FTC General Counsel Leaves Agency, Acting General Counsel Appointed

This posting was written by John W. Arden.

Federal Trade Commission General Counsel Willard K. Tom has left the agency to return to the private sector, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz announced today. Tom led the Office of General Counsel for more than three years, serving as the Commission’s top legal officer and advisor, representing the agency in court, and providing legal counsel to the Commission, it bureaus, and its offices.

“Will served this agency with great distinction,” said Leibowitz. “His leadership helped bring significant antitrust and consumer protection victories on behalf of American consumers, and we will miss his thoughtfulness, wise counsel, and extraordinary writing skills.”

David Shonka, the FTC’s Principal Deputy General Counsel since April 2008, was appointed Acting General Counsel, according to the agency. He joined the Commission as a staff attorney in 1977 and later became Assistant General Counsel for Litigation. Shonka oversees the Office of General Counsel’s Litigation, Legal Counsel, and Policy Studies units and chairs the agency’s e-Discovery Steering Committee for government law enforcement investigations. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska and the University of Maine Law School.

Chief Privacy Officer

The Commission also announced the appointment of Peter Miller as the FTC’s Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). In this position, Miller will coordinate efforts to implement and review the agency’s policies and procedures for safeguarding all sensitive information and will chair the FTC’s Privacy Steering Committee and the Breach Notification Response Team. Miller, who has been Acting CPO, has worked at the FTC for nine years, previously previously serving as Assistant Director of Regional Operations for the Bureau of Consumer Protection and as a staff attorney for the Division of Advertising Practices. He received his B.A. from Rice University and his J.D. from the University of Texas.