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NEWS OCTOBER 26, 2020 ¦ 23

Meet Google’s Defense Lawyers and the
DOJ Prosecutors

By C. Ryan Barber

The Google sign at Googleplex, the corporate headquarters complex of Google and its parent company,

L Alphabet Inc., in Mountain View, California. Photo: by Tada Images/Shutterstock
eading antitrust lawyers from Williams & Con- It marks the most aggressive challenge to a tech com-
nolly and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati pany’s dominance since the Justice Department’s
have taken up Google’s defense against an anti- case against Microsoft more than two decades ago,
trust lawsuit that has set the stage for a clash in court carrying the promise of a blockbuster, high-stakes
between the U.S. Justice Department and one of the court fight with the potential to send shockwaves
world’s wealthiest companies. through Silicon Valley.
After an extensive investigation spanning more Behind the scenes of the review were former
than a year, the Justice Department on Tuesday filed Supreme Court clerks, Big Law alumni and heavy-
an antitrust lawsuit against Google alleging that the weights in the antitrust defense bar.
tech giant has unlawfully maintained a monopoly in Google has picked Williams & Connolly partner
search and search advertising. John Schmidtlein to spearhead its defense in the U.S.
The lawsuit, filed in Washington federal court, District Court for the District of Columbia, the com-
is the first to arise out of a sweeping review of the pany confirmed Tuesday. Schmidtlein, a leader of
tech industry that has been divided between the Jus- Williams & Connolly’s antitrust practice, previously
tice Department and Federal Trade Commission.
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