Joanna Rosen Forster

Overview

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.

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.

Career & Education

California
• Deputy Attorney General, Corporate Fraud Section,
California Department of Justice, 2015–2021
- California
  • Deputy Attorney General, Corporate Fraud Section,
  California Department of Justice, 2015–2021
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, ContextLogic, Inc.
- General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, ContextLogic, Inc.
University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 2006
University of California, Berkeley, B.A., Political Science, 2000
- University of California, Berkeley School of Law, J.D., 2006
- University of California, Berkeley, B.A., Political Science, 2000
California
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Law Clerk, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall, 2009
- Law Clerk, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the Honorable Consuelo B. Marshall, 2009
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco: Board Member

Family House Inc.: Member, Family Services Committee
- Jewish Community Center of San Francisco: Board Member
- Family House Inc.: Member, Family Services Committee
English
Spanish
- English
- Spanish

Joanna's Insights

Publication | 06.26.25

Is Section 230 Going To Change? The FTC, DOJ And FCC Signal Significant Change For Online Businesses

Blog Post | 06.16.25
State AG News: Robocalls, False Advertising, Inflated Rent May 29-June 11, 2025
Webinar | 06.11.25
Section 230: Implications for Digital Platforms, Online Businesses and E-Commerce
Speaking Engagement | 06.11.25
"Section 230: Implications for Digital Platforms, Online Businesses and E-Commerce," Crowell & Moring Webinar.

View All Insights

Representative Matters

Served as external general counsel and chief compliance officer for ContextLogic Inc., a publicly traded company. In this capacity, Joanna advised on all aspects of the business and public company functions, and provided counsel to the Board of Directors.
Served as a member of the litigation team that secured over $1 billion in recovery for CalPERS and CalSTRs in connection with the rating, due diligence, and underwriting of residential mortgage backed securities following the financial crisis of 2008-2010, which received the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in 2019.