Advertising Litigator Holly Melton Joins Crowell & Moring as Partner in New York

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the addition of advertising lawyer Holly A. Melton to its New York office as a partner. A seasoned litigator with nearly 20 years of experience, Melton will be a key member of the firm's expanding Advertising & Media Practice.

Melton advises clients in the advertising, marketing, technology, and consumer products industries in investigations and enforcement matters initiated by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and local law enforcement agencies. She provides counseling and advisory services to help clients avoid regulatory and litigation risk. Melton also represents advertisers in initiating and defending against competitive challenges to advertising and marketing practices before the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, and in federal court. Melton joins Crowell & Moring from Baker Hostetler LLP.

"Holly's highly regarded advertising litigation experience will help us expand our client reach into New York, one of the meccas of the media and advertising industry," said Philip T. Inglima, chair of Crowell & Moring. "Her arrival is part of the firm's broader investment to serve clients in the advertising and media space. We are very pleased and proud to welcome her to the firm.

"Emerging technologies and tactics are changing the way clients are engaging consumers and marketing their products and services. Our Advertising & Media Practice has been at the cutting edge in serving companies that are driving ahead to engage new audiences through traditional and emerging platforms."

Crowell & Moring's Advertising & Media Practice is an evolution of the firm's longstanding Advertising and Product Risk Management offering that will help clients in the advertising, media, consumer product, and publishing industries conduct deals, handle risk, enforce rights, and navigate disputes surrounding advertising, social media, digital media, distribution, and sales.

Melton, together with practice co-chairs Christopher A. Cole and David Ervin, both highly regarded advertising lawyers who serve leading companies, will provide clients with an interdisciplinary practice that leverages the firm's considerable litigation and regulatory capabilities to advise on all legal and business aspects of the advertising and media ecosystem.

"Holly is a rising star in the advertising law arena, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our growing team," Cole said. "Her litigation experience for leading companies will deepen and extend our reach. She will be an invaluable asset to our clients, particularly those who are navigating digital disruption in their industries."

Melton focuses on counseling, investigations, and litigation regarding advertising substantiation and compliance with applicable laws, including Section 5 of the FTC Act, the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA), the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and state laws governing advertising practices, unfair competition, and negative option marketing. She provides compliance counseling on FTC regulations and guidance, including the Green Guides, the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, the .com Disclosures guidance, and the Enforcement Policy on Deceptively Formatted Advertising that governs native advertising. Her clients include telecom providers, consumer products companies, fashion brands, and digital properties.   

Melton said, "I am excited to join Crowell & Moring and work with a talented group of lawyers whose reputation in the advertising and media industry continues to grow. I am particularly looking forward to the opportunity to help build the firm's presence in New York and broaden its regulatory enforcement and litigation capabilities."

She joins the firm's expanding New York office, following the recent launch of the New York Health Care practice with the arrival of nine lawyers: partners Paul Mourning, Stephanie Marcantonio, Kathy Hirata Chin, and Brian McGovern; senior counsel Pamela Landman, Deirdre Long Absolonne,  and Jared L. Facher; and counsel Michael G. DiFiore and Marsena M. Farris. Additional lawyers who joined the firm's New York office in the past year include Brian Paul Gearing, Ph.D., partner in the Intellectual Property Group; Paul Freeman, senior counsel in the Environment and Natural Resources and Government Contracts groups; and former federal prosecutor and First Assistant Attorney General of New Jersey, Rebecca Monck Ricigliano, partner in the White Collar & Regulatory Enforcement group.

"Holly's practice adds a dynamic presence to the firm and broadens our capabilities in New York," said Glen G. McGorty, managing partner of the firm's New York office. "Her arrival reflects Crowell & Moring's continuing success in attracting the very best talent to this office."

Melton earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center, where she served as the candidates editor for the Houston Journal of International Law. She received her B.A. in government, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas.

About Crowell & Moring LLP
Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, London, and Brussels.

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SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP