Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, LAW FIRM NEWS: Antitrust attorneys welcomed by new firms, achieve promotions, (Apr 21, 2025)

By WK Editorial Staff

In addition, antitrust attorneys were appointed to a position with the ABA and to the office of FTC Commissioner.

Attorney hirings and promotions have been announced by a number of firms with antitrust practices. Moves to and from the Justice Department were noted. In addition, a new Vice Chair & Diversity Officer of the ABA’s Antitrust Law Section was celebrated, and a firm was recognized by The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

On the move. After serving 10 years with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Timothy Longman has joined BakerHostetler’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Antitrust and Competition team. Most recently, Longman was Acting Assistant Chief of the Civil Conduct Task Force. According to the April 21 announcement, he supervised the federal antitrust case accusing Google of illegally monopolizing the advertising technology market. Prior to joining the Justice Department, Longman was an associate at Paul Hastings.

Moving to the Justice Department, Mark Hamer, formerly a partner at Baker McKenzie, has been appointed as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, the firm announced on March 26. Hamer has over 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. At Baker McKenzie, Hamer served as Global Chair of the firm’s Antitrust & Competition Practice Group. While in private practice, he focused on antitrust litigation and antitrust conduct investigations around the world.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has added antitrust attorneys Bonnie Lau and Brian J. Smith as partners in the firm’s Regulatory and Compliance Department. Smith was formerly with K&L Gates, where he was a partner in the Antitrust, Competition, and Trade Regulation, as well as the Investigations, Enforcement, and White-Collar groups. He will focus on complex commercial litigation, corporate criminal defense, domestic and internal investigations, and antitrust counseling, and will represent both corporations and individuals facing federal and state grand jury subpoenas, cross-border investigations, and enforcement actions. Smith will operate in the firm’s Chicago office. Lau comes from Morrison & Foerster, where she co-led the San Francisco Litigation Department. She has successfully represented clients in class actions, multidistrict litigations, and enforcement actions, and has also managed international competition investigations and enforcement issues. Lau will be based in San Francisco. Both attorneys will provide comprehensive counsel on complex antitrust litigation, compliance issues, and government investigations.

Also, Covington has announced that Nils Wahl, formerly a judge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), has joined the firm’s Competition and Litigation Practice in Brussels. Wahl has extensive experience in European legal affairs. He has served in a number of high-ranking judicial and academic roles over the past two decades. Before his tenure as CJEU judge, he served as Advocate General at the CJEU, and as a judge at the General Court. In addition, he was a professor of EU law at Stockholm University. Wahl’s expertise aligns with Covington’s expanding focus on European litigation and regulatory matters.

Finally, DiCello Levitt has announced that Carrie Syme has joined the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Litigation Practice Group in New York as a partner. Syme was formerly a trial attorney with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice. She has extensive experience in complex litigation, government enforcement, and trial advocacy. She has led investigations and prosecutions involving price-fixing, bid-rigging, and market allocation conspiracies, and played a pivotal role in some of the division’s largest and most complex cases. Syme also played a vital role in the DOJ’s criminal enforcement efforts against anticompetitive employment practices.

Promotions. Creighton Macy has been appointed Global Chair of the Antitrust & Competition Practice at Baker McKenzie, the firm announced. Creighton, a leading global antitrust practitioner, is recognized globally with respect to high-stakes transactions, investigations, and compliance and counseling work. Baker McKenzie’s North America Antitrust team, which Creighton has led since 2020, has garnered widespread recognition and undergone significant growth under his leadership. Before he joined Baker McKenzie in 2017, Creighton served as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, where he worked as a senior advisor to the Assistant Attorney General on civil and criminal antitrust enforcement and policy matters.

Additionally, Baker Botts LLP has announced that it has appointed Paul Cuomo as Co-Chair of its Global Antitrust Practice. Cuomo will advise clients on complex antitrust matters, such as antitrust investigations and litigation, multi-jurisdictional merger reviews, and compliance. He has represented clients in many high-profile antitrust matters, including investigations before the U.S. antitrust authorities, the European Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and other leading global regulatory bodies.

ABA Appointment. Scott Martin, a partner at Hausfeld and Co-Chair of the firm’s U.S. Antitrust/Competition Practice Group, has been appointed Vice Chair & Diversity Officer of the American Bar Association (ABA) Antitrust Law Section for the 2025-2026 term. Martin’s transition to his new leadership role will take effect at the beginning of the Section programming year in summer 2025. He has been an active leader within the ABA Antitrust Law Section, and is now completing a term as International Officer. He previously served as Programs Officer, Antitrust Law Section Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, Secretary & Communications Officer, Council Member, Chair of multiple committees (including Trial Practice and Civil RICO). He also chaired the Global Private Litigation Conference and served on the Editorial Board Member of Antitrust Law Developments.

Recognition. Arnold & Porter has been recognized in the 2025 edition of The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for its international competition work. The Legal 500 EMEA noted Arnold & Porter’s competition practice in Belgium for its practical, business-focused advice and strong cross-border capabilities across Europe and the U.S. The firm’s Brussels office is home to its robust European regulatory and antitrust/competition practices. The office comprises lawyers from a number of EU countries who advise clients on EU and cross-border competition and regulatory matters.

Appellate victory. Arnold & Porter successfully represented Nucor Corporation, a domestic steel producer, before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in an antitrust case brought against Nucor, AK Steel, and U.S. Steel by competing steel producer JSW Steel. The Fifth Circuit panel unanimously affirmed dismissal of the claims. The Arnold & Porter litigation team was led by partner Rob Katerberg, who argued the case in the district court and Fifth Circuit, and it included senior counsel James L. Cooper and senior associate, Kolya Glick.

Firm praises attorneys for win in Google trial. Kressin Powers lauded the litigation teams of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice and attorneys general from 17 states on their successful challenge to Google’s Ad Tech monopoly. Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia determined that Google had unlawfully monopolized the markets for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The Court also found that Google unlawfully tied its publisher ad server (DFP) to its ad exchange (AdX) in violation of both Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Kressin Powers’ attorney Aaron Teitelbaum served as co-lead counsel on the DOJ team for the three-week trial this past September.

Kressin Powers partner appointed as FTC Commissioner. Mark Meador, formerly a partner at Kressin Powers, has been confirmed by the Senate as the new Commissioner of the FTC. Meador played a central role in building Kressin Meador Powers, now Kressin Powers, into a premier antitrust litigation boutique. Meador’s former firm congratulated him on his appointment, praising his leadership, creativity, and dedication.

Attorneys: Timothy Longman (Baker & Hostetler LLP). (Paul Hastings LLP). Bonnie Lau, Brian J. Smith (Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati). Nils Wahl (Covington). Mark Hamer, Mark Meador (Department of Justice). Carrie Syme (DiCello Levitt). Creighton Macy (Baker McKenzie). Paul Cuomo (Baker Botts LLP). Scott Martin (Hausfeld). Rob Katerberg, James L. Cooper, Kolya Glick (Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP). Aaron Teitelbaum (Kressin Powers). (K&L Gates). (Morrison & Foester).

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