertising industry through fraud.” Does this enforcement action really signal the death knell for digital ad fraud or merely mark the start of a new phase for ever-evolving cybercriminal strategies?

Join the National Advertising Division (NAD) and Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) for their second West Coast Conference.