Senate Confirms Key Administration Posts at the Federal Trade Commission and Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice

The Senate recently confirmed Dr. Joshua D. Wright to a seven-year term as Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission and William J. Baer as Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division, Department of Justice.

Joshua Wright, a Republican, joins the FTC from the George Mason University where he was a Professor at the School of Law and member of the Department of Economics.  Professor Wright previously served as the inaugural Scholar in Residence at the FTC’s Bureau of Competition and is known for his expertise antitrust law and economics, consumer protection, empirical law and economics, intellectual property and the law and economics of contracts.  Professor Wright has testified at the joint Department of Justice/ Federal Trade Commission Hearings; his publications have appeared in leading academic journals.  Professor Wright received both a J.D. and a Ph.D. in economics from UCLA, and a B.A. in economics with highest departmental honors at the University of California, San Diego.

Bill Baer joins DOJ from private practice where he represented a broad range of companies in U.S. and international cartel investigations, mergers and acquisition reviews, and in antitrust litigation.  From 1995 to 1999, he served as the Director for the Bureau of Competition at the FTC, where he began his legal career in 1975 as a trial attorney for the Bureau of Consumer Protection.  A Wisconsin native, Mr. Baer holds a B.A. from Lawrence University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School.  The Justice Department has not had a permanent antitrust chief since August 2011.

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Kelley Drye is recognized as a premier antitrust and competition firm. Our national reputation stems from our proven track record of successfully representing clients in complex competition issues arising under federal and state antitrust laws. Our professionals include officials from the ABA Antitrust Section, and former officials of the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the FTC. Our firm is also supported by Georgetown Economic Services, an economic consulting firm.

For more information about this client advisory, please contact:

William C. MacLeod
(202) 342-8811
wmacleod@​kelleydrye.​com