Juan A. Arteaga Sidley Austin LLP said Wednesday it had hired the chair of Crowell & Moring LLP's New York antitrust practice.

Juan A. Arteaga joins Sidley's antitrust and competition practice as a partner after more than eight years at Crowell & Moring.

In an interview with Law360 Pulse Wednesday, Arteaga said he wanted to join Sidley because "it's long been recognized as a premier firm," where sophisticated clients turn to for their complex issues.

"In addition, Sidley has one of the best and most well-rounded antitrust practices, which I thought would allow me to more effectively advise and represent my clients," Arteaga said. "And moreover, its international platform and strong cultural entrepreneurship and collaboration were big draws for me."

In addition to his time in private practice, Arteaga spent close to 3.5 years with the U.S. Department of Justice, including as a deputy assistant attorney general in the antitrust division, according to his LinkedIn profile.

As deputy assistant attorney general, Arteaga oversaw a number of complex mergers and conducted investigations across a variety of industries, including aerospace, transportation, technology and financial services. He played a leading role in multiple merger challenges that resulted in blocked or abandoned transactions following trial, the firm said.

In an email to Law360 Pulse, Arteaga said public service has always been central to his career.

"I strongly believe that those of us who have the privilege of being lawyers have a moral duty to use our skills and platforms to help others and make our society more fair and just," Arteaga said.

In private practice, Arteaga said his clients have been recently focused on issues related to higher education, algorithmic pricing and employment noncompete agreements, which "both antitrust enforcers and private plaintiffs have been focused on in recent years," he said.

Arteaga said in an email that he expects enforcers "to continue to focus on technology markets," like those involving artificial intelligence, and pricing platforms.

"The DOJ and [Federal Trade Commission] appear to have incorporated the public's 'affordability' concerns into their enforcement priorities, whether it's the cost of housing, healthcare, education, and groceries as well as employee wages," Arteaga said. "I fully expect this enforcement approach to continue in the coming year."

Yvette Ostolaza, chair of Sidley's management committee, said that the firm had been "investing quite a bit" in antitrust work, which it saw as "a growth area in activity for our clients."

"We have continued to see activity both at the DOJ level and in the courts," Ostolaza said. "In particular, we wanted to continue to strengthen our antitrust practice in New York. ... Juan Arteaga, as we started looking at people that we wanted to go after, was someone that was already known to partners in our firm from a variety of activities, and so we were thrilled when we were able to persuade him to meet with us."

Ostolaza said Arteaga's background in government service was a plus for the firm's clients.

"We've seen him involved in investigations and we believe that he would be wonderful," Ostolaza said.

In addition to his antitrust focus, Arteaga represents corporations and financial institutions in complex commercial litigation including securities fraud actions, shareholder derivative actions and contracts disputes, the firm said.

A Columbia Law School graduate, Arteaga clerked for Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Roger L. Gregory, then worked as a Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP attorney for a little over nine years. He moved to the DOJ from that role in 2013, and joined Crowell & Moring in 2017.

Nancy Chung, managing partner of Sidley's New York office and head of the litigation group in New York, said in a statement that Arteaga's addition in the city was of particular importance as it was an area "where clients increasingly face complex enforcement risk and follow-on litigation."

"He brings a combination of government insight, trial experience, and practical business judgment that our clients value highly," Chung said in a statement.