Janis Kestenbaum is a Commercial Litigation partner in the Privacy & Security practice and Advertising, Marketing and Promotions group. Her practice focuses on consumer privacy, data security, advertising and marketing practices. Janis regularly counsels technology, consumer products, and financial services clients on compliance with federal and state privacy and consumer protection laws and has represented companies before the Federal Trade Commission and Congress.
Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Janis served for four years as Senior Legal Advisor for consumer protection to Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman and Commissioner Edith Ramirez. In that capacity, Janis provided advice and counsel on the full range of privacy and data security enforcement and policy issues to come before the FTC, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework, mobile privacy, data security, data brokers, big data and predictive analytics, social networks and interest-based advertising. She also provided advice and counsel on advertising substantiation, endorsements, online marketing, telemarketing, and consumer fraud issues in wide-ranging contexts. While at the FTC, Janis served as a member of U.S. delegations to the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Data Privacy Subcommittee, and the Asia-Pacific Privacy Authorities forum.
Janis previously served in the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices in the Bureau of Consumer Protection, where she investigated and prosecuted deceptive and unfair business practices involving online and print marketing, telemarketing, unauthorized mobile charges, processing of credit card charges, and malware, and led the team drafting the final set of CAN-SPAM regulations.
Janis is a seasoned litigator who has alternated between public service and private practice throughout her legal career, which she began as a trial attorney in the Federal Programs Branch of the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she defended constitutional challenges to federal laws in trial and appellate courts across the country.
