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Google Lawyer Kevin Yingling Joins Freshfields Amid Antitrust Fight

By  |  September 9, 2024
Google

Kevin Yingling, a veteran attorney for Google, has transitioned to global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, taking on the role of antitrust partner in Washington, D.C.

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    Freshfields, which has previously served as outside counsel for the tech giant, confirmed the appointment on Monday. Yingling’s move comes at a critical time for Google, as the company is facing heightened antitrust scrutiny.

    Yingling, who spent 15 years at Google, most recently served as a director on the company’s competition legal team. Prior to his work at Google, he was an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust division. According to Reuters, his departure comes just as Google prepares for a significant antitrust trial in Alexandria, Virginia. This case, brought by the Department of Justice, challenges Google’s advertising practices, which prosecutors argue negatively impact news publishers. Google has denied the allegations.

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    Eric Mahr, co-chair of Freshfields’ global antitrust litigation group, is among the lawyers defending Google in the trial. Mahr has represented the company in multiple antitrust cases, including complex litigation over its advertising technology business. Leading the defense team is Karen Dunn from the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

    Related: Google Faces Major Antitrust Battle Over $20 Billion Ad Tech Business

    Freshfields has a long-standing relationship with Google, with its M&A lawyers advising on high-profile deals such as Google’s $5.4 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Mandiant in 2022 and a $1 billion investment in exchange operator CME Group in 2021, per Reuters.

    At Freshfields, Yingling will focus on competition law, including antitrust investigations, merger control, and strategic counseling. In a statement, Yingling noted that global regulatory bodies are rethinking their approach to competition policy, which is creating uncertainty for businesses navigating antitrust laws.

    “Global regulators and enforcers are continuing to rethink and recalibrate their approach to competition policy, which creates uncertainty and presents significant challenges to companies trying to navigate the antitrust laws,” Yingling said in an email to Reuters.

    Yingling’s departure follows that of Matthew Bye, another longtime Google competition lawyer, who left the company earlier this year, according to Forbes.

    Source: Reuters