Maureen K. Ohlhausen

Section Chair - Antitrust & Competition Law (Firmwide) Partner

maureen.ohlhausen@bakerbotts.com

Washington, D.C.

P: +1.202.639.7726
F: +1.202.585.1064
Maureen Ohlhausen

A “prominent market figure” who is “smart, substantive, easy to work with and her tremendous experience is very beneficial.”

Chambers USA 2020

Maureen K. Ohlhausen chairs the firm's Global Antitrust and Competition practice. Her practice focuses on antitrust, privacy and data security and consumer protection investigations and litigation both in the U.S. and abroad. She advises top-tier clients across a wide variety of industries including technology, retail, telecommunications, social media, and life sciences.

Maureen is sought after for her depth of experience both nationally and globally on antitrust and Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-related matters. She is known for her relationships with officials in the U.S. and abroad, with a particular emphasis on Europe and China.

She most recently led the FTC as Acting Chairman and Commissioner where she directed all aspects of the FTC's antitrust work, including merger review and conduct enforcement, and steered all FTC consumer protection enforcement, with a particular emphasis on privacy and technology issues. She regularly led the U.S. delegation at international antitrust and data privacy meetings and is the only FTC Commissioner to have received the Robert Pitofsky Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her knowledge of and contributions to the Commission.

Prior to her role as Commissioner, she led the FTC's Internet Access Task Force, which produced an influential report analyzing competition and consumer protection legal issues in the areas of broadband and internet.

A recognized thought leader, Maureen is a frequent author and speaker and is often quoted by leading print and broadcast media on antitrust, FTC, and privacy and data security matters. She has published dozens of articles on antitrust, privacy, intellectual property, regulation, FTC litigation, telecommunications and international law issues in prestigious publications. She has also testified over a dozen times before the U.S. Congress, including recent appearances before the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Antitrust Sub-Committee.

Maureen previously headed the FTC practice group at a leading telecommunications law firm, representing and counseling telecommunications and technology clients on antitrust compliance, privacy and consumer protection matters before the FTC and the FCC. She began her legal career as a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Related Experience

  • Representing a semiconductor manufacturing company in an FTC anticompetitive conduct investigation
  • Representing a major online company in an FTC investigation that includes privacy, data security, and COPPA issues
  • Representing a large technology company before the Department of Justice in a merger matter
  • Representing a large technology company in an FTC study on non-reportable acquisitions
  • Advising a large grocery retailer on antitrust issues related to anti-competitive pricing strategies and potential monopolistic competition
  • Consulting and representing 21st Century Privacy Coalition before federal and state officials regarding new privacy laws and regulations
  • Advising a multinational online technology company on data privacy, consumer protection, and antitrust issues related to e-commerce, digital platforms and other issues
  • Advising a multinational online technology company related to FTC privacy order compliance, data policy, and related matters, including recommended legislative frameworks
  • Advising a technology company on content moderation, antitrust and privacy law issues affecting the industry
  • Advising a data applications developer on COPPA and other data privacy issues in the creation and deployment of the app and related services
  • Advising companies on compliance strategies and internal data audits, including in a global context involving the cross-border transfer of data

While at the FTC, Maureen's experience included:

  • Directing all aspects of the FTC antitrust work, including merger review, anticompetitive conduct enforcement, litigation strategy, amicus briefs, Congressional testimony, and policy initiative
  • Overseeing and steering all FTC consumer protection law enforcement and policy efforts, with a particular emphasis on technology and telecommunications issues
  • Hearing appeals in administrative adjudications and authoring FTC legal opinions

Awards & Community

Recognized in Antitrust by Chambers USA, 2020-2022

Recognized as a "Leading Lawyer" by The Legal 500 U.S., 2021 & 2022

FTC Robert Pitofsky Lifetime Achievement Award

Touchstones of Leadership Public Policy Award

Phoenix Center Public Service Award

George Mason University Distinguished Alumni Award

Internet Association's Internet Freedom Award, 2017

News

results Page of

Bloomberg Technology

Bloomberg Technology - Bloomberg Television

Bloomberg Technology - Bloomberg Television

Thought Leadership

results Page of

Antitrust in Times of Crisis and Emerging from the Crisis

Speeches & Presentations

Keynote Address, Law Council of Australia Competition & Consumer Workshop

Antitrust, FTC and eCommerce

Speeches & Presentations

Private Label Manufacturing Association Virtual 2020 Washington Conference

The Future: Global Privacy Regulation and Convergence

Speeches & Presentations

Panelist, TechGC,  Privacy Virtual Forum: The GC’s Role in Operationalizing Privacy At Home and Abroad

 

Hot Topics

Speeches & Presentations

Speaker, 67th ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting

Events

Upcoming

results Page of

Recent

results Page of

2020 Houston Board of Directors Forum

The third annual Houston Board of Directors Forum is a half day event that will address hot topics and critical issues affecting Boards and Corporate Directors in 2020.

KNect365 Antitrust TX 2019

Baker Botts Antitrust Partners Erik Koons and Maureen Ohlhausen will be speaking at the Knect365 Antitrust TX 2019 Conference in Houston on September 24, 2019.

Georgetown Law Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium

Baker Botts is proud to co-sponsor the 13th Annual Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium on September 10, 2019. The conference is a leading forum for lawyers, policymakers, corporate executives, economists, and academics to address current issues in competition law and policy. This year's event will be held on the Georgetown University Law Center campus in the Hart Auditorium.

27th Annual Fordham IP Conference

Baker Botts Partner Maureen Ohlhausen will be speaking at the 27th Annual Fordham IP Conference on Friday, April 26th.

LeadershIP 2019

Baker Botts Partner Maureen Ohlhausen will be speaking at the sixth annual LeadershIP conference in Washington D.C. on March 26, 2019.

Practices

+ 2 More

Industries

Featured

Education

J.D., George Mason University School of Law 1991
with distinction
American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Business Associations

B.A., English, University of Virginia 1984
with honors
National Merit Scholar
Echols Scholar

Admission & Affiliations

District of Columbia Bar

Virginia State Bar

United States Supreme Court

Co-chair, ABA Tech Summit (2019)

Senior Editor, Antitrust Law Journal (2008-2012)

Board Member, Better Business Bureau National Program

Board of Advisors, Washington Legal Foundation

Board Member, Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation

Member, ABA Competition and Public Policy Task Force (2008-2010)

Vice chair, Advocacy Committee, American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law (2007-2008)

George Mason University School of Law, adjunct faculty: Unfair Trade Practices (2007), Emerging Law of Internet Privacy (2006)