WASHINGTON—Lauren Willard has rejoined Covington’s Antitrust and Appellate & Supreme Court Litigation practices as a partner in the firm’s Washington office. Lauren previously served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, on a career detail as Counselor to the Attorney General on competition and technology issues, and as a trial attorney on the US v. Google case team.
“Antitrust laws and regulatory oversight of conduct and mergers are undergoing significant transformation, and our clients are facing increased scrutiny as Federal, state, and international antitrust agencies are calling for more aggressive enforcement,” said Anne Lee, co-chair of Covington’s Antitrust practice. “Having a compelling team with deep regulatory insights and expertise from both DOJ and FTC has always been a hallmark of our practice, and Lauren brings not only substantive antitrust expertise from years in private practice at Covington, but also valuable perspective from having worked on the cutting edge of antitrust enforcement, including in the digital tech space.”
Tom Barnett, also co-chair of the practice, added, “Lauren is an exceptionally talented antitrust attorney, and we are fortunate to be able to add her experience and ability to our antitrust team.”
While in the government, Lauren focused on matters relating to competition and technology issues. As counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, Lauren advised on antitrust litigation, merger and appellate matters and served as a liaison to the Appellate and International Sections of the Antitrust Division. Based on her expertise, Lauren was detailed to the Office of the Attorney General to supervise the DOJ’s review of market-leading online platforms. In that role, she managed antitrust investigations relating to “Big Tech” and chaired the DOJ’s working group on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Following her detail, Lauren returned to the Antitrust Division to work directly on the U.S. v. Google case team.
At Covington, Lauren will represent clients in complex civil litigation and class actions, mergers and acquisitions, and government conduct investigations. She will also represent clients in matters before federal and state appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Lauren will bring significant experience in government litigation to bear on her appellate strategy for clients, especially in the area of antitrust and competition law,” said Beth Brinkmann, co-chair of Covington’s Appellate & Supreme Court Litigation practice. “Our practice extends from the U.S. Supreme Court to federal agencies and Lauren’s prior service as a Supreme Court law clerk combined now with her government practice will reinforce both the depth and breadth of our expertise.”
“When I decided to re-enter private practice, returning to Covington was an easy choice,” said Lauren. “I have great respect for the firm and have always admired the firm’s culture of collaboration and teamwork, and I look forward to working with my colleagues across the firm.”
Lauren graduated with a B.A. from Stanford University, a M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, and J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law where she was Articles Editor for Virginia Law Review. Lauren previously served as a law clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy at the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as for Judge Alex Kozinski at the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
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