Pre-Conference In Person Programming:

Watch-outs and Washouts: Exploring Legal Nuances of Natural & Health Halos Claims

Virtually all sectors are facing litigation on either natural claims or health halo; and brands are seeing ongoing pairing of “nutri-washing,” greenwashing and everything in between. Attendees will gain insight into current case trends, regulatory developments, and best practices for risk-proofing product claims in an era of heightened consumer scrutiny and aggressive enforcement.

Ethics Session: Keeping It Civil

We all have good days and bad days, but civility and commitment to the highest ethical standards remain touchstones of the legal profession. This session will profile instances of breaks in decorum; lessons learned from judges; instances that have gone viral; when the lawyer’s and company’s ethics are a mismatch; disciplinary proceedings; and how to promote civility in the legal profession.

Keynote:

Keynote: Above the Law with David Lat

David will discuss trends shaping the legal profession, developments in the federal courts, ingredients for professional success, integrity and civility in the legal profession, and the critical role of lawyers in providing innovative and practical solutions for their clients’. With a unique blend of perspectives gained from practicing in Biglaw, serving as a federal prosecutor, founding Above the Law, and writing for Bloomberg Law and on Substack, David Lat offers an unparalleled perspective on the complexities shaping today’s legal landscape.

General Sessions:

General sessions are designed to capture the essence of legal issues that affect the whole of the industry with captivating perspectives from company general counsels, legal approaches to ESG, curating acumen and intelligence from litigation and providing perspective from plaintiffs.

Major Questions and High Stakes at the High Court: Supreme Court and Appellate Developments Impacting Business and Regulatory Risk

This session offers in-house counsel a strategic overview of recent U.S. Supreme Court and appellate decisions shaping corporate litigation, regulatory compliance and risk management. Topics include evolving RICO liability; First Amendment and regulatory authority signals; major rulings on Chevron deference and environmental law and the intersection of executive power into operational issues like tariffs. The panel will also discuss antitrust developments, preemption challenges under FIFRA; and cases with implications for labeling, infrastructure and enterprise risk.

Speakers:

• Doug Besman, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Head of Litigation, Nestlé USA, Inc.
• Allyson Ho, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
• Joe Palmore, Partner, Morrison Foerster
• Mark Perry, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Objectively Speaking on Probative Data: Winning with Experts, Surveys and Credible Claims

With consumer perception theories frequently premised on expert witnesses and the utility of technical consultants at various phases from product development to disputes, these three facets play an important role in litigation. From structuring surveys, weighing probative value, materiality vs. perception and structuring engagements to enjoy privilege, our panelists will offer in-the-trenches perspectives.

Speakers:

• Grant Ankrom, Partner, Dentons US LLP
• Sarah Brew, Partner, Faegre Drinker
• Amy Lally, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
• Jeff Marguiles, Partner-in-Charge, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
• Sean Suber, Litigator, Winston & Strawn LLP

Navigating Global Risk: Comparative Hazard Assessment and Transnational Compliance Strategies for CPG Brands

As CPG brands increasingly operate across borders, they face rising complexity in managing regulatory expectations, product approvals, and compliance obligations. This session will explore how to proactively build and manage cross-border compliance programs, navigate regulatory investigations, and address conflicts between domestic approvals and foreign market requirements. With a focus on the global footprint of CPG companies, panelists will chart how to develop internal governance models that support transparency, agility and defensible decision-making across jurisdictions, laying the groundwork for a truly global compliance strategy.

Speakers:

• Farzin Firoozna, SVP Global Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer, PepsiCo
• Perlette Jura, Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
• Brian Sylvester, Partner, Morrison Foerster
• Courtney Williams, VP, Division General Counsel, North America, Colgate-Palmolive 

The AI Inflection Point: Artificial Intelligence and the Evolving Role of the CPG Legal Department

This session will copilot attendees on “AI inflection point” through the lens of in-house counsel, examining the legal posture shifts between the Biden and Trump administrations and the implications for federal oversight, compliance and risk management. The session will chat on how legal affairs is utilizing AI to vet marketing, R&D drive strategic decision making, triage risk and workflow towards new opportunity.

Speakers:

• Joe Franklin, Special Counsel, Covington
• Sarah La Voi, Partner, BakerHostetler
• Andrea Oller, Legal Compliance – North America, Ferrero
• Hannah Taylor, Partner, Frankfurt Kurnit
• Ron Urbach, Partner/Co-Chair, Davis+Gilbert LLP

The Circular Sustainability Maze

With sustainability transforming as business imperative and a legal minefield, companies find themselves navigating a complex and evolving landscape of regulatory expectations, reputational risks and international frameworks at a time when ESG seems to be increasingly risk prone. This session will examine the multi-dimensional legal challenges that define today’s “circular sustainability maze,” from FTC Green Guides to ESG Litigation and cross-border sustainability considerations.

Speakers:

• Jennifer Adams, Partner, Amin Wasserman Gurnani
• Joseph Aquilina, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Consumer Brands Association
• Alex Beroukhim, Partner, Arnold & Porter
• Hih Song Kim, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Primo Brands
• Kristine Kruger, Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie

Everywhere, All at Once and Other Duties Assigned

How the CPG GC Scopes Risk and Opportunity in the Current Environment: This session focuses on rethinking leadership and the practice of law in an increasingly tenuous era of crisis, product and brand vilification, tech-driven efficiency and the need for innovative approach legal agility, precision and future-casting.

Speakers:

• Stacy Papadopulos, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Consumer Brands Association
• Anthony Shoemaker, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Keurig Dr Pepper

The CPG Litigation Review: A 360° Litigation Landscape of Ingredients, Activism, and What’s Next for CPG

This will be a wide-ranging litigation session tying together all the major themes on class actions, litigation mitigation strategies, takeaways from 2025 and future-casting litigation strategies The CPG Litigation Review will offer a wide-ranging look at the current and emerging litigation landscape for consumer brands, tying together key developments across class actions, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder-driven legal risk.

Speakers:

• Ani Gulati, Chief Litigation Counsel, General Mills
• Arianna Scavetti, Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
• Charles Sipos, Partner, Perkins Coie
• Angela Spivey, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP
• Tyler Young, Partner, Faegre Drinker

Business Track:

As nearly every business action carries legal implications, CPG lawyers are constantly providing a range of advisory counsel, whether it’s for product innovation, market expansion, managing risk, advising company leadership on governance or ensuring compliance.

From the Field to the Frontline: Navigating the Top Labor and Employment Legal Affairs Issues in the CPG Industry

As the largest domestic manufacturing sector by workforce, the CPG industry is on the frontlines of today’s most complex labor and employment issues. From questions on DEI and DHS enforcement to shifting EEOC guidance and widening circuit splits, in-house counsel faces an increasingly complex framework. This high-impact session will unpack the latest challenges facing in-house counsel, including worker classification, wage and hour compliance, arbitration enforceability and the sweeping implications of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for overtime and employer tax obligations.

Speakers:

• Rachel Cowen, Partner, McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
• Shareef Farag, Partner, BakerHostetler
• Rebecca Springer, Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP
• Lisa Whittaker, Director and Managing Counsel, Employment & Labor Law, The J.M. Smucker Co.

What’s the Deal with Competition? Getting Real on Deals and Antitrust Intel from DOJ and FTC

This session will cover the deregulatory timeline of FTC, current commissioner composition and how the current administration has swung in terms of merger enforcement. Speakers will also cover strategies for merger clearance and battle-tested lessons learned from litigation related to mergers.

Speakers:

• Jackie Lem, Partner, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP
• Nick Napolitan, Director – Legal, The Clorox Company
• Meghan Rissmiller, Partner, Freshfields US LLP
• Bill Stallings, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
• Ryan Tisch, Partner, McDermott Will & Schulte LLP

Take Cover from Risky Business: Insurance Considerations for Mass Tort, Class Action, Supply Chain Disruption and Recalls

This session will explore the essential role of insurance in managing legal and operational risks across the CPG industry. From product liability and mass tort exposure to supply chain breakdowns and nationwide recalls, insurance can be a critical risk mitigation tool. Panelists will discuss key coverages, including general liability, product recall, stock throughput and D&O insurance, as well as recent developments in claims, policy exclusions and litigation trends. Attendees will gain practical insights into identifying coverage gaps, negotiating favorable terms and preparing for insurer pushback when stakes are high.

Speakers:

• Shelby Guilbert, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP
• Michael Sharkey, Partner, Perkins Coie
• Erik Swanholt, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP

Tariff-ied Yet? Untangling Legal Links in the Supply Chain from Ports to Courts

Join this session for a legal riff spanning the latest tariff and trade developments; assessing legal and operational challenges with unavailable natural resources; how brands can structure contracts at various links in their supply chain; and the need to monitor supplier activity to ensure detection of contaminants, distribution agreements and purchase orders are shaping in-house dynamics as well as export controls.

Speakers:

• Alex Brackett, Partner, McGuireWoods LLP
• Stephanie Brown Cripps, Partner, Freshfields US LLP
• Kate Noble Wegrzyn, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP

Litigation Track:

CPG products are essential to consumers everyday life which means not every consumer will be happy and many plaintiffs lawyers are given creative ammunition. Our faculty will provide insights on filings and notable rulings, practical perspectives to hone litigation skills that are specific to CPG, navigating international disputes, litigation funding and more.

Forearmed and Forewarned for Early-Stage Litigation Considerations

This session will take a practical, insider-focused look at pre-suit and early-stage litigation dynamics that matter most to CPG legal departments. From managing and responding to demand letters to developing internal protocols for litigation readiness, the discussion will focus on how companies can proactively mitigate risk, control costs, and avoid compounding legal exposure while also sharing insights on the latest and not-so greatest plaintiffs shops.

Speakers:

• Shannon Dudic, Partner, DLA Piper LLP
• Michael Duvall, Partner and Co-Chair, Global ESG Steering Committee, Dentons US LLP
• Jamal Faleel, Head of Consumer Markets, United States, Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
• Ron Rothstein, Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP

Caveats on Small Font for Big Impact: Legal Strategies in Disclaimers, Warnings and Arbitration

In the CPG litigation landscape, the precise use of disclaimers, qualifiers and arbitration clauses can be pivotal in managing legal exposure. This session explores strategic drafting techniques that reduce the risk of consumer class actions, regulatory scrutiny and supplier disputes. Panelists will examine real-world examples of how effective fine print can shift liability, limit damages and ensure enforceability of arbitration provisions. Attendees will gain practical guidance on tailoring disclaimers to marketing claims, allergen warnings and product labeling on all facets — while balancing transparency and compliance.

Speakers:

• Suzana Blades, Head of Litigation, Kimberly-Clark
• Naoki Keneko, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
• Lori Leskin, Partner, Arnold & Porter
• Kate Spelman, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP

Strength in Numbers: Structuring Joint Defense Groups and Coordinating Counsel in Class Actions, Mass Torts and Everyday Challenges

Between emerging threats of novel litigation theories and multi-state actions, how can brands develop the best processes for handling confidential information between the brand and its employees and across multiple business units? This session will cover a range of risk management issues, including deciphering between common interest and issue-specific matters, shepherding information, use of experts by multiple parties and the important role of coordination of outside counsel as well as national coordinating counsel.

Speakers:

• David Biderman, Partner, Perkins Coie
• Katherine Clements, Senior Counsel, Commercial Litigation, Tyson Foods
• Michelle Ramirez, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
• Steve Zalesin, Partner, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Ouch! What Will They Think of Next? Novel Liability Theories in CPG Litigation

This session will explore how plaintiffs’ counsel are getting way too innovative with theories of injury with mass torts and class actions. Panelists will discuss liability theories from innovator liability to market liability and how newer litigation trends are leveraging new causation theories.

Speakers:

• Hannah Chanoine, Partner, O’Melveny
• Rory Collins, Partner, Faegre Drinker
• Kamron Hasan, Partner, Husch Blackwell
• Dean Panos, Partner, Jenner & Block LLP
• Amit Rana, Partner, Venable LLP

Regulatory & Legislation Track:

Given that CPG products are regulated by a variety of agencies, it’s essential to be up to speed to ensure compliance ensure that company can operate with a measure of regulatory certainty. From recalls, ESG, forthcoming legislation, our faculty will approach this track with comprehensive insights.

States of Sustainability

As state-level environmental regulation accelerates, CPG lawyers are navigating an increasingly complex sustainability landscape. This session will provide a focused overview of the (not so) magnificent seven states leading the charge on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws and their implications for packaging, recycling and compliance obligations. This session will also allow attendees to upcycle intelligent approaches to state environmental marketing claims.

Speakers:

• David Carpenter, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
• Donnelly McDowell, Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
• Trent Norris, Partner, Hogan Lovells
• Robert White, Senior Director & Associate General Counsel, The Procter & Gamble Company

Keep Your Eye on the Ball: Inspector and Regulator Focus on Labels and Claims

This session will explore the varied landscape of product substantiation standards juxtaposed against a landscape of scrutiny, critiques and regulatory priorities of CPG’s most consequential regulators. Learn about the items that regulators are looking for during inspections and how they assess declarations on labels. Strategic insights from FDA, FTC, and even state attorneys general office veterans will provide real-world practical insights.

Speakers:

• Bob Durkin, Partner, Amin Wasserman Gurnani
• Svetlana Gans, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
• Laura Rich, VP, Regulatory and Technical Affairs, Consumer Brands Association
• Paul Singer, Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
• Kristi Wolff, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Macro on the Micros: The Legal Landscape of PFAS and Microplastics in CPG

This will be a broad-ranging session covering assessment, mitigation and compliance strategies in light of litigation, MAHA, state and federal proposals, including updates in Minnesota, Maine’s DEP, comprehensive bans in California and New Mexico, FDA bottled water testing and findings and petitions to EPA reporting rules.

Speakers:

• Sam Jockel, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP
• Megan McCurdy, Partner, Stinson
• Will Wagner, Partner and Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
• Jasmine Wetherell, Partner, Perkins Coie

Is the GRAS Always Greener?

The current landscape of GRAS reform brings uncertainty about what’s to come from both the federal government and a patchwork of state laws. The session will address how to weigh your risks when it comes to ingredients in your portfolio and how to prepare for future labeling changes. It will also scope historic and current perspectives to orient compliance and vetting strategies, current legislative snapshots and the continued pattern of states pursuing disparate GRAS bills.

Speakers:

• Lauren Berkowitz, Director & Counsel, Consumer Brands Association
• Andrea Ferrenz, Senior Food Law Counsel, Campbell’s
• Martin Hahn, Partner, Hogan Lovells
• Sharon Mayl, Partner, DLA Piper LLP