US: DOJ antitrust litigation chief resigns

A top official has left the the Justice Department’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division just as it gears up for a trial over the merger of AT&T and Time Warner.

Director of Litigation Eric Mahr closed his two-year, two-month tenure at the DOJ last week, he confirmed Tuesday, November 22. Mahr, a former antitrust partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, said he always planned to only stay at the DOJ for a couple of years, and that his departure is not a result of changes at the department. His predecessor, Mayer Brown’s Mark Ryan, held it for a similar stretch between 2012 to 2015.

Asked why he didn’t depart during the change of administration, a common time for career lawyers to leave, Mahr said it was important for him to help ensure a smooth transition.

“I wanted to make sure I stayed as long as I could to help the transition of the new group and finish up the litigation that was filed under the previous administration,” he said.

Mahr is the second big-law attorney to hold the Director of Litigation position, with Ryan being the first. In addition to collaborating with other directors in the division, such as the directors of civil and criminal enforcement, the Director of Litigation is charged with training and developing litigation staff lawyers, as well as taking lead roles in trials and hearings, and providing strategic guidance. The role is currently listed as vacant on the division’s website.

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