Janis Kestenbaum

Janis Kestenbaum advises clients on privacy and consumer protection matters.  She counsels businesses in the technology, retail, and financial sectors  on compliance with a wide range of privacy, data security, advertising, and other consumer protection obligations under federal and state laws, including those concerning children’s privacy, health privacy, and financial privacy, such as the FTC Act, Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, California Consumer Privacy Act, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, state auto-renewal laws, and so-called “junk” fee laws, . Janis also represents businesses in investigations by the FTC, state attorneys general, and foreign data protection authorities, and has successfully resolved dozens of such investigations without enforcement action.  

Since 2019, Janis has been recognized among the nation’s top privacy lawyers by Chambers Global and Chambers USA, with clients remarking that she is “incredibly knowledgeable” and offers “real insight in terms of regulatory risk” and “nuance of how laws are applied in the field.” 

In representing clients, Janis draws on her experience at the FTC, where she served as senior advisor to the agency’s chair. In that capacity, she oversaw the full range of privacy and data security enforcement and policy matters brought before the Commission in addition to advising on advertising, social media influencer marketing, telemarketing, and consumer fraud issues. She served on U.S. delegations to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Global Privacy Assembly, and the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum. Janis previously investigated and prosecuted deceptive and unfair trade practices cases in the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices. 

Janis has handled complex civil litigation for more than 20 years in government and private practice. She began her career as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch, Civil Division of the DOJ, where she represented federal agencies and officials in federal district courts and courts of appeals in constitutional and regulatory litigation.