Abbey Thornhill, an associate based in Troutman Pepper’s Richmond office, joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in May 2024 as a general attorney in the Consumer Protection, Division of Enforcement. In her new position, she will monitor compliance with administrative and federal court orders in FTC consumer protection cases across a wide range of consumer protection issues, including advertising, financial practices, data security, high-tech fraud, and telemarketing. Thornhill will be responsible for conducting investigations of possible order violations, filing contempt actions in federal court to enforce injunctions, initiating court actions to obtain civil penalties for administrative order violations, and enforcing a variety of FTC rules.
Thornhill, who joined Troutman Pepper’s Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) practice in 2021, where she focused her practice on enforcement actions, investigations, and civil litigation. Before joining the firm, she served as a law clerk for the Honorable Richard D. Bennett in the U.S. District Court of Maryland.
Thornhill earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she served on the editorial board for the Virginia Law Review and received the Stephen Pierre Traynor Award for best oral advocate in the finals of the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Harvard University.
“Troutman’s RISE group offered me a fantastic opportunity to work on a variety of government-facing matters and develop my litigation skills alongside some truly amazing people. I will miss my great colleagues, and I am so thankful that I chose a firm that is now supporting my decision to pursue a position with the federal government. Troutman was a perfect place to start my legal career, and I feel prepared and excited for this next chapter,” Thornhill said.
Stephen Piepgrass, RISE practice group leader, said, “Abbey is a tremendous lawyer and has been a vital part of our practice group. We will miss her but are confident she will put her strong writing skills and litigation and investigations experience to good use at the FTC, where I am certain she will continue her success. We wish her all the best.”