David C. Shonka

David is a Partner at Redgrave LLP, where he counsels clients on discovery in litigation and investigations and regulatory and compliance matters, including compliance with court orders and complex privilege projects. David also provides expert opinions on electronic discovery and data privacy topics and advises clients on responding to government inquiries and litigation claims relating to investigations, including cross-border demands. David is recognized as a thought leader and regularly speaks on consumer protection, competition, privacy, data security, and eDiscovery in the U.S. and abroad.

As Redgrave’s General Counsel, David advises the Firm and its employees about a wide variety of legal matters and oversees and reviews legal risk and compliance issues for the Firm.

Prior to joining Redgrave, David served three terms as the Acting General Counsel at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and ten years as the agency’s Principal Deputy General Counsel. In both roles, he oversaw the Office’s Litigation, Legal Counsel, and Opinions and Analysis Groups, as well as FOIA, Employment Law, and Energy Counsel Staff. Before becoming the Principal Deputy General Counsel, David was the agency’s Assistant General Counsel for Litigation. While at the FTC, David advised on and litigated complex competition and consumer protection cases in federal district courts, tried cases in administrative proceedings, briefed and argued multiple cases in the courts of appeals, and oversaw the revision of the FTC’s Rules of Practice pertaining to investigations and administrative litigation.

In addition to serving on the Institute for Advertising Ethics’ advisory committee, David is a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States, providing informed and objective assessments about best practices throughout the government. He is also a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), and a Journal of Law and Cyberwarfare editorial board member. David is a member of the Board of Directors of the Sedona Conference® and continues to be active in the Conference as a Chair Emeritus of the Steering Committee of the Working Group on International Electronic Information Management, Discovery, and Disclosure (WG6) and a member of the Working Group on Data Security and Privacy Liability (WG11). He is also a former member of the Steering Committee for the Working Group on Electronic Document Retention and Production (WG1). While at the FTC, he chaired the Agency’s eDiscovery Steering Committee. David is also a founder, Director and Secretary of the International Data Law Forum.

David received his J.D. with honors from the University of Maine Law School and a B.A. from the University of Nebraska. David is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Connecticut, the United States Supreme Court, and the United States Courts of Appeals for several Circuits.