Justice Department lawyer Ryan Kantor, who was an assistant chief of the health care and consumer products section in the Antitrust Division, has joined Morgan, Lewis & Bockius as a partner in Washington, D.C.

Morgan Lewis, which announced the move on Monday, said Kantor would focus on a broad range of complex antitrust matters, involving the health care, insurance, retail, and financial services sectors.

Kantor said he was attracted to Morgan Lewis by the global nature of the firm's work and clientele, its commitment to client service, and a collaborative culture that reminded him of his time at the Justice Department.

“I've been at DOJ for 10 years; I had a great run there,” Kantor said. “I really like the strength of the antitrust group here [at Morgan Lewis]. … I think now is a good time for me to make this move.”

The move helps Morgan Lewis rebuild its antitrust practice after some recent departures. Darren Tucker and Hill Wellford left leadership roles in the practice for Vinson & Elkins in February, followed by Gregory Wells, who left last month to become counsel at Vinson & Elkins.

Morgan Lewis, which touts its antitrust practice as “one of the largest in the world,” added Christina Renner as an antitrust partner in Brussels in March from French boutique firm BDGS Associés.

Kantor started at the Justice Department as a trial attorney in 2007. Among other enforcement matters there, he helped lead the DOJ's successful effort last year to block a multibillion-dollar merger of health insurance companies Aetna and Humana.

He declined to offer any predictions about the Antitrust Division's enforcement priorities, but Kantor said he expected turnover to remain consistent with past administrations. Among other notable recent departures, Eric Mahr, the division's former director of litigation, joined Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in February 2018.