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Bill Baer, a Lawrence University alumnus and long-serving member of its Board of Trustees, was recognized on December 12 by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for his significant contributions to antitrust law. The DOJ's Antitrust Division awarded Baer the John Sherman Award, acknowledging his work in the "substantive development of antitrust law and the preservation of economic liberty."

Baer graduated from Lawrence University with a Bachelor of Arts in government and later received Lawrence’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. He served as acting associate attorney general at the DOJ from 2016 to 2017, overseeing various divisions including Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Tax, and Environment and Natural Resources. His tenure followed three years as assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division after being nominated by President Obama.

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter praised Baer's contributions in a statement: “Few living Americans have contributed more meaningfully or substantially to the life and enforcement mission of our federal antitrust agencies than Bill Baer... Bill is a generational talent and visionary who could not be more deserving of the John Sherman Award.”

In addition to his public service, Baer has been a partner at Arnold & Porter law firm and is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution. The National Law Journal named him one of “the decade’s most influential lawyers” in 2010.

Baer's career includes serving as director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 1995 to 1999 and later as assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Antitrust Division from 2013 to 2016. During this time, he promoted strong antitrust enforcement, successfully prosecuting civil and criminal violations. Under his leadership, several anticompetitive mergers were halted across various markets.

His antitrust career began in 1975 as a trial attorney in the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. He also held roles such as attorney advisor to the chair and assistant general counsel for legislation and relations before returning to private practice. The FTC awarded him with the Miles W. Kirkpatrick Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

The John Sherman Award was established in 1994 by the DOJ's Antitrust Division to honor outstanding contributions to antitrust law. It is named after Senator John Sherman, author of the Sherman Act of 1890.

Baer served on Lawrence University's Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2012 before rejoining it in 2017.