The National Advertising Division (“NAD”) of the Better Business Bureau (also known as Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, or “ASRC”) is a self-regulatory forum for advertising litigation between companies over their national advertising. The advertising and product promotions at issue can appear on the internet, on television, and in printed form. Participants in this self-regulatory process include virtually every major company that advertises products or services nationally to consumers, or that promotes products nationally to professionals. The NAD self-regulatory forum is highly valued by advertisers because it is a relatively cost-effective and faster alternative to difficult Federal Court litigation. SGR has deep experience… Read more

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP helps its domestic and international clients to recognize, evaluate, and favorably resolve potential and active obstacles, and to identify and take advantage of antitrust opportunities. We advise clients so that they may take full advantage of antitrust and trade regulation laws and regulations for the benefit of their businesses and their business relationships, both in the United States and internationally. In litigation, we have successfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants at trials and on appeal. We have traditionally handled large cases and transactions including: Serving as lead counsel in class action lawsuits Advising clients about… Read more

The Appellate practice is a distinct discipline – a “last chance” to undo an unfavorable judgment or to preserve a hard-fought victory. SGR represents clients in appeals before the United States Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts across the country. We serve existing clients, clients who come to us for the first time to handle their appeal and clients seeking to participate in appeals as “friends of the court” in the filing of amicus curiae briefs. Is trial advocacy different from appellate advocacy? Yes, the skills needed in a trial court are different from those needed on appeal…. Read more

In the traditional litigation process, too many times we see parties who win the battle, in that they proceed through a trial and receive a favorable outcome; however, in many ways these clients ultimately lose the war, when you consider the time, effort and expense required to litigate a case to its conclusion. Mediation and arbitration offer efficient and effective alternatives to litigation. Both may significantly reduce the cost of achieving a resolution of a dispute. Both may be conducted at any time, at any location, and at the convenience of the parties. Over the last several years, we at SGR… Read more

SGR’s Class Action team has defended high-exposure class actions across a range of substantive areas, including financial services, insurance, consumer fraud, health care, antitrust, securities, products liability, telecommunications, and employment. SGR’s Class Action practice stretches across the country.  We are currently and have recently litigated class actions in federal and state courts in:  Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wyoming, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We also often coordinate parallel class actions and ensure the client’s strategy is consistent across… Read more

Our litigators have successfully defended both individual and class action claims alleging a wide variety of consumer protection laws including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) as well as claims alleging deceptive trade practices and invasion of privacy. We are experienced in handling litigation in both state and federal courts across the country. We have successfully defended consumer claims at trial, garnered favorable settlements and defeated class action and single action claims in early motions practice. We also advise clients on matters of compliance with all… Read more