Alden Abbott

Alden Abbott is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

His research focuses on antitrust, competition policy, and the application of law & economics to regulatory policy, intellectual property, and international competition issues.

Abbott previously served as general counsel of the Federal Trade Commission, acting as the agency’s chief legal officer. Earlier at the FTC, he held multiple leadership roles, including deputy director of the Office of International Affairs, associate director of the Bureau of Competition, and attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Policy.

Outside the FTC, he was an adjunct professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. He also served as deputy director and senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and as director of global patent law and competition strategy at Research In Motion (BlackBerry).

Earlier in his career, he worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce, including as acting general counsel, and held several senior legal posts at the U.S. Department of Justice, including positions in the Antitrust Division and the Office of Legal Counsel. He began his legal career as an associate attorney at Fried Frank.

Abbott serves on the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law’s international task force and formerly sat on the editorial board of the Antitrust Law Journal.

He earned a bachelor’s from the University of Virginia, a master’s in economics from Georgetown University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.