Anthony DiResta

Anthony E. DiResta is an attorney in Holland & Knight's Washington, D.C., and Miami offices who is a nationally recognized leader with extensive experience and success in federal and state governmental law enforcement investigations and litigation. His clients have included almost every industry segment in the economy, with many of his engagements involving crisis management. Mr. DiResta is the co-chair of the firm's Consumer Protection Defense and Compliance Team.

A seasoned advocate, Mr. DiResta has assisted clients in bet-the-company governmental investigations and litigation pursued by federal agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as in state enforcement proceedings involving state attorneys general. He is considered to be one of the national leaders in the Consumer Protection Bar. In high-profile investigations and litigation, he has defended a vast number of businesses, from Fortune 50 companies to startups. In addition, Mr. DiResta was appointed as a receiver and has served as an expert witness in FTC governmental litigation. His clients are involved in a diverse range of industry sectors, including financial services (from banks to debt collection agencies), healthcare (from pharmaceutical companies to nutritional supplements), media, hospitality, food and beverage, real estate, transportation and technology. And, the issues he has addressed cover all consumer protection topics, including privacy / data breaches / data security, marketing practices, social media advertising, internet law, unfair competition, federal and state regulations, and compliance management.

Specifically, DiResta has successfully defended companies and individuals in dozens of governmental investigations – with many of those investigations being closed. DiResta is a former Director of the FTC's Southeast Regional office, where he supervised many of the enforcement, investigative, litigation and outreach activities of the Competition and Consumer Protection Bureaus of the agency. Among his accomplishments is his initiation and coordination of a consumer protection law enforcement sweep – including the DOJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 15 state attorneys general and the FTC – that resulted in more than 25 lawsuits and proceedings throughout the country. Under his leadership, the Southeast Regional office received the John Marshall Award from the U.S. Attorney General for its enforcement achievements. DiResta also served as a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division.

In June 2015, DiResta was honored as one of the nation's top "Regulatory Trailblazers & Pioneers" by The National Law Journal. It is an exclusive award that honors a select and prominent group of lawyers in the country who are leaders in successfully navigating the ever-changing fields of regulatory and compliance law.

DiResta served as general counsel and director of regulatory affairs to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), the trade association that focuses on social media marketing; and in that role, he consulted with the FTC on policy matters impacting digital advertising. He also holds leadership positions in several trade associations in the financial services industry.

DiResta is widely published in the areas of commercial litigation, FTC and CFPB matters, governmental investigations, consumer protection and antitrust law – with many articles cited by the courts and law review publications. In fact, one of his articles was cited with approval by the U.S. Supreme Court in Eastman Kodak Co. v. Image Technical Services, Inc., a leading antitrust decision.

As a thought leader on legal, regulatory, and policy matters, Mr. DiResta is a frequent speaker and panelist at leading conferences, has been interviewed and quoted by journalists in prominent media platforms, has chaired consumer protection summits, and has interviewed senior officials at the FTC and CFPB on enforcement initiatives, rulemaking, and supervisory examinations at forums.

In addition, DiResta is a life member of the American Law Institute (ALI), having served as an advisor and a member of Consultative Groups on several ALI projects, including the Principles of the Law, Data Privacy; Principles of the Law, Compliance, Risk Management and Enforcement; Principles of the Law, Governmental Ethics; and the Restatement of the Law, The Law Governing Lawyers. He also served in leadership positions with American Bar Association (ABA), Section of Litigation.

DiResta is the 2020 Recipient of the Rollins College Alumni Service Award, and is committed to pro bono and community service involving the arts and education. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Colburn School in Los Angeles, the Rollins College Alumni Board of Directors, the Board of Directors for Young Concert Artists in Washington, D.C., and on the Board of Directors of the Chopin Foundation in Miami. He also received the Sunshine Award from the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) for successfully representing a university newspaper before the Georgia Supreme Court, a case of first impression in first amendment jurisprudence concerning media access to governmental proceedings and documents.