Marissa Alkhazov is Chair of Buchalter’s FDA & Regulatory Compliance Practice Group and Northwest Chair of the firm’s Products Liability and Mass Torts Practice Group. She is a nationally recognized FDA regulatory and trial attorney who advises companies on the legal, regulatory, and business issues that arise throughout the product lifecycle. Her practice integrates regulatory counseling, complex litigation, and strategic risk management, enabling clients to launch, market, defend, and grow their businesses with confidence.
Marissa serves as outside general counsel to manufacturers, retailers, distributors, private equity-backed companies, and emerging consumer brands across the cosmetics, OTC drug, medical device, food and beverage, dietary supplement, wellness, pharmaceutical, consumer products, agribusiness, luxury goods, and sports and fitness industries. Clients rely on her as a strategic business partner to provide practical advice on product development, commercialization, acquisitions, advertising and labeling, regulatory compliance, government investigations, contracts, recalls, and enterprise risk management.
Her regulatory practice focuses on FDA, FTC, CPSC, USDA, EPA, and state consumer protection laws. She routinely counsels clients on FDA establishment registration and product listing, MoCRA compliance, OTC drug regulation, food facility registration, medical device classification, labeling and advertising substantiation, product safety, recalls, Warning Letters, inspections, import compliance, state Attorney General investigations, and regulatory due diligence in mergers and acquisitions. She also advises companies on mitigating consumer class action exposure arising from advertising and labeling practices.
When regulatory issues escalate into enforcement actions or litigation, Marissa represents clients before the FDA, CPSC, FTC, state Attorneys General, and in state and federal courts nationwide. She develops practical compliance strategies that satisfy regulatory expectations while minimizing disruption to business operations.
An accomplished first-chair trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience, Marissa has defended manufacturers and Fortune 500 companies in high-exposure product liability, toxic tort, environmental, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, consumer protection, multidistrict litigation, and consumer and wage-and-hour class actions. She frequently serves as national, regional, and coordinating counsel in matters spanning multiple jurisdictions.
What distinguishes Marissa’s practice is her ability to combine deep regulatory knowledge with extensive courtroom experience. She helps clients identify legal and scientific risks before they become litigation, allowing businesses to make informed decisions while reducing regulatory and litigation exposure.
A frequent author and speaker, Marissa publishes and presents on FDA compliance, MoCRA, medical devices, cosmetics, false advertising, product safety, consumer class actions, and emerging regulatory developments. Her thought leadership reflects her commitment to helping companies anticipate and navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.
Marissa is a member of the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI), the Products Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC), and the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS). She has been recognized by Washington Super Lawyers and Seattle Metropolitan magazine as one of Washington’s Top Women Attorneys.
Defended a national hotel chain in a multi-million dollar Consumer Protection Act, Personal Injury, Negligence and Civil Rights action. Following extensive discovery and motion practice, all claims were dismissed, leaving only the claims of negligence against the hotel. A very favorable settlement was reached shortly thereafter.
Defended an auto supply retailer in Wrongful Death action. Discovery and motion practice resulted in dismissal.
Defense of a pharmaceutical company in multiple Wrongful Death and Personal Injury actions in WA and OR related to alleged talc exposure. Extensive discovery and motion practice resulted in dismissal, and/or favorable settlements.
Defense of aeronautics company in multiple Personal Injury and Wrongful Death actions alleging that component parts in engine exposed decedent to hazardous substances causing death. Rigorous discovery and motion practice resulted in dismissal.
Defense of valve manufacturer in multi-party Personal Injury action alleging component parts contributed to or caused plaintiff’s lung cancer. Via successful dispositive motion practice, summary judgment was granted.
Defense of local company in MTCA and other environmental claims resulting from a solvent spill (“perc”) by a vendor. By coordinating efforts with the Department of Ecology and other parties involved in litigation, a favorable settlement was reached.
Defense of pharmaceutical company in over 200 cases in multi-state litigation involving the application of apparent manufacturer theory of liability. This includes representation of the client through all levels of state court and up to the Washington Supreme Court.
Defense of retailer in food poisoning claims allegedly related to ‘tainted spinach.’
Defense verdicts in disputed liability automobile accidents.
Represented a paper mill in multi-party asbestos/toxic tort litigation. Plaintiff sued over 50 corporate defendants for Wrongful Death and Survivorship allegedly caused by his alleged exposure to asbestos by use of their products at the paper mill. After extensive discovery, summary judgment dismissal was granted in favor of the paper mill. Plaintiffs appealed the dismissal to the Ninth District and following oral argument, the court affirmed the dismissal granted by the lower court.
Defended a national fitness equipment manufacturer in a product liability matter. The minor, mentally impaired Plaintiff sued the client, his school district and several of its employees for personal injuries to his eye, including permanent vision loss, allegedly caused as a result of being struck in the eye with the client’s resistance tubing product. The school district and its employees were sued for negligent supervision and other theories of liability. A favorable settlement was reached on the second day of trial.
Defense of local businesses in class action wage, hours and employment discrimination matters. Favorable settlement reached at the conclusion of intense discovery phase of litigation.
Admissions
Washington
Oregon
U.S. District Court for theEastern District ofWashington
U.S. District Court for theWestern District ofWashington
United States Court of AppealsNinth Circuit
U.S. District Court for theState ofOregon
Education
Albany Law School, J.D.
University of Washington, B.S., with honors
Won Best Oral Advocate on the National Trial Team (2002, 2003)
Washington Super Lawyers (2016-2026)
Seattle Metropolitan magazine as one of Washington’s Top Women Attorneys
