Jonathan Cohen is a partner in K&L Gates’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the Insurance Recovery and Counseling practice group. He represents policyholders in obtaining coverage in complex, multiparty disputes involving product liability and recalls, cyber events, supply chain issues, and other first- and third-party losses, with significant experience advising food, supplements, technology, and consumer product companies. He also counsels clients on risk management strategies, including insurance and indemnity provisions, and has extensive experience at the intersection of insurance and bankruptcy, recovering billions of dollars for debtors, committees, representatives, and post-bankruptcy trusts. In addition, he represents civil rights organizations and individuals in high-stakes appellate litigation, including briefs in more than a dozen US Supreme Court cases and matters before federal circuit courts and state high courts.

Veronica Colas counsels clients on the regulations and policy issues affecting food companies from farm to table.

Using her keen awareness of today's class action litigation environment, Veronica helps develop new products, label claims, and advertising materials. She has a deep understanding of both current and forthcoming food labeling and production requirements ranging from nutrition and menu labeling, to the regulatory issues surrounding bioengineered foods and organic food production.

Veronica provides clear advice and practical solutions for compliance with labeling, advertising, and safety regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Consumer Product Safety Commission. She has significant experience in helping clients navigate regulatory enforcement challenges, such as recalls, Warning Letters, import detentions, and investigations by the Federal Trade Commission. Veronica works closely with trade associations and food companies to craft comments and develop strategies in response to public policy issues such as agency rulemaking and nutrition policy. She represents all segments of the food industry, including manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, and food service companies.

She is a regular speaker and contributor to industry publications, including providing training sessions to corporate clients on Food Law 101, food labeling and marketing, and claim substantiation.

Julie Cook is the Attorney and Compliance Manager at Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. in Rochester, New York. Her practice focuses on regulatory compliance, including liquor licensing and operations for the company’s stores and restaurants.

Lauren Hicks advises federal contractors and private employers on regulatory compliance, workplace equity, and legal risk management. She advises clients on a wide range of employment-related obligations enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, including requirements related to hiring, compensation, accommodations, and workplace investigations.

Lauren draws on her deep government experience as a former management official with the U.S. Department of Labor to help employers pragmatically manage legal risks. She routinely provides strategic guidance on shifting political priorities and associated risk management, audit preparation or defense, AI and technology risks, equity analytics, and complaint resolution. Lauren advises employers on new and evolving risk considerations and enforcement priorities under Executive Order 14173, as well as other federal enforcement actions. She has extensive experience guiding clients through government investigations and audits involving systemic discrimination claims, including statistical analyses of hiring, promotion, and compensation practices. Lauren helps employers design and implement internal processes to support compliance, accessibility, and equal opportunity objectives. She is a trusted resource for in-house counsel and HR leaders, whether navigating routine day-to-day compliance, high-risk employment actions, organizational change, or government engagement.

Jim Murphy advises and represents union and non-union employers in all facets of workplace law and litigation and currently serves as the Office Managing Shareholder for the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.  As an advisor to clients, Jim draws upon many years of litigation experience and over a dozen years as corporate labor and employment counsel at two Fortune 100 companies.  Jim’s clients include nonprofit organizations, publicly traded companies, and closely held businesses in the aerospace and defense, technology, broadcasting, transportation, and manufacturing sectors as well as institutions of higher education.

Jim’s practice includes both litigation and non-litigation matters.  He frequently conducts internal investigations and advises organizations in response to whistleblower reports and internal allegations of management wrongdoing.  Jim also counsels employers regarding day-to-day labor relations, collective bargaining, and union election campaigns, and serves as defense counsel for employers in federal court litigation, arbitrations, and hearings and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the EEOC, the U.S. Department of Labor, the D.C. Office of Human Rights, and the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.

Mona Patel has extensive experience representing clients in large scale federal and state investigations brought by enforcement authorities, related qui tam or follow-on consumer protection litigation, internal investigations, and compliance matters. She advises clients in the life sciences, defense, technology and manufacturing industries on a wide variety of white-collar matters. Her work includes leading matters involving alleged customs and healthcare fraud under the False Claims Act, as well as potential violations of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other criminal statutes.

Jim Plunkett is a shareholder in the Washington, D.C. office of Ogletree Deakins. Jim was previously the Director for Labor Law Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he focused on legislation, regulations, and policy decisions that impact the workplace. This included activity concerning the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as international labor issues.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Jim was an associate at a national law firm where he advised employers concerning their legal obligations arising under federal laws such as the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act.  Jim also assisted in conducting collective bargaining negotiations and drafting employee handbooks on behalf of clients.

• Performing preventive gap analyses and analyzing specific events to determine regulatory and legal obligations and to chart a long-term course of action to correct and prevent re-occurrence;

• Facilitating investigations and responding to potential product concerns, including allegations of food fraud, a foodborne illness outbreak, and other potential food safety concerns;

• Preparing and implementing supplier standards and supply chain agreements for multiple global restaurant chains and large retailers and steering transactions for the manufacturing and distribution of food, including a series of agreements with over $5 billion in annual purchases.