Shawn N. Skolky

Shawn is a trusted regulatory adviser and litigator for multinational companies seeking representation on product safety reporting obligations, recalls, safety investigations and enforcement matters involving the US Consumer Product Safety Act, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, the US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and other federal and state regulations, including polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and batteries regulations.

Shawn advises clients on pre- and post-market safety, design and regulatory issues, as well as how to deal with regulatory authorities and handle crises, including global recalls. Shawn also guides companies through the recall process, and he has helped clients avoid recalls of consumer goods ranging from children’s products to home furnishings to fitness equipment. Shawn regularly advises companies on product warning and labeling matters, including development of strategies to mitigate litigation risk, as well as on compliance with Federal Trade Commission truth-in-advertising regulations and labeling and registration requirements of various federal agencies. Shawn’s regulatory practice spans a number of federal agencies, including the FTC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Shawn’s litigation practice focuses on issues pervasive to the products industry, including trial and arbitration of product liability, commercial, warranty and antitrust disputes. He has successfully represented Fortune 500 companies before federal and state courts and administrative and arbitral bodies in disputes involving mass tort litigation, product defect claims, and express and implied warranty claims.

Shawn joined Cooley in 2021 after more than five years at two international law firms in Atlanta and Washington, DC, where he handled products regulatory issues, as well as complex multidistrict litigation matters for large pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers and other clients, in addition to antitrust counseling, Hart-Scott-Rodino Act merger reviews and FTC regulatory reviews. 

Shawn’s pro bono practice focuses on representing indigent individuals in landlord-tenant disputes and assisting people seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status or asylum. Shawn also is intimately involved in the pro bono representation of individuals and families affected by domestic violence, and he is a junior board member for the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project.