Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has hired Maneesha Mithal, most recently a leader of the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) privacy and identity protection unit, the firm announced on Monday, January 10.
Mithal joins as a Washington, DC-based partner in the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice, after more than 20 years at the FTC, including around 12 as associate director of the privacy division.
Silicon Valley-founded Wilson Sonsini is known for advising clients in the technology and life sciences sectors.
The firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice includes several FTC veterans, including Lydia Parnes, who was previously the director of the agency’s consumer protection bureau, and former bureau deputy director Chris Olsen.
Related: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Grows Litigation Team
Mithal said she “had a hand” in nearly all of the FTC’s privacy and security settlements during her time as associate director, a role she left in October.
The FTC has settled privacy and data security matters against companies including Facebook, Equifax and Google in that time.
Mithal oversaw a 40-person FTC team tasked with enforcement of privacy and cybersecurity laws and policy development on issues including artificial intelligence, biometrics, health privacy, and ransomware, according to Wilson Sonsini.
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