Navigating Antitrust from Every Angle: A Conversation with Laura Wilkinson

Laura Wilkinson’s career in antitrust law has spanned more than three decades and a variety of practice types. From her beginnings at the Federal Trade Commission to her time in private practice before settling in at PayPal as in-house counsel, Laura has seen it all. In this interview, we talk to Laura about her incredible career and learn what she’s most looking forward to at the Antitrust and Consumer Protection Section’s upcoming In-House Counsel Summit.

Q: How did your legal career start?

I graduated from law school in 1986 and began at the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition in Washington, D.C., where I practiced antitrust law from a government regulator’s perspective, primarily focusing on mergers and acquisitions. I did that for 10 years. I was deputy assistant director when I left the bureau and entered private practice. I was in private practice in D.C for over 20 years, becoming a partner at Clifford Chance and then at Weil Gotshal & Manges. In 2019, I moved to California to join PayPal’s legal department, where I am responsible for antitrust and competition law globally.

Q: What drew you to antitrust law specifically?

I got into antitrust law because of my background in business: an undergraduate degree in economics and an MBA. After law school, I was looking for a specialty within law where I could combine that skill set with the legal degree. Antitrust was one of those areas because economic analysis is central to antitrust law.  It has been helpful to have that background as I practice law in this area because of the regulatory aspects and the industrial organization focus, which includes understanding markets and competition.

Q: You’ve worked in government, private practice, and as in-house counsel. How do you think those experiences have shaped how you approach antitrust issues today and your career in general?

All the experiences I’ve had have built on each other and allowed me to better advise my clients – in private practice I had multiple clients, and now PayPal is my client. But I feel that even at PayPal, it’s like having multiple clients because we’re involved in so many different facets within the fintech industry. The experience of knowing how regulators look at things, working with clients as outside counsel, and engaging with other lawyers as colleagues, have all built on each other and, I think, allow me to better serve my internal PayPal clients.

Q: What would you say are some of the biggest challenges that antitrust lawyers are facing today, especially for people who are working in-house for companies like yours?

There are potential regulatory changes on the horizon, both in terms of new legislation or regulation, particularly outside of the U.S. and at the state level in the U.S., including in California, and in the potential for regulators to interpret existing laws differently. For example, in light of new technologies like artificial intelligence, regulators are considering how the current laws apply to these new technologies and whether new laws or regulations are needed to guard competition in these new technologies.

Q: Let’s talk about the upcoming In-House Counsel Summit. What motivated you to help plan this event, and what needs do you see this summit addressing for in-house attorneys?

I joined the Section’s executive committee last year and spearheaded our inaugural in‑house counsel summit to further engage in-house counsel members within the section and to attract additional CLA members to the Antitrust and Consumer Protection Section. The Section offers a lot of programming throughout the year, but we thought the summit would be a good way to not only provide for information sharing and networking among our in-house colleagues, but also to introduce and further engage in-house counsel within the section.

Last year was the first time we held the summit, and it was well-received, but we’re hoping this year will be even bigger and better.

Q: What are some of the topics that you’re most excited about for this year’s In-House Summit?

We have panelists from the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. They will provide their perspectives on how those agencies are prioritizing different areas within antitrust enforcement. This is a relatively new federal administration that’s now a little bit over a year in, and we want to hear their views on how things are going and what they see as the areas of prioritization for the future.

Q: Looking ahead, how do you see the role of in-house antitrust counsel evolving over the next few years?

Artificial intelligence is one of those things that could be a game-changer in the industry. I see it impacting not only businesses but also legal departments. In-house counsel are already incorporating AI into how we practice and how we review and disseminate information to our business teams. I think that AI is going to be a big change, not just in antitrust but in the legal profession.

New laws may be on the horizon. We know that there are some legislative efforts right now in California and other states to change the antitrust laws. And I think that may have an impact on how we practice and advise our clients over the next few years from a regulatory as well as litigation standpoint. For example, new laws may result in more regulatory enforcement actions as well private litigation.

Q: What advice would you give to lawyers who are kind of interested in getting into antitrust and working in an in-house role?

Remember that law is a relationship business, so maintain your relationships, whatever role you’re playing. Whether you’re a student developing relationships or a younger lawyer as you practice and engage with people on the opposite side of a transaction or litigation, or with regulators, maintain good relationships with everyone, and that will serve you well in your profession and your career. Similarly, when you’re in-house, it’s important to develop relationships with your business partners and legal colleagues because they’re not only your clients but also your source of information and a way to influence practices within the business.

I think the key is remembering that everything is about relationships, building and maintaining them and forging new ones.

Join Laura and the Antitrust and Consumer Protection Section at the 2026 In-House Counsel Summit on February 5 in Mountain View, CA. Learn more and register today.