Cooley Recruits Ex-Justice Department Antitrust Senior Director

Kathy O’Neill, the former senior director of investigations and litigation for the Justice Department’s antitrust division, has joined Cooley, the law firm announced Wednesday.

O’Neill, who held the division’s highest career civil enforcement position, joined the firm’s Washington office after leaving the department in May.

“We expand our ability to take on any antitrust challenge” with the addition of O’Neill, Jacqueline Grise, chair of Cooley’s antitrust and competition practice, said in a statement.

Cooley has been stepping up hiring in its antitrust practice, as the firm in March added partner Ethan Glass in Washington—who also had served with Justice’s antitrust division—Caroline Hobson in London, and Jonas Koponen in Brussels.

Justice has also been making additions to its antitrust unit, as the department gears up for possible major new lawsuits, including one against Alphabet Inc.'s Google over its online advertising dominance, Bloomberg News has reported.

In her 15-year Justice career, O’Neill oversaw merger and civil conduct probes, as well as litigation that targeted a range of industries, according to her Cooley bio page. She previously served as head of the antitrust division’s transportation, energy and agriculture section.

O’Neill said in a statement she’s excited to join the firm—"especially in this period of heightened antitrust enforcement.”