Maureen K. Ohlhausen, the former acting chair of the Federal Trade Commission and a nationally recognized expert in antitrust law, is joining Baker Botts as a partner next month.
The Houston-based law firm announced Thursday that Ohlhausen will be based in its Washington, D.C. office and will co-chair the global antitrust practice
Ohlhausen, who was nominated to the FTC by President Barack Obama in 2012, held the highest-ranking position at the FTC from January 2017 to May 2018. In that role, she was responsible for antitrust enforcement and consumer protection.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump nominated Ohlhausen, a Federalist Society member, to serve on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Though her nomination received a favorable 11-10 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee in June, Ohlhausen has withdrawn her name from full consideration and decided to enter private practice at Baker Botts. She officially joins the firm on January 1, 2019.
“Maureen has an exceptionally impressive background highlighted by her significant and influential recent tenure as Acting Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and as a former Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. Our clients will directly benefit from having a lawyer with Maureen’s depth of experience available to work with them on their antitrust and FTC related matters,” Andrew Baker, managing partner of Baker Botts, said in a statement.