Samuel Levine

Samuel Levine is a Senior Fellow at the UC Berkeley Center for Consumer Law and Economic Justice, where he works to advance consumer rights through cutting-edge research, legislative advocacy, and mentorship of the next generation of consumer advocates. His work includes publishing reports and legal analyses, supporting successful state efforts to curb predatory financial practices, and developing strategies to strengthen consumer protection at both the state and national levels.

From 2021 until earlier this year, he served as Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, where he oversaw litigation, rulemaking, and market-monitoring initiatives across a wide range of industries. Under his leadership, the Bureau cracked down on junk fees and subscription traps, sharpened the FTC’s tools against fraud and dark patterns, brought landmark cases addressing tech and privacy abuses, and advanced new protections for workers and small businesses.
 

Before leading the Bureau, Sam served as an Attorney Advisor to Commissioner Rohit Chopra, working with him to promote vigorous enforcement on behalf of consumers and honest businesses. He previously served as an enforcement attorney in the FTC’s Midwest Regional Office and as an Assistant Attorney General in Illinois, where he prosecuted predatory for-profit colleges and filed one of the first state lawsuits under the Dodd-Frank Act. He clerked for Judge Milton I. Shadur of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Sam is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Harvard Law School, where as a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau he led efforts to challenge illegal foreclosures.