Arnall Golden Gregory LLP is pleased to announce the addition of a seven-attorney intellectual property and Food and Drug Administration group to its Washington, D.C. office.

Partners Kevin M. Bell, Richard J. Oparil, Scott A.M. Chambers and Of Counsel B. Dell Chism, Caroline C. Maxwell, and Carolina M. Wirth have joined along with Robert Durkin, former Deputy Director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs in the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The team is well-versed in patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law, and represents clients before federal district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. The group with advanced science degrees are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and held various positions inside the agency.

In the regulatory arena, the new attorney team will assist clients with issues before the FDA, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, the Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“The acquisition of this highly accomplished team was a unique opportunity for our firm,” said Jonathan Eady, AGG’s managing partner. “With their experience and combined skill set, AGG is now well-positioned to provide clients with a wide-range of services involving intellectual property and FDA law, including patent litigation, regulatory actions and related federal investigations.”

“We are excited to join AGG and its talented group of attorneys and professionals,” said Kevin Bell. “The firm has considerable depth in several practice areas that are key to servicing clients in today’s tough regulatory environment. We are also extremely honored to have Bob join us after 18 years of federal service.  He complements our practice well, especially on regulatory enforcement issues, and knows the internal workings at FDA at a very crucial time.”

Robert Durkin worked opposite many law firms that were representing clients in the natural products arena while he was helping to lead ODSP at FDA.

“From my vantage point, this group of attorneys is second to none in guiding clients through myriad regulatory issues involving natural products,” Durkin said. “The opportunity to bring my extensive understanding of the regulations impacting the natural products industry to a firm like AGG, together with the talent of this team, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The firm is integrating this new knowledge base with the experience of existing AGG attorneys to provide clients with specialized industry practice teams that will focus on IP issues, food and natural product regulation, and the future of Cannabidiol-based products. The addition of this group positions AGG as a global source for these highly sought-after legal services.

“AGG is the right firm, at just the right time, for the establishment of these industry-focused practices,” said Bell. “AGG’s existing government investigations team is second-to-none, and this new team’s ability to wield our own knowledge and experience related to highly complex matters in the intellectual property and regulatory compliance arenas is a great combination with AGG’s already formidable attorneys and capabilities.”