Robert Vechiola is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP where he chairs the firm’s Commercial Transactions & Business Counseling Practice. His practice involves counseling business clients on a broad range of corporate and commercial issues, including federal compliance issues, antitrust, technology, and risk management. He has a strong background in mergers and acquisitions. He also has a strong background in franchisor and distributor program structuring, and compliance with franchise registration/disclosure and relationship/termination laws. Mr. Vechiola also is a member of the International, Transactional & Securities, and Distribution & Franchise Practices.
Mr. Vechiola also advises clients in all aspects of product safety, including compliance with the laws and regulations enforced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), such as the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, and the Poison Prevention Packaging Act. He represents a wide array of importers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers with respect product-safety matters which include: determining whether products contain reportable defects under the CPSA; reporting substantial safety hazards to the CPSC; managing product-recalls and retrofit programs; developing effective safety warnings and instructions; and advising on packaging and labeling requirements.
Mr. Vechiola is a 1993 honors graduate of DePaul University College of Law and earned his M.B.A. from DePaul in 1985. Prior to attending law school, he was the product safety manager for Schwinn Bicycle Company.
Mr. Vechiola is admitted to practice in Illinois.