Skip to content Stephen R. Freeland

Lawyers

Alexandria
277 S. Washington Street
Suite 550
Alexandria, VA 22314


Washington, D.C.
1140 Third Street NE
Washington, D.C. 20002


EDUCATION

J.D., magna cum laude, George Mason University School of Law, 2006

B.A., summa cum laude, Marymount University, 2000

HONORS

Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Advertising Law (2023-2025)

Super Lawyers® Rising Stars distinction (2014-2018)

Who's Who in America (2023)

Biography

Steve Freeland is a Partner in the Washington D.C. office of GRSM. He helps businesses achieve success in areas including advertising, consumer protection, telemarketing, artificial intelligence, and intellectual property.

Steve also represents clients in Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigations and FTC enforcement actions involving advertising, marketing and telemarketing issues, consumer class actions, and state attorneys general investigations. He has represented major consumer product companies, retailers, online merchants and service providers, lead generators, nutritional supplement companies, affiliate marketers, non-conventional education providers, telecommunications companies, fundraisers, automotive industry companies, pharmaceutical companies, trade associations, and a variety of other large and small businesses.

Steve has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country, which include defending clients in consumer class actions brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and state consumer protection laws, representing clients in Lanham Act false advertising and intellectual property cases between competitors, and defending clients in FTC enforcement actions filed under the FTC Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). Steve has also represented clients in competitor challenges before the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau, as well as in regulatory actions and litigation before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the International Trade Commission (ITC). He has significant experience with electronic discovery and has successfully argued for the substantial narrowing of civil discovery and investigative demands from regulators.

Steve provides ongoing counsel to numerous clients on a variety of issues, including:

  • Advertising and marketing compliance, and claim substantiation
  • Compliance with ROSCA and state auto-renewal laws
  • Compliance and related issues under the TCPA, TSR, and state telemarketing laws
  • Compliance with the Consumer Review Fairness Act
  • Native advertising
  • “Made in the USA” claims
  • Testimonials and endorsements
  • Online sales funnels, terms and conditions and privacy policies
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Telephone call monitoring and recording practices
  • Brand protection

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth and District of Columbia Circuits
Experience
Publications & Presentations
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