FTC hires high-profile lawyer to help lead Google probe

The Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday it has enlisted a seasoned litigator to help lead its antitrust investigation into whether Google Inc. GOOG -0.08% has abused its dominance in Web-search advertising, a move that could provide a big boost to the agency's legal team if it ultimately decides to bring a case against the search giant. The commission hasn't decided whether to file a lawsuit against the Internet giant, but the hiring of Beth Wilkinson--a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and former Justice Department prosecutor--sends a signal that the commission is prepared to take its case to court, if necessary. A Google spokesman declined to comment. Ms. Wilkinson is expected to be intimately involved in the FTC staff's determination on whether to bring a complaint against Google, and she would likely be a key part of any litigation effort. FTC Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch said in an interview that Ms. Wilkinson would be a mentor to the agency's staff and "is somebody who is going to carry out the duties of a trial lawyer." Mr. Rosch said the agency has reached no conclusions in the Google investigation. But he added: "Obviously we would not bring her in if she were going to be completely idle." Mr. Rosch said he worked closely with Ms. Wilkinson in an antitrust case involving hospitals several years ago and recommended that the commission hire her. Richard Feinstein, head of the FTCs' competition bureau, said, "We are delighted to have someone of her caliber helping us on such an important matter for the Commission." He said Ms. Wilkinson's hiring does not signify any particular outcome of the agency's ongoing Google investigation. The commission, which launched the probe last year, is looking at whether Google searches unfairly steer users to the company's own growing network of services at the expense of rival providers. The European Union is also investigating Google's practices. Ms. Wilkinson, best known as one of the lead prosecutors in the case against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, entered a part-time, one-year contract with the commission that begins Monday, an FTC spokesman said. Ms. Wilkinson didn't immediately respond to a call for comment. Ms. Wilkinson joined Paul Weiss in 2009, after two-year stint as general counsel at Fannie Mae . Her clients include Pfizer Inc. PFE +0.09% and Philip Morris USA. Earlier in her career, Ms. Wilkinson was partner at law Latham & Watkins LLP, where she co-chaired the white-collar practice. She was a federal prosecutor from 1990 to 1998. Ms. Wilkinson is one several outside counsel to be drafted by the government into high-profile antitrust cases in recent years. The Justice Department last year hired Glenn D. Pomerantz, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, to assist the agency in its successful bid to block AT&T's T +0.71% proposed $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA. Justice Department pulled in David Boies, managing partner at Boies, Schiller and Flexner LLP, and other litigators for its antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. MSFT -0.40% in the 1990s.