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Mr. Duke practices in the areas of international and domestic business transactions, trade regulation, advertising, privacy, consumer protection, corporate matters and business operations. Recent client matters include corporate formation and strategy and negotiation and drafting of license and distribution agreements, professional services agreements, marketing agreements and supplier arrangements. Mr. Duke provides clients with counsel on a broad range of operational issues, including advertising review, advice on employment issues and development of compliance policies.
Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Duke was the Assistant General Counsel, International, at America Online Inc, where he acted as primary legal advisor to AOL International on all transactions, operations and regulatory matters. He led the legal teams on joint venture transactions in Australia, Japan and China, and counseled AOL International on corporate and securities matters relating to its joint ventures. In addition, Mr. Duke successfully obtained numerous international competition and foreign investment approvals related to several significant AOL mergers and acquisitions.
Mr. Duke joined AOL in 1997 as its Assistant General, Marketing, and advised senior executives on advertising and consumer protection law issues related to marketing materials and practices and Internet advertisements, promotions and sweepstakes. In addition, Mr. Duke analyzed contract law and regulatory issues and developed solutions related to electronic contracting and payment matters.
Prior to joining AOL, Mr. Duke was a member of the Distribution and Trade Regulation Group in Ford Motor Company’s Office of the General Counsel. At both Ford and AOL, he negotiated resolutions of FTC and state attorney general investigations and claims and developed internal advertising guidelines and implemented advertising review and substantiation procedures. Mr. Duke’s antitrust experience includes advice and counseling on U.S. antitrust issues, including Robinson-Patman Act and pricing matters, merger analysis, and preparation and filing of Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notifications.
Mr. Duke has extensive experience in contract and commercial matters. At AOL, he negotiated and drafted agreements integral to domestic and international operations, including licenses, services agreements, content and interactive marketing agreements and inter-company agreements. Mr. Duke represented Ford in the U.C.C. Article 2 (Sale of Goods) re-drafting process and drafted and negotiated multi-million dollar sponsorship and distribution agreements.
Mr. Duke graduated with honors from Villanova University School of Law in 1987, and received a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with honors, from Loyola College. He admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland. | 