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ARTICLE · 21 JUNE 2026

Antitrust Lawyer Migrations: Implications For Actions By Federal And State Agencies

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Despite the recent reporting on departures from the federal antitrust enforcement agencies, it would be wrong to equate this migration with disarmament and take actions based on that idea.

United StatesAntitrust/Competition Law
Michael L. Weiner
Michael L. Weiner

Despite the recent reporting on departures from the federal antitrust enforcement agencies, it would be wrong to equate this migration with disarmament and take actions based on that idea. Tremendous antitrust remains in the federal and state antitrust enforcement agencies.

According to data published in March by the US Office of Personnel Management, roughly one in five lawyers who worked in the federal government at the end of 2024 had left by March 2026 – meaning that more than 10,000 lawyers have departed from federal employment. The number of attorneys in the Department of Justice (DOJ) overall declined by 21% during that period, reflecting a loss of almost 2,700 lawyers, and industry analysis by one source estimates that the Antitrust Division lost at least 86 attorneys and economists following the start of the second Trump administration. Declines at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have been estimated at around 60 during a similar period.

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