Marissa A. Alkhazov

Marissa Alkhazov is the Northwest Chair of Buchalter’s Products Liability Practice Group and Chair of the FDA and Regulatory Compliance Practice.

Marissa advises her clients in catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death/survival lawsuits, commercial litigation and class actions at all levels of state and federal court. She regularly serves as local and coordinating counsel in national, complex and MDL litigation. Her clients include small local businesses, tech industry leaders, startups and Fortune 500 companies with sophisticated product related litigation and regulatory matters in the PNW.  However, given her trial experience, Marissa understands and uses her strength in product liability defense, investigations, and client advocacy beyond the courtroom to negotiate strategic, pre-trial resolutions and risk mitigation strategies to prevent suits. Manufacturers and distributors value her risk assessment and preventive advice on regulatory compliance, particularly on labels and safety warnings. In addition, clients value Marissa’s experience with mass torts defense, chemical law and toxic tort exposure to PFAS, benzene, silica, talc, asbestos and other substances.

Experienced across numerous industries, Marissa represents the makers of all types of consumer products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, nutritional supplements, cosmetics, personal care products and other health and wellness products. Her additional industry experience includes manufacturing, distributing, retail, sports and fitness, food, beverage, apparel and agribusiness.  In addition to her trial practice, Marissa regularly assists clients at each stage of a product cycle at all levels of scale.  Her experience is not limited to guidance domestically, she also regularly assists foreign corporations navigate regulatory schemes to expand their businesses to the U.S. markets.

Marissa immerses herself in her clients’ business environment to clarify goals, and is a highly effective negotiator with regulatory agencies, such as the FDA, FTC, NAD, Consumer Products Safety Commission, and Department of Ecology. Marissa is also a trusted advisor to many of her clients in the beauty and personal care industry with the roll out of MOCRA (Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022).

In addition to her work with her clients, Marissa is immersed in the legal community at large, as a member of the prestigious Products Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) and regularly speaking at industry conferences, CLE’s and events on emerging issues in product liability and regulatory frameworks.  Marissa is also a regular contributor to various news sources and outlets as a legal consultant.

Marissa has earned recognition as a “Top 50 Women Attorneys in Washington” in Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, and as a Rising Star and Super Lawyer for consecutive years.