CHICAGO, August 5, 2026 – Corvane Ryle LLP today announced that it hosted its annual Retail Regulatory Summit at its Chicago office, bringing together more than 200 in-house lawyers, compliance leaders and executives from retail and consumer companies. The one-day program covered pricing practices, advertising, privacy, product safety and the use of AI in retail, and drew speakers from government and industry as well as from the firm.
The summit opened with a discussion of consumer protection enforcement in the United States, led by Grace Whitcombe, head of the firm's Consumer Protection practice. Panels addressed the regulation of drip pricing and junk fees, subscription and auto-renewal rules, retail media networks and loyalty programs, and the use of agents and automated tools in shopping. A closing session examined how companies can build compliance programs that keep pace with new rules.
Daria Kowalczyk, a partner in Chicago and Global Co-Chair of the firm's Retail & Consumer Products industry group, chaired the program. Tomás Ellery-Vance, a partner in Washington, D.C., led a session on data privacy and state privacy laws, including the handling of consumer data in advertising technology. Theo Abernathy, an associate in Washington, D.C., moderated a workshop on responding to regulatory inquiries.
Attendees completed a hands-on exercise in which they responded to a simulated investigation by a state attorney general, working from a fictional set of documents prepared by the firm. The exercise was one of the highest-rated parts of the day in feedback from participants.
"The rules facing retailers are changing in every channel, and our clients benefit from hearing directly from each other," said Daria Kowalczyk. "The summit gives them a chance to compare approaches and to ask hard questions in a candid setting."
About Corvane Ryle LLP: Founded in Chicago in 1958, Corvane Ryle LLP has approximately 2,400 lawyers in 26 offices across 14 countries. The firm advises on transactions, regulatory matters and disputes for clients in technology, consumer, healthcare and energy transition. Counsel for what comes next.