Overview

Corvane Ryle's Consumer Protection practice helps consumer-facing companies navigate complex regulatory scrutiny from regulators around the globe, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), state attorneys general, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and leading EU and Asia-Pacific consumer protection authorities.

Consumer law has moved from the margins to the center of business risk. In the UK, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 gave the CMA the power to find breaches and impose fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover without going to court, and it has begun using that power. Drip pricing, fake reviews, pressure selling and subscription traps are explicit enforcement priorities, and new rules on subscription contracts are being phased in. In the United States, the FTC's rule on unfair or deceptive fees, its rule banning fake reviews, and the click-to-cancel debate over negative option practices have raised the stakes, while state attorneys general and automatic renewal laws in California and elsewhere add parallel exposure. In the EU, the Digital Fairness agenda, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the Digital Services Act target dark patterns and manipulative design.

Led by Grace Whitcombe from Chicago, our team works across the product lifecycle, from launch review to investigation defense, with a particular focus on retail, subscription, travel, fintech and technology businesses.

Practical Product & Compliance Counseling

We advise on pricing and promotions, including drip pricing and reference price claims, subscription and auto-renewal flows, loyalty programs, reviews and endorsements, influencer marketing, environmental claims, AI-generated advertising, and children's products. We train teams, audit journeys, and give launch-ready advice that works in the sprint cycle.

Regulatory Investigations and Enforcement Defense

We defend clients in FTC civil investigative demands, state attorney general multistate actions, CMA consumer enforcement cases and EU Consumer Protection Cooperation Network actions. We negotiate settlements, undertakings and consent orders, and manage the follow-on class action risk.

Interdisciplinary Capabilities

Consumer matters rarely stand alone. We work seamlessly with our privacy, antitrust, AI, litigation and white-collar colleagues, and with our Retail & Consumer Products industry team, to address the full range of issues a single business practice can raise.