Mikhia E. Hawkins is an associate in the firm's Regulatory Practice Group with a focus on advertising and marketing law. He counsels clients of various types with respect to consumer protection and unfair competition matters, including legal issues related to all forms of advertising, sales practices, product or service development, consumer financial services, warranties, promotions, and consumer privacy. Mr. Hawkins has significant experience representing clients in connection with investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and state regulators, as well as inquiries from the National Advertising Division, the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program, and television networks. He also represents companies in litigation concerning advertising and marketing practices, including class actions, lawsuits brought by regulators, and cases involving competitors. In addition, Mr. Hawkins has participated on behalf of clients in the Federal Trade Commission's rulemaking process.
Mr. Hawkins has represented a wide variety of clients, including e-commerce firms, brick-and-mortar consumer product companies, direct response marketers, telecommunication firms, dietary supplement companies, trade and professional associations, advertising and promotional marketing agencies, payment processors, quick-serve restaurants, and telemarketers.
Significant Matters
Mr. Hawkins has represented numerous clients before advertising self-regulatory entities, including the National Advertising Division (NAD)and the Electronic Retail Self-Regulation Program (ERSP). Such work has included assistance with challenges to competitors' advertising and responses to challenges targeting clients' advertisements, as well as responses to inquiries internally initiated by the NAD and ERSP. The NAD and ERSP cases on which Mr. Hawkins has worked involved advertising for a wide range of consumer products, including, for example, dietary supplements, food products, over-the-counter medicines, and information technology products.
Mr. Hawkins frequently assists clients in responding to regulatory investigations by federal and state regulators, including regulatory inquiries concerning, for example, affiliate marketing and other online marketing practices, dietary supplements, telemarketing, and consumer debt settlement services.
Mr. Hawkins has also performed regulatory compliance audits for consumer products or service companies as well as for investment companies targeting consumer product or service firms for potential investment opportunities.
In addition, Mr. Hawkins has negotiated and drafted various business contracts for clients, including agreements relating to endorsements, sponsorships, advertising and promotional agency services, lead generation services, and affiliate marketing.
Industries
Consumer Products and Services
Dietary Supplements, Cosmetics and Functional Foods
Financial Services
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Task Force
Credit Counseling and Debt Services
News
July 9, 2009, Mikhia Hawkins quoted in EyeingMarketing.com article on allegedly deceptive data sharing
Publications
February 16, 2012, Advertising News and Analysis - February 16, 2012
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Roger A. Colaizzi, Gary D. Hailey, Jonathan L. Pompan, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
February 14, 2012, How Nonprofits Can Raise Money and Awareness through Promotional Campaigns without Raising Legal Risks
Melissa Landau Steinman, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Tax and Employee Benefits
February 2, 2012, Advertising News & Analysis - February 2, 2012
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Roger A. Colaizzi, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
December 8, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - December 8, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Roger A. Colaizzi, Gary D. Hailey, Gregory J. Sater, Daniel S. Silverman, Ellen Traupman Berge, Andrew E. Bigart, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
November 17, 2011, Lead Generation through Mobile Marketing: Legal and Regulatory Realities
Jonathan L. Pompan, Mikhia E. Hawkins
DMConfidential.com
November 10, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - November 10, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Thomas A. Cohn, Mikhia E. Hawkins, Stuart P. Ingis, Michael A. Signorelli
Advertising Alert
November 3, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - November 3, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Ian D. Volner, Mikhia E. Hawkins, Gregory J. Sater
Advertising Alert
October 27, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - October 27, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
September 22, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - September 22, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Mikhia E. Hawkins, Jonathan L. Pompan, Melissa Landau Steinman
Advertising Alert
September 8, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - September 8, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
September 8, 2011, 'Weiner Wars' Highlight Evolving Trends in Marketers' Use of Legal Challenges
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Mikhia E. Hawkins
DRMA Voice
September 1, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - September 1, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Ellen Traupman Berge, Mark B. Harrison, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
August 25, 2011, Advertising News & Analysis - August 25, 2011
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Gary D. Hailey, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Advertising Alert
April 19, 2011, Social Media and the Law: What Associations Should Know About Networking Sites
Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Copyrights and Trademarks, Corporate Governance, Electronic Communications, Employment Law, Miscellaneous, Social Media
April 5, 2011, FTC Action Highlights Importance of Mobile Marketing Compliance
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Response Magazine
March 10, 2011, Lead Generation through Mobile Marketing: Legal and Regulatory Realities
Jonathan L. Pompan, Mikhia E. Hawkins
DMConfidential.com
November-December 2010, Legal Advice on Using the New Media
Gary D. Hailey, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Nonprofit World
Related Topic Area(s): Corporate Governance, Electronic Communications, Employment Law
December 16, 2010, So You Want To Be On The Internet ®
Maurice Baskin, Thomas A. Cohn, George E. Constantine, Todd R. Farnsworth, Mikhia E. Hawkins, Lisa M. Hix, George W. Johnston, Matthew T. Journy, Joshua J. Kaufman, Gilead I. Light, Luisa M. Lopez, Caryn G. Pass, Janet F. Satterthwaite, Melissa Landau Steinman, Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum, Armand J. (A.J.) Zottola
Related Topic Area(s): Social Media
May 2010, When Marketing Through Social Media, Legal Risks Can Go Viral
Melissa Landau Steinman, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Electronic Communications
November 2, 2009, What Associations Need to Know about the Revised FTC Endorsements and Testimonials Guides
Gary D. Hailey, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Electronic Communications, Meeting, Vendor and Government Contracts, Social Media
February 2008, Co-author, The Risks and Rewards of User-generated Content
Mikhia E. Hawkins
Electronic Retailer Magazine
June 2006, Know How to Hold 'Em: Casino Events Can Be Risky If You Don't Know the Law
Mikhia E. Hawkins
Event Solutions
Events/Speaking Engagements
Upcoming Events
February 14, 2012, Legal Quick Hit: "How Nonprofits Can Raise Money and Awareness through Promotional Campaigns without Raising Legal Risks"
Melissa Landau Steinman, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Antitrust and Trade Regulation
Past Events
February 14, 2012, Legal Quick Hit: "How Nonprofits Can Raise Money and Awareness through Promotional Campaigns without Raising Legal Risks"
Melissa Landau Steinman, Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Antitrust and Trade Regulation
June 16, 2011, "Fallacies of One Size Fits All Marketing: What You Need to Know about Marketing to Diverse Audiences" for Association TRENDS
Mikhia E. Hawkins
Related Topic Area(s): Antitrust and Trade Regulation, Copyrights and Trademarks, Electronic Communications, Miscellaneous
February 28, 2011 - March 2, 2011, ERA's Great Ideas Summit
Jeffrey D. Knowles, Edward F. Glynn, Jr., Gary D. Hailey, Claudia A. Lewis-Eng, Todd A. Harrison, Roger A. Colaizzi, Mary Ellen R. Himes, Ellen Traupman Berge, Thomas A. Cohn, Mikhia E. Hawkins