ABA Consumer Protection Conference

Conference Co-Chair

February 3, 2011

On February 3, 2011 partner Alysa Hutnik co-chaired the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Consumer Protection Conference. The conference focused on the future of consumer protection law.

The all-star line-up of speakers included:

  • FTC Commissioners Julie Brill, Edith Ramirez, and J. Thomas Rosch
  • Canada Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart
  • Tony West, Assistant Attorney General, DOJ
  • David Vladeck, Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC
  • Joel Winston, Associate Director, Division of Financial Practices, FTC
  • Sarah Mathias, Associate General Counsel, FTC

Additional speakers included representatives from the California and Texas Attorneys General Offices, the National Advertising Division, the Center for Democracy & Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Bankers Association.

The conference featured a variety of panel discussions covering a broad spectrum of consumer protection law topics. Topics included consumer protection priorities; the next decade of privacy law enforcement; changes to the advertising substantiation doctrine; new rules for consumer financial services marketing practices; third party liability for consumer protection violations; ethics rules regarding social media use in investigations and litigation; and new strategies in filing advertising challenges against competitors.