Industries

Manufacturing and Consumer Products

Manufacturing and consumer products companies face a range of challenges in the pursuit of their business goals—shifting regulatory obligations, shareholder demands, throughput issues, and the need to simultaneously manage growth, risk, and innovation. Our Manufacturing and Consumer Products team helps clients anticipate and meet those challenges.

Our industry-centered approach fosters a holistic understanding of our clients’ business challenges and leverages the firm’s cross-practice strength and national platform to address specific issues. Lawyers in the group provide comprehensive counsel on matters ranging from day-to-day operational issues to creating new products to complex transactions and multi-district litigation.

Our attorneys assist a wide variety of manufacturers, from beauty brands to automotive and aviation companies, throughout the value chain—from raw material suppliers and converters to end-item assemblers, distributors, and logistics providers. We also guide consumer products distributors and retailers on the challenges they face. Our attorneys help a wide range of companies form new businesses, integrate, expand, or divest.

The team includes lawyers who focus on intellectual property, labor and employment, real estate, tax, antitrust, product liability and class action litigation, environmental law, corporate matters, securities regulation, government relations, and project finance.

Experience 

Ballard Spahr has represented numerous companies in a wide range of legal issues. A sampling of our recent experience includes the following matters.

Manufacturing

  • We serve as outside counsel to a global manufacturer of aerospace structures, systems, and components. The team provides ongoing representation on general business; antitrust; environmental issues; IP; labor and employment; M&A; securities; and real estate issues. We helped the company negotiate third-party purchases and long-term leases involving multiple California properties containing manufacturing, industrial, and office space.
  • We represent a leading manufacturer on the environmental aspects of site acquisition. A typical representation: the client purchased a manufacturing operation and was indemnified by the seller for environmental conditions that originated before purchase. Our litigators represent the company in developing environmental claims against the seller and in ongoing negotiations to resolve them.
  • We are primary outside IP counsel for a manufacturer of high-tech performance safety apparel. Our work includes managing worldwide patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, IP strategy, and trade secrets. We are currently helping the company protect battlefield-born technology used in industries including power generation, petrochemical, and INDYCAR racing.
  • We represented a leading organic meat company in its $775 million acquisition by a global food giant. The transaction made our client an independently operated subsidiary of a $10 billion global food corporation, allowing it to leverage the vast resources of its parent company while continuing the mission of its founders.

Consumer Products

  • We advise one of world's largest apparel companies and owner of several iconic fashion brands on range of issues, including corporate and intellectual property matters.
  • We represent a privately held retailer with more than 640 convenience stores in matters involving corporate governance, employee benefits, executive compensation, tax, financing, securities, complex lease transactions and property acquisitions, and litigation.
  • We defend false advertising class actions on behalf of global personal care companies.
  • We defend toxic tort class actions on behalf of global consumer products brands.