A Lawrence University alumnus has been named acting U.S. associate attorney general in the Justice Department by Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Bill Baer, a 1972 Lawrence graduate, will leave his current position as head of the department’s Antitrust Division to assume the department’s no. 3 post. He will replace Stuart Delery, the acting associate attorney general.
“From his work at the Federal Trade Commission to his leadership of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, he has demonstrated keen intelligence, strong judgment and consummate skill,” Lynch said in a statement announcing Baer’s appointment.
Baer has served as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division since December 2012. Within a month of his appointment, Baer moved to block Anheuser-Busch InBev’s takeover of Grupo Modelo. In April 2013, he ramped up litigation previously filed against Apple over the pricing of e-books. Also in 2013, his office challenged the merger between American and US Airways, which led the airlines to agree to significant divestitures to address competition concerns.
His antitrust work has been recognized with numerous awards. In 2010, the National Law Journal named him one of “the decade’s most influential lawyers.” The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers named Baer the “leading competition lawyer in the world” in 2006 and 2007.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in government from Lawrence and a law degree from Stanford University, Baer began his career with the Federal Trade Commission in 1975, serving first as an attorney advisor and then as assistant general counsel and director of congressional relations. In 1980, he joined the law firm of Arnold & Porter, where he led the firm’s antitrust practice.
Baer served on the Lawrence University Board of Trustees from 2000 until 2012, including the last two years as vice chair, before joining the Justice Department.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College” and Fiske’s Guide to Colleges 2016. Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
