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OBAMA’S ANTITRUST CHOICE

The recent nomination of Arnold & Porter partner William Baer to lead the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division is drawing high praise from some of Baer’s contemporaries in D.C.’s antitrust bar. President Barack Obama‘s selection came as little surprise to Jones Day partner Joe Sims. “It’s almost impossible that he could have picked a better guy,” he said. “On the merits, it’s inconceivable anyone could object.” Sims, who represented Comcast Corp. opposite Baer on the NBC-Comcast merger, said that Baer is a smart attorney with sound judgment. Baer, who declined comment, also represented AT&T in its failed $39 billion bid for T-Mobile USA. Kevin Arquit, a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, said that Baer’s stint as director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition from 1995 to 2000 adds to his qualification. “His history is balanced enough that he should not be seen as a lightning rod,” Arquit said. Other Baer clients at Arnold & Porter have included Visa Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. — Matthew Huisman