Noah Joshua Phillips, Former FTC Commissioner, to Join Cravath

On October 17, 2022, Cravath announced that Noah Joshua Phillips, former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), will join the Firm as a partner.

Mr. Phillips will co-chair Cravath’s Antitrust Practice and advise clients across a range of antitrust issues, including mergers, business conduct and compliance, litigation and investigations. He will be based in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office.

“Noah has served as an FTC Commissioner during a very dynamic period for antitrust enforcement and rulemaking,” said Faiza J. Saeed, Cravath’s Presiding Partner. “His depth of experience and perspective on the current antitrust and regulatory landscape will be invaluable to our clients.”

With the addition of Mr. Phillips, Cravath’s partnership will include attorneys who have served in leadership positions across key federal regulatory agencies, including Christine A. Varney, former Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust and Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission; Jelena McWilliams, former Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; David J. Kappos, former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Elad L. Roisman, former Commissioner and Acting Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission; and John D. Buretta, former Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.

“The incredible team at Cravath has an unparalleled record of success in handling the most complex, high-impact antitrust matters, which define the legal landscape,” said Mr. Phillips. “It has been a tremendous honor to serve as Commissioner of the FTC, and I am thrilled to return to Cravath—where I began my legal career and trained—as it opens its Washington, D.C. office.”

Mr. Phillips was appointed FTC Commissioner in 2018 and was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate. As a Commissioner, he played an integral role in precedent-setting enforcement actions and regulatory efforts across the areas of antitrust, consumer protection, data security and privacy. His written antitrust opinions were consistently upheld by federal appellate courts, and he frequently testified before Congress and represented the Commission in international affairs.

Before joining the FTC, Mr. Phillips served as Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator and former Assistant Majority Leader John Cornyn, of Texas, on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In this role, he advised Senator Cornyn on legal and policy matters relating to administrative law, antitrust, bankruptcy, constitutional law, consumer privacy, fraud, intellectual property and securities.

Mr. Phillips received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2005 and his A.B. from Dartmouth College in 2000. He began his career at New York-based investment bank Wasserstein Perella & Co., and worked in Cravath’s Litigation Department from 2006 to 2010.

Please click here to read the Firm’s press release.