General Counsel of Federal Trade Commission Joins Sidley

Washington, D.C. – Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Jonathan E. Nuechterlein is joining the firm as a partner after serving as general counsel for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). He will co-lead Sidley’s Communications Regulatory practice and also join the Antitrust/Competition practice.

“Jon is one of the most well-respected regulatory and competition policy lawyers in the country,” said Mark Hopson, managing partner of Sidley’s Washington, D.C. office. “His reputation and unparalleled experience will materially enhance our capabilities to help clients across a range of areas of law, including communications regulation, antitrust, and appellate litigation. Jon was a promising Sidley associate in the 1990s before entering government service, and we are proud to welcome him back to the firm.”

Mr. Nuechterlein joined the FTC as general counsel in 2013, where he served as the chief legal officer and led a 53-person team within the Office of General Counsel. Mr. Nuechterlein’s primary responsibilities included representing the Commission in a variety of actions in federal court; providing legal counsel to FTC, its operating bureaus and offices; and advising on matters relating to antitrust and consumer protection.

Prior to the FTC, Mr. Nuechterlein was a partner at an international law firm from 2001 to 2013, where he was chair of the communications, privacy and internet law practice. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Nuechterlein served as deputy general counsel for the Federal Communications Commission. From 1996 to 2000, he served as an assistant to the solicitor general at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he argued seven cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. He was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter and Judge Stephen F. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.