Keller and Heckman LLP is proud to announce that Azim Chowdhury has been named Partner in the Firm’s Washington, DC office and Hazel O'Keeffe has been promoted to Counsel in the Firm’s Brussels office.

Azim Chowdhury advises domestic and foreign corporations in matters of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international regulatory compliance. Specifically, he assists corporations in establishing clearances for food and drug additives in the U.S., Canada, and European Union, with an emphasis on indirect additives used in food-contact materials.

Mr. Chowdhury has extensive expertise in tobacco product regulation and spearheaded the FDA Tobacco practice at Keller and Heckman. He represents tobacco and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) manufacturers, suppliers, and trade associations in matters of FDA regulatory and corporate compliance.

Hazel O'Keeffe focuses on the regulation of food contact materials in the European Union (EU), specifically assisting clients in establishing a suitable status for all types of food contact materials at both the EU and Member State levels. Additionally, Ms. O’Keeffe advises on the requirements of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and on issues related to data sharing and treated articles under the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). 

About Keller and Heckman

Keller and Heckman, founded in 1962, has a broad practice in regulatory law, public policy, and litigation. Since 1971, the firm has had an in-house scientific staff that works closely with the firm’s attorneys to obtain necessary approvals for innovative pharmaceutical, food, tobacco, pesticide, industrial chemical, and consumer products.

For the fourth year in a row, Keller and Heckman is on the U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers’ list of Best Law Firms. The Firm is ranked as a nationwide Tier 1 Advertising Law Firm. Additionally, the Firm is ranked as a Tier 1 Law Firm in Advertising Law and FDA Law in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. 

U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers rank law firms based on hard data, combined with input from peers and clients. These rankings, which are presented in tiers, showcase more than 10,000 law firms ranked nationally or by metropolitan region. Firms were ranked nationally in one or more of 80 legal practice areas and by metro or state in 118 practice areas.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. For over thirty years, the company has helped lawyers and clients find legal counsel in distinct jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties. 

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Because Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas, and because lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice."

Keller and Heckman’s rankings on the 2015 list of "Best Law Firms" may be found here.

About Keller and Heckman

Keller and Heckman has a broad practice in the areas of regulatory law, public policy, and litigation, serving both domestic and international clients. With offices in Washington, DC, Brussels, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Boulder, the firm helps the world's most vital businesses achieve their objectives. A pioneer in the use of interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving, Keller and Heckman has had an in-house scientific staff since 1971 that works closely with the firm's attorneys on matters of technical complexity.