King & Spalding today announced that Dale Giali, Keri Borders and Michael Resch have joined as partners on its FDA and Life Sciences team. Giali and Borders will be based in the firm’s Los Angeles office, and Resch will be resident in the San Francisco office. Giali and Borders join from Mayer Brown, where they co-led the food and beverage practice, and they are reuniting with Resch, a former Mayer Brown partner who most recently served as general counsel at Amy’s Kitchen, a leader in the frozen food and soup categories. 

Giali, Borders and Resch focus on representing food and beverage companies in consumer deception litigation matters, including defending false advertising claims associated with nutrition labeling, ingredients and marketing claims. Together, they further enhance King & Spalding’s industry-leading food and beverage focus area, within the firm’s renowned FDA and Life Sciences team.

“Further enhancing our outstanding food and beverage practice with high caliber, specialized litigation strength has long been a high priority for the firm,” said Mark Brown, chair of King & Spalding’s FDA and Life Sciences practice. “In recent years, the plaintiff’s bar has increasingly targeted the food and beverage industry with false advertising and consumer deception class actions. To successfully defend against these actions, defense counsel require a deep understanding of food science, regulatory issues and consumer protection requirements. Dale, Keri and Mike bring this combination of skills, and we are thrilled they have joined us.”

Dale Giali
Giali has represented many of the world’s largest multinational corporations in complex food, beverage and consumer packaged goods false advertising counseling and litigation, including defending consumer class actions and prosecuting and defending competitor lawsuits. Ranked nationally in Chambers USA and Legal 500, Giali is also recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a Litigation Star for class actions, and by BTI as a Super All-Star. The National Law Journal recognized him as a Litigation Trailblazer, and Law360 named him an MVP in the field of class action litigation in the United States. Giali, who co-led his previous firm’s food & beverage group, received his undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles, and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Keri Borders
Borders concentrates her practice on defending food, beverage and consumer packaged goods manufacturers, retailers and distributors in complex false advertising, competitor, and consumer class action litigation. Borders co-led her previous firm’s food and beverage practice. She is ranked nationally in Chambers USA and was recognized by Law360 as a Product Liability MVP. Borders received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles, and her J.D. from the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Following law school, she clerked for Judge Robert J. Timlin in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Michael Resch
Resch has substantial litigation and regulatory experience in the food and beverage industry, including as general counsel, as well as in other industries. His practice has focused on defending false advertising class actions, representing clients before FDA and USDA, and handling complex matters involving trade secret misrepresentation, accountant liability and white-collar criminal defense, with an emphasis on cases involving accounting and financial issues. Resch received his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, graduating in two years from Pepperdine University, and his J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law.

“King & Spalding’s unmatched reputation on FDA and life sciences issues, its global platform and its longtime commitment and standing in the food and beverage industry, combined with its efforts to strategically grow its food litigation prowess, made this a clear decision for Keri, Mike, and myself,” Giali said. “We’re eager to join forces here and to work with our esteemed King & Spalding colleagues.”