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Texas, backed by other states, has long been expected to follow
the Justice Department's lawsuit against Google but unrelated
allegations against Attorney General Ken Paxton of bribery and
abuse of office led to the departure of several lawyers who were
key to the Google investigation.
With the new hires, the Texas lawsuit could come as early as
this month, according to a source familiar with the office's
planning.
Paxton's office said in a statement that it had notified members
of the state legislature that the attorney general's office
intended to enter into contracts with the two law firms "to aid
the State of Texas should it seek to file an antitrust claim
against Google."
The Lanier Law firm, including founder Mark Lanier, is based in
Houston, Los Angeles and New York and its practice areas include
product liability and business litigation, according to its
website.
The law firm Keller Lenkner's website touts its work in complex
litigation.
The federal lawsuit filed in October argued that Google built a
great search engine but then fended off competition through
exclusive deals with Apple and others. It also alleged that
Google abused its dominance in search advertising. Texas signed
on to that lawsuit.
Colorado, New York and another group of states are also expected
to file a lawsuit against Google. Those state attorneys general
hope to consolidate their complaint with the federal lawsuit,
they said in a statement in October.
The Texas led group has been focusing on Google's ad-tech
dominance prompted by complaints by publishers and other
businesses whose publications rely on advertising revenue to
survive.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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