Jeffrey Knowles joined Venable's Washington, DC office as an equity partner in 1984. He manages Venable's Government Division and heads the firm's Advertising, Marketing and New Media Practice Group. He is also a member of Venable's Executive Committee, Compensation Committee, Partnership Selection Committee and Expansion Committee. He focuses on national television advertising, direct-to-consumer marketing and e-commerce.

Mr. Knowles founded and served for thirteen years as general counsel to the Electronic Retailing Association. He is a member of the Board of Directors and past Chairman of the Electronic Retailing Association and past Chair of the association's Government Affairs Committee. He represents clients before the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Postal Service, state attorneys general, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and self-regulatory bodies such as the Electronic Retailing Self-Regulatory Program and the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Mr. Knowles is nationally recognized as the leading attorney in the direct response television industry. He focuses on law enforcement, federal and state regulatory matters, litigation and dispute resolution, unfair competition and protection of intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, trade dress and copyrights. He also handles media relations and crisis management.

Activities
Mr. Knowles is an active member of the Antitrust Section of the American Bar Association, the Direct Marketing Association, and the Promotion Marketing Association. In addition, Mr. Knowles is a member of the Board of Visitors of Columbia University and also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of New York Law School. He speaks and writes frequently on advertising, direct marketing and e-commerce issues.