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Former Chief Counsel of FDA Joins Venable

Former Chief Counsel of the Food and Drug Administration Ralph S. Tyler and former insurance Commissioner of the State of Maryland, has joined Venable. He will work out of both the Baltimore and Washington, DC offices.

Tyler’s career spans over thirty five years in the practice of law. He will join the firm’s Litigation and Regulatory Divisions. He was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “I look forward to the opportunity of practicing law with the lawyers at Venable, many of whom I have known and admired for years.”

Before holding the position of Maryland’s Insurance Commissioner, Tyler served as Chief Legal Counsel to Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and as Baltimore City Solicitor. He also served as a partner in the international law firm Hogan & Hartson LLP; the firm is now known as Hogan Lovells. Prior to that, he served in the Maryland Attorney General’s office holding the titles of Deputy Attorney General, Chief of Litigation and Assistant Attorney General.

Mr. Tyler holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois, a juris doctorate from Case Western Reserve University, and a LL.M. from Harvard University.

Jim Shea was quoted as saying: “We are delighted that Ralph has chosen to join Venable. For years, we have admired both his skills and his commitment to the State of Maryland.  Ralph will be an enormous asset to our firm and for our clients. He brings cutting edge knowledge of the regulatory climate in Washington and a superb resume as both a litigator and a thought leader.  Welcome to Venable, Ralph.”

According to information at fda.gov, litigators at the Office of the Chief Counsel (OCC), which is the Food and Drug Division of the HHS Office of the General Counsel, handle both civil and criminal enforcement cases, and defend challenges to provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the implementing regulations, and FDA policies, initiatives, and decisions.

The litigators work closely with agency compliance personnel to ensure an adequate evidentiary foundation for enforcement matters, prepare referrals to the Department of Justice, draft memoranda setting out the agency’s interpretation of the law, develop case strategy, conduct negotiations, prepare and respond to discovery, and are key participants in hearings, trials, and appellate proceedings. The litigators act as the liaison to the Department of Justice during active litigation, and in many criminal prosecutions have been asked to work as Special Assistant United States Attorneys, assuming primary responsibility for prosecuting violations of the FDCA or related statutes. The litigators frequently work closely with senior officials at the Department of Justice and play an active role in all of FDA’s cases, including matters before the United States District Courts, the Courts of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court.

Venable was founded in Baltimore in 1900, and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. With over 500 attorneys practicing in over 70 practice and industry areas covering corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property and regulatory and government affairs, the firm has seven offices throughout the country.

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