Svetlana S. Gans

Svetlana Gans is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher focusing on Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice Antitrust Division competition and consumer protection investigations, rulemaking, and related policy matters. Svetlana previously served in multiple roles at the FTC for almost a decade. Most recently, Svetlana served as the FTC Chief of Staff in the first Trump Administration and senior advisor to Acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen on FTC enforcement matters, interagency coordination, and strategic initiatives including concerning regulatory reform, process reform, and healthcare policy. Svetlana’s practice runs the full scope of the FTC including inquiries pertaining to unfair billing, deceptive advertising practices, right to repair, franchising, and Made in the USA claims; alleged anticompetitive conduct; Magnuson-Moss and APA rulemakings; agency market studies and workshops; proactive engagement and competitor complaints; and related external engagement. Svetlana was recently named to Lawdragon's prestigious lists of “500 Leading Litigators in America” and “500 Leading Antitrust and Competition Lawyers.” She was also recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for her outstanding work in Antitrust Litigation (2025).

Svetlana has served in ABA Antitrust Section leadership for almost two decades and currently serves as the Committee Officer, overseeing 31 substantive committees and their leadership.  Svetlana also serves as the Co-Chairman of the Federalist Society’s Corporations, Securities, and Antitrust Executive Committee and was recently awarded the inaugural Volunteer of the Year Award for the organization.  She has also initiated and led several novel programs to mentor and assist law students and young lawyers interested in consumer protection and antitrust law.  Svetlana is also a sought-after speaker.

Svetlana served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr., while in law school, and as an Honors Program Paralegal for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Merger Taskforce, prior to law school. She received her law degree with high honors from the University of Denver College of Law and earned her undergraduate degrees cum laude from Boston University.

Recent speaking engagements include:

• Interviewer, Consumer Brands Association Legal Forum, Interview with FTC Commissioner Melissa Holyoak (February 2025)
• Moderator, Federalist Society, Antitrust and FTC Reform in the New Congress (February 18, 2025)
• Organizer, Federalist Society, The Congressional Review Act: Process and Procedure (February 3, 2025)
• Moderator, Federalist Society, Is FTC Administrative Litigation Constitutional (December 16, 2024)
• Moderator, Cost-Benefit Analysis in FTC Rulemaking, Regulatory Transparency Project (February 8, 2023)
• Moderator, FTC Rulemaking, Guidelines, and More, Mercatus Second Annual Antitrust Forum (January 26, 2023)
• Speaker, FTC Rulemaking, ABA Antitrust Law Section Fall Forum (November 14, 2022)
• Moderator, FTC Privacy Update, Privacy + Security Academy (November 4, 2022)
• Speaker, FTC’s Rulemaking Authority: Update Following Recent Developments, Concurrences (October 24, 2022)
• Speaker, The FTC’s Independence After Selia Law v. CFPB, The C. Boyden Gray Center (October 14, 2022)
• Speaker, Understanding FTC Rulemaking, Future of Antitrust Law, BYU (September 27, 2022)
• Speaker, Regulating Privacy: A Discussion About FTC Privacy Rulemaking, Law & Economics Center, George Mason University School of Law (September 7, 2022)
• Speaker, Is Antitrust Becoming HR’s Biggest Headache, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Antitrust Webcast (July 26, 2022)
• Speaker, Consumer Protection Year in Review, ABA Antitrust Law Section Spring Meeting (April 6, 2022)
• Moderator, Antitrust Forum: One Year of Biden Antitrust, Mercatus Antitrust Conference (Jan. 26, 2022)
• Moderator, Understanding FTC’s Penalty Offense Authority and Other Agency Developments, ABA Antitrust Law Section (Jan. 12, 2022)
• Speaker, FTC’s Revolution Through Rulemaking, Federalist Society Regulatory Transparency Project (November 2, 2021)
• Moderator, The FTC in the Current Administration: Buckle Your Seatbelts, Federalist Society (October 27, 2021)
• Speaker, Consumer Protection and Privacy Cases That Matter, ABA Antitrust Law Section Consumer Protection Conference (July 12, 2021)
• Session Leader and Moderator, The Future of FTC Rulemaking, Federalist Society Chatham Program (June 9, 2021)
• Moderator, Unleashing Your Superpowers: Women’s Professional Development Series, ABA Antitrust Law Section (May 14, 2021)
• Moderator, Consumer Protection Priorities in the Biden Administration, Regulatory and Enforcement Priorities in 2021, Federal Communications Bar Association (April 26, 2021)
• Moderator, Fireside Chat with Bilal Sayyed, former FTC Director, Office of Policy Planning, Federalist Society (February 22, 2021)
• Moderator, Cultivating Women’s Leadership on Corporate Boards, Federal Communications Bar Association (January 29, 2021)
• Interviewer, Fireside Chat with FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips: The House Judiciary Antitrust Staff Report, Federalist Society (November 18, 2020)
• Moderator, The Evolving Privacy Landscape: The Next Steps on the Federal Front, Industry Perspectives, Federal Communications Bar Association (November 15, 2020)
• Speaker, Data Privacy in the New Decade: Consumer Rights, Platform Regulation, and Enforcement Mechanisms, FCBA (October 26, 2020)
• Moderator, Implications of Data Portability: A Consumer Protection Tool or Burden? Regulatory Transparency Project (October 5, 2020)
• Moderator, FTC Rulemaking: Underutilized Tool or National Nanny Renewed?, Federalist Society (July 8, 2020)
• Moderator, Deep Dive: FTC Remedial Authority, Federalist Society (June 29, 2020)
• Moderator, Nascent Competition Analysis, Federalist Society Chatham House (June 10, 2020)
• Speaker, FTC “Unfair Methods of Competition” Rulemaking: Pros, Cons, and Process, Federalist Society (June 8, 2020)
• Interviewer, Fireside Chat, Hot Topics with FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson, Federalist Society (May 18, 2020)
• Speaker, FTC Fundamentals and Hot Topics for Comms. Lawyers, FCBA (March 4, 2020)
• Moderator, Be Fearless: Women Leading Washington, WICT DC/Baltimore Chapter (February 27, 2020)
• Speaker, Trade Association Careers, Antitrust Section (February 2020)
• Moderator, Women Leading Together (Panel and Table Discussion), FCBA Inaugural Women’s Summit (Jan. 29, 2020)
• Speaker, Regulatory Oversight of Technology Companies, PLI 37^thAnnual Institute on Telecommunications Policy & Regulation (December 10, 2019)
• Speaker, Protecting Children Online, FOSI 2019 Annual Conference (November 21, 2019)
• Speaker and Moderator, 2019 Antitrust Fall Forum Tech Summit: A Competitive Future (November 18, 2019)
• Moderator, Deep Dive Episode 76 – FTC’s 21^stCentury Hearings, Federalist Society, Regulatory Transparency Project’s Fourth Branch Podcast (October 28, 2019)
• Moderator, FTC 13(b) Authority – Powers, Process & Suggestions for Reform (October 18, 2019)
• Moderator, FTC’s 21^stCentury Hearings: Paving the Way for Principles and Guidance, Federalist Society (October 4, 2019)
• Speaker, Antitrust in the Digital Age, Federalist Society (October 2019)
• Speaker, FTC & DOJ Transition Team: TPI Aspen Breakout Session, TPI Aspen (August 19, 2019)
• Moderator, Morning Fireside Chat with FTC’s Andrew Stivers, Seventh Annual Public Policy Symposium on the Law & Economics of Privacy and Data Security (May 10, 2019)
• Moderator, Toward a New Baseline Privacy Law: Harmonizing the GDPR, California, and the FTC, Privacy + Security Forum (April 5, 2019)
• Speaker, Social Media and Influencer Marketing: How FTC Guidance and Settlements Are Influencing Social Media Engagement, Venable LLP Advertising Law Boot Camp and Symposium (April 3-4 2019)
• Interviewer, Fireside Chat with FTC Commissioner Christine Wilson, Federal Trade Commission, Federalist Society (March 6, 2019)
• Speaker, Know Yourself: Networking in the Digital Age, WICT DC/Baltimore Chapter (February 21, 2019)

Recent articles include:

• SCOTUS Preview: Axon v. FTC, Federalist Society (October 8, 2022)
• FTC Launches Commercial Surveillance Rulemaking, Truth on the Market (August 17, 2022)
• The FTC Heads for Legal Trouble, Wall Street Journal (August 8, 2022)

Capabilities

• White Collar Defense and Investigations
• Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
• Antitrust and Competition
• Appellate and Constitutional Law
• Consumer Protection
• Crisis Management
• Fashion, Retail, and Consumer Products
• Media, Entertainment, and Technology
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation
• Public Policy
• Tech and Innovation

Credentials

Education:

• University of Denver - 2001 Juris Doctor
• Boston University - 1997 Bachelor of Science
• Boston University - 1997 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• District of Columbia Bar