Former FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez tapped to lead antitrust at global law firm

The nation's former top consumer-protection official is headed to Hogan Lovells, a top international law firm, to specialize on an increasingly visible area of policy: antitrust and competition law. Edith Ramirez, the chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission during President Barack Obama's tenure, will help lead the firm's practice on economic regulation and antitrust. She'll also take on some of its work in cybersecurity and privacy, two issues that were a core part of Ramirez's portfolio at the FTC.

The move highlights the increasing relevance of corporate power to average consumers, as companies such as Google have been penalized in Europe for alleged monopolistic behavior, and members of the two major political parties in the United States question whether major tech platforms such as Facebook and Amazon have become too dominant.