Internal Investigations and the Food, Beverage and Agribusiness Industry

Jonathan Havens counsels clients on regulatory, compliance, enforcement and transactional matters related to products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Companies in the cannabis (both hemp and marijuana), consumer health care products, life sciences, food and beverage, cosmetics and tobacco industries, among others, turn to Jonathan for advice on how to get and keep their products on the market. He advises companies throughout the product life cycle, including product development, formulation, manufacture, distribution and promotion. More specifically, Jonathan handles matters involving labeling, good manufacturing practice (GMP), quality system regulation (QSR), product design, and registration and listing, to name a few. When disputes, including litigation, arise relating to these and other issues, Jonathan helps clients navigate them. This includes preparing for FDA inspections, responding to inspectional observations (FDA Form 483) and warning letters, managing product recalls and resolving import and export issues. He also counsels clients through business transactions that involve oversight by myriad federal and state agencies. Beyond his FDA, FTC, USDA, and DEA work, Jonathan's experience extends to matters involving the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a wide array of state and municipal agencies, state attorneys general and district attorneys. His deep understanding of the complex regulatory and statutory requirements that govern a wide range of products and services is enhanced by his experience working in government and on Capitol Hill. Before entering private practice, Jonathan served as regulatory counsel with the FDA, where he focused on compliance and enforcement related to promotion, advertising and labeling. Prior to law school, Jonathan served as a legislative aide in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Jennifer L. Beidel is a trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor who represents organizations and individuals in white collar criminal defense cases, internal investigations, corporate compliance matters, and complex commercial disputes. As co-chair of the Firm's White Collar and Government Enforcement Practice, she draws on her extensive trial and investigative experience — in both the private and public sectors — to assist clients facing criminal and civil allegations of fraud and other misconduct in the health care, life sciences, food and agriculture, and financial services industries, among others. Prior to joining the Firm, Jennifer served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, where she was a member of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. During her years as a prosecutor, Jennifer led investigations and prosecutions in a variety of areas, including: tax fraud; health care fraud including cases involving HIPPA and confidential health information; cybercrime; bank and wire fraud; securities fraud; consumer fraud; bribery; and money laundering. Jennifer also worked closely with numerous government agencies, including the FBI, SEC, IRS, DEA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Secret Service, Postal Inspection Service, and New York State Department of Financial Services. As many of her investigations were international in scope, Jennifer also worked closely with the governments of various foreign partners, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and the Dominican Republic. Jennifer has extensive experience appearing before judges and juries, including federal and state jury trials; sentencing, plea, and bail hearings; FINRA arbitrations; mediations; and multiple appellate arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Jennifer brings her personal background in agriculture to bear in many of her cases, having been raised on a livestock farm and studied agriculture at Penn State. Jennifer also writes and speaks regularly on agriculture and white collar criminal defense topics.