Overview
(May 6, 2019, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that Joan Baughan has joined the firm as a partner based in the Washington office. Baughan practices food and drug law, focusing on US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and comparable international regulation of food contact materials, drugs, drug packaging, cosmetics, and medical devices. She will lead the firm's global food contact materials practice.
Baughan's food contact regulatory work includes the broad spectrum of activities associated with food contact materials including regulatory filings, opinion letters, performing compliance audits and training courses for clients, and advising on recalls. She also advises clients on drug packaging regulations, medical devices, Proposition 65 warning requirements, and cosmetics packaging issues. Baughan has experience with the regulation of food packaging materials and medicinal products under European Union and member state legislation, and is also familiar with the food contact approval regimes in Canada, China, Japan, and MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela).
In welcoming Baughan to the firm, Steptoe Chair Phil West stated: "Joan is a well-respected leader in the food contact bar. Her portfolio, scientific background, and experience fit in well with Steptoe's food and drug practice in the United States, Brussels and China, and will enhance our firm's position in this important regulatory field." Seth Goldberg, head of Steptoe's Chemical Regulatory, Environment, and Life Sciences practice, added: "Joan brings depth and breadth to our practice and industry knowledge, which will help us service the full spectrum of client needs at the highest level."
Baughan commented: "I have long admired the way Steptoe's team of lawyers, scientists, and advisors guide clients through the ever-changing regulatory landscape. As I embark on this new phase of my career, I'm delighted to be joining a firm that has long been known for its formidable suite of regulatory practices."
Steptoe's multidisciplinary food and life sciences team – based in Beijing, Brussels, and Washington – works with clients to develop innovative compliance strategies for individual products and product lines. The group advises clients on regulatory compliance and stewardship, consumer protection legislation, risk management issues, and the regulatory aspects of the product development and marketing programs.
The group has gained a reputation for constructive engagement with the relevant industry bodies and regulators across the globe. These include the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety at the European Commission (DG Sante), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), EU Member State authorities, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), which incorporates the former China FDA (CFDA), and the China Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).
Baughan earned her J.D. from the Catholic University of America, where she was managing editor of The Catholic University Law Review. She received both her B.S. and B.S.M.T. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.