FTC Names Edward D. Hassi Chief Litigation Counsel in Agency's Bureau of Competition

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today announced the appointment of Edward D. (Ted) Hassi, formerly a partner at the law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP, as Chief Litigation Counsel for the agency’s Bureau of Competition. He replaces J. Robert Roberston, who left the agency in 2010 to return to private practice.

“We are delighted to have Ted join the Bureau as Chief Litigation Counsel,” said Richard Feinstein, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. “His experience will serve us well in both leading cases and helping to develop the skills of our trial attorneys.”

Hassi had been a partner at O’Melveny & Myers since February 2008, before which he served as a counsel at the firm from June 2005 through January 2008. A member of the Securities Litigation and Antitrust/Competition practice groups, he led large litigation teams at O’Melveny, investigating, prosecuting, and defending complex civil litigations in state and federal court. Before joining O’Melveny, he was an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, from 1997 to 2005.

A 1986 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Hassi received his Juris Doctor degree (cum laude) in 1995 from Fordham University School of Law, where he earned the Order of the Coif and the Lawrence J. McKay Advocacy Award. He served as an officer in the Navy for eight years before law school, flying an anti-submarine warfare helicopter. He is married and has four daughters.

The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click: http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.