Joanna Rosen Forster
Overview
Joanna Forster’s multifaceted background positions her to effectively manage conflicts across the legal spectrum and across the globe. In her prior roles as general counsel (representing both plaintiffs and defendants) and as government prosecutor/enforcer, Joanna handled nearly every type of matter, ranging from complex commercial and white collar matters in areas such as employment, intellectual property, securities and antitrust law, to internal investigations and corporate and M&A transactions. She views her role as both a conflict manager, dispensing advice to avoid adversarial action, and as a tech and business litigator, resolving disputes with her client’s business goals in mind.
Career & Education
- California
• Deputy Attorney General, Corporate Fraud Section,
California Department of Justice, 2015–2021
- California
- General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, ContextLogic, Inc.
- University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 2006
- University of California, Berkeley, B.A., Political Science, 2000
- California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- Law Clerk, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall, 2009
- Jewish Community Center of San Francisco: Board Member
- Family House Inc.: Member, Family Services Committee
- English
- Spanish
Joanna's Insights
Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.23.24
On December 17, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Illinois Attorney General (“AG”) announced a $140 million settlement with Grubhub to resolve charges involving an array of allegedly unlawful and deceptive business practices. Even though the FTC’s proposed final rule on junk fees (also announced on December 17, 2024) is limited to hotels, live events, and short-term rentals, this settlement demonstrates that the FTC will use its broad enforcement powers to pursue companies imposing junk fees online, and that both federal and state consumer protection regulators will formulate 2025 enforcement priorities with junk fees and click-to-cancel in mind. Indeed, this $140 million settlement, of which Grubhub will pay $25 million based on its demonstrated inability to pay the full amount, is the first of its kind in that it is a joint action by the FTC and state regulators to pursue both junk fees and click-to-cancel violations.
Press Coverage | 10.30.24
Representative Matters
- Served as external general counsel and chief compliance officer for ContextLogic Inc., a publicly traded company. In this capacity, Joanna advised on all aspects of the business and public company functions, and provided counsel to the Board of Directors.
- Served as a member of the litigation team that secured over $1 billion in recovery for CalPERS and CalSTRs in connection with the rating, due diligence, and underwriting of residential mortgage backed securities following the financial crisis of 2008-2010, which received the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in 2019.
Joanna's Insights
Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.23.24
On December 17, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Illinois Attorney General (“AG”) announced a $140 million settlement with Grubhub to resolve charges involving an array of allegedly unlawful and deceptive business practices. Even though the FTC’s proposed final rule on junk fees (also announced on December 17, 2024) is limited to hotels, live events, and short-term rentals, this settlement demonstrates that the FTC will use its broad enforcement powers to pursue companies imposing junk fees online, and that both federal and state consumer protection regulators will formulate 2025 enforcement priorities with junk fees and click-to-cancel in mind. Indeed, this $140 million settlement, of which Grubhub will pay $25 million based on its demonstrated inability to pay the full amount, is the first of its kind in that it is a joint action by the FTC and state regulators to pursue both junk fees and click-to-cancel violations.
Press Coverage | 10.30.24
Insights
- |
08.21.24
Los Angeles Times
California Is Tightening the Pipes On Drip Pricing.
|08.13.24
Crowell & Moring’s Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer
Practices
Joanna's Insights
Client Alert | 4 min read | 12.23.24
On December 17, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and the Illinois Attorney General (“AG”) announced a $140 million settlement with Grubhub to resolve charges involving an array of allegedly unlawful and deceptive business practices. Even though the FTC’s proposed final rule on junk fees (also announced on December 17, 2024) is limited to hotels, live events, and short-term rentals, this settlement demonstrates that the FTC will use its broad enforcement powers to pursue companies imposing junk fees online, and that both federal and state consumer protection regulators will formulate 2025 enforcement priorities with junk fees and click-to-cancel in mind. Indeed, this $140 million settlement, of which Grubhub will pay $25 million based on its demonstrated inability to pay the full amount, is the first of its kind in that it is a joint action by the FTC and state regulators to pursue both junk fees and click-to-cancel violations.
Press Coverage | 10.30.24
