Partners Linda Goldstein and Holly Melton bring decades of advertising, marketing and consumer protection experience to the firm

BakerHostetler today announced that it has added a prominent advertising, marketing and digital media team, which includes Partners Linda Goldstein and Holly Melton, along with three additional attorneys. The team is joining the firm from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, where Goldstein served as the chair of its Advertising, Marketing and Media practice. She will be tasked with spearheading BakerHostetler’s work in the advertising, marketing and digital media space.

The Chambers USA-ranked Goldstein has spent more than 30 years at the forefront of providing advertising counsel and regulatory advice regarding the legal ramifications of traditional and online advertising and marketing for Fortune 100 and 500 companies. She routinely advises and defends companies across a wide spectrum of industries, including telecommunications, wireless companies, retailing, publishing, entertainment, digital media, gaming, food, beverage and financial services. Goldstein provides counsel on consumer advertising and marketing laws related to mobile marketing, e-retail, online communities, social influencers, native advertising, email, telemarketing, sweepstakes and contests, fantasy sports leagues and casual gaming. She also handles all transactional matters relating to the dissemination of advertising campaigns, including agreements for sponsorships, agency clients, talent, music and production.

Goldstein has represented clients in high-profile investigative consumer protection actions and enforcement proceedings brought by various government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, district attorneys, and other federal and state agencies with jurisdiction over advertising and marketing practices.

Goldstein is a recognized authority and known for her advocacy industry wide, having served in leadership positions for industry associations that include the Brand Activation Association, Electronic Retailing Association, Word of Mouth Marketing Association, International Trademark Association, Personal Care Products Council, American Conference Institute and Practicing Law Institute. Goldstein also serves as counsel for the Magazine Publishers of America. She is a frequent presenter, speaker and writer for retailing and legal organizations and has been quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Today on NBC, Advertising Age, Electronic Retailer Magazine and The National Law Journal, and she is regularly published by Response Magazine. Goldstein received her law degree from New York University School of Law in 1978, and earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975.

“With the convergence of advertising, marketing, content and technology, we believe that BakerHostetler’s award-winning Privacy and Data Protection team, combined with its strong Intellectual Property and Litigation Groups, will provide a unique platform for our practice to continue to grow and develop as technology evolves,” said Goldstein. “I look forward to providing leadership as we expand this practice area at the firm.”

Melton concentrates her practice on counseling advertising, marketing, telecom, and consumer goods and services companies through complex investigations and enforcement matters related to unfair and deceptive practices statutes, unfair competition, false advertising, testimonials and endorsements, disclaimers, native advertising and social media. She has handled high-profile investigations defending against Section 5 of the FTC Act, ROSCA, TCPA, Dot Com Disclosures actions, the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) and COPPA. In addition, Melton counsels clients regarding compliance with FTC guidance including the Green Guides, the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, and the Enforcement Policy on Deceptively Formatted Advertising, which governs native advertising.

Melton earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center in 2000, where she served as the Candidates Editor for the Houston Journal of International Law. In 1997, she received her B.A. in Government, summa cum laude, from The University of Texas.

“Our clients are looking for a one-stop solution as they navigate potential minefields associated with traditional, new media marketing and advertising,” Melton said. “BakerHostetler’s Privacy and Data Protection team dovetails nicely with our team’s practice, and I know our clients will benefit from the firm’s additional experience and approach to regulatory issues.”

“We’re excited to welcome a pre-eminent advertising, marketing and consumer protection law team — a BakerHostetler practice area that continues to grow and evolve as developing technologies place greater responsibility on our clients to meet new federal, state and local regulations,” said Mark Tidman, chair of the Intellectual Property Group. “Linda, Holly and the rest of the team’s diverse skill set in advertising, marketing and digital media helps differentiate our practice in this particular space.”

“We’re thrilled to have such an esteemed team join the firm and bring their understanding of the laws and regulations that come with using technology in advertising and marketing,” said George Stamboulidis, managing partner of BakerHostetler’s New York office. “The arrival of Linda, Holly and the entire team to the New York office will prove to be a great asset to the firm’s clients who need representation in advertising and marketing law.”

These additions enhance the growth of the IP Group from BakerHostetler’s 2014 combination with national intellectual property firm Woodcock Washburn that added nearly 70 IP attorneys and three new offices to the firm’s national profile. BakerHostetler now has more than 160 dedicated intellectual property lawyers with more than 100 lawyers and patent agents registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.