Skip to content

Menu

LexBlog, Inc. logo
NetworkSub-MenuBrowse by SubjectBrowse by PublisherJoin the NetworkGet StartedSubscribeSupport
Contact Us
Search
Close

FTC Issues Five-Year Strategic Plan: What Businesses Need to Know

By Joanna Rosen Forster, Kristin Madigan, Megan L. Wolf & Tiffany Aguiar on April 13, 2026
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030, setting out the agency’s enforcement priorities and operational objectives for the next five years under Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. The plan reaffirms the FTC’s commitment to vigorously enforcing the nation’s antitrust and consumer protection laws “without fear or favor.” Critically for businesses, the plan returns the phrase “without unduly burdening legitimate business activity” to the agency’s mission statement, signaling a commitment to ending what the agency characterizes as overregulation of businesses that compete fairly and deal honestly with consumers. Despite this business-friendly framing, the plan signals robust enforcement across consumer protection, antitrust, and emerging technology — areas that will directly affect in-house counsel’s compliance planning over the coming years. Expect vigorous consumer protection enforcement — especially in tech, privacy, and children’s online safety. Click here to continue reading the full article.

Photo of Joanna Rosen Forster Joanna Rosen Forster

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

…

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.

Having served as the general counsel and compliance officer of a publicly traded ecommerce platform operating in over 60 countries, Joanna has an appreciation of strategic dispute resolution, investigations, and compliance from a general counsel’s perspective. By understanding how business leaders combine the input of in-house and outside counsel to make decisions, Joanna is able to provide her clients with decisive and efficient legal guidance.

Her practice includes litigating domestic and cross-border complex commercial disputes and advising technology and ecommerce companies on matters related to internet platforms, product launches, market campaigns, and new vertical lines of business, all while advising on foreign and domestic laws that regulate online content, physical products, and the companies that bring them to market. Drawing on her experience as the General Counsel of an online e-commerce marketplace, Joanna also regularly advises and counsels clients on California’s Proposition 65, from prevention and compliance to remediation. Joanna is well-versed in key regulations that impact ecommerce companies, including the EU’s Digital Services Act, the U.S. INFORM Act, and the proposed SHOP SAFE Act, as well as laws and regulations that govern online speech such as the Communications Decency Act, Section 230.

Prior to going in-house, Joanna was the deputy attorney general, Corporate Fraud Section of the California Department of Justice. In this capacity, she led large, complex civil matters alleging violations of California’s False Claims Act, Securities Law, Section 17200, Cartwright Act, and other deceptive business practices. She also maintained her own investigations and litigation docket.

Before joining the California Department of Justice, Joanna spent nearly a decade in private practice, where she focused on civil and criminal antitrust and commercial litigation. She also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall in the U.S. District Court for the Central District Court of California.

Read more about Joanna Rosen ForsterEmailJoanna's Linkedin Profile
Show more Show less
Photo of Kristin Madigan Kristin Madigan

Kristin J. Madigan is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s San Francisco office and a member of the firm’s Litigation and Privacy & Cybersecurity groups. Kristin focuses her practice on representing clients in high-stakes complex litigation with a focus on technology, as well…

Kristin J. Madigan is a partner in Crowell & Moring’s San Francisco office and a member of the firm’s Litigation and Privacy & Cybersecurity groups. Kristin focuses her practice on representing clients in high-stakes complex litigation with a focus on technology, as well as privacy and consumer protection matters including product counseling, compliance, investigations, enforcement, and litigation that typically involves existing and emerging technologies. In addition, Kristin is well-versed in and counsels clients on California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) compliance. Kristin is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US).

Read more about Kristin MadiganEmail
Show more Show less
Photo of Megan L. Wolf Megan L. Wolf

Megan Louise Wolf is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Megan’s practice focuses on antitrust counseling, mergers and acquisitions, and criminal and civil antitrust investigations. Named as a “Rising Star” by Legal 500 and The Deal, Megan counsels and represents…

Megan Louise Wolf is a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Megan’s practice focuses on antitrust counseling, mergers and acquisitions, and criminal and civil antitrust investigations. Named as a “Rising Star” by Legal 500 and The Deal, Megan counsels and represents clients in a wide range of transactional antitrust matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, competitor collaborations, and issues related to compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Megan represents corporate clients and individual executives in criminal antitrust investigations, including those into procurement fraud, hiring practices, financial services, generic pharmaceuticals, and numerous other industries.

Read more about Megan L. WolfEmail
Show more Show less
Photo of Tiffany Aguiar Tiffany Aguiar
Read more about Tiffany AguiarEmail
  • Posted in:
    Antitrust, Competition and Trade
  • Blog:
    Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer
  • Organization:
    Crowell & Moring LLP
  • Article: View Original Source

Call us at 1-800-913-0988 or email sales@lexblog.com.

Facebook LinkedIn Twitter RSS
  • About LexBlog
  • The Field We Built
  • Our Beliefs
  • Our Team
  • Contact LexBlog
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Get Started
  • Publishing Solutions
  • Compass
  • Submit a Request
  • Support Center
  • System Status
Copyright © 2026, LexBlog, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Law blog design & platform by LexBlog LexBlog Logo