Michelle W. Cohen

Practices

• Telecommunications
• Corporate Transactions & Securities
• Emerging Technologies

Professional Experience

Michelle focuses her practice on advising clients on a broad range of privacy, consumer protection, e-commerce, and communications and media-related matters, including data privacy and security, direct marketing, broadcast and cable television, the Internet, domestic and international wireline telephony, wireless services, and emerging technologies. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Michelle has nearly two decades of experience representing traditional and online companies before the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), state attorneys general and other federal and state agencies. Michelle's experience includes:

• Managing data breaches and handling state attorney general-associated matters
• Defending clients in administrative and civil litigation (including class actions) involving telecommunications and privacy issues, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
• Drafting terms of use and privacy policies for websites
• Guiding clients through the legal requirements associated with online and traditional sweepstakes and contests, including formulating contest/sweepstakes rules, and submitting necessary filings
• Advising clients on compliance with the federal "Can Spam", "do not call/do not fax" rules, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, state registration requirements, and EU Safe Harbor compliance
• Representing clients in enforcement matters before federal and state agencies, including the FCC
• Negotiating vendor agreements
• Handling FCC licensing (with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, ownership transfers and new licenses) and FCC/FTC rulemaking matters.

Michelle has extensive experience representing underwriters, lenders, and issuers in public offerings and private placement of equity and debt, as well as investments in and loans to domestic and international telecommunications and media companies. She also negotiates complex telecommunications contracts.

Michelle is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and the state of New York, as well as before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, other federal courts.

Education

• Emory University School of Law, J.D., 1992, with distinction, Editor-in-Chief, Emory Law Journal; Fyr Scholar
• Brandeis University, B.A., 1989, magna cum laude; with Highest Honors in French, with Honors in English

• "How Networks, Phones and Cards Shape e-Commerce" · E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, July 2010
• "US Consumers and Changes in Credit Card Practices" · E-Finance & Payments Law & Policy, January 2010

• "Women Grow Business Boot Camp", Washington, D.C., June 2010

• Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) certification; International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

• French