By Sara Merken

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Andrew Finch, who was a top U.S. Justice Department antitrust official in the first Donald Trump administration, has joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore from rival New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Finch most recently co-chaired the antitrust practice at Paul Weiss. He previously served as principal deputy assistant attorney general and acting assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's antitrust division from 2017 to 2019.

Faiza Saeed, Cravath's presiding partner, in a statement said Finch's experience "will be invaluable to our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment."

Finch joins Cravath's litigation department as a partner in New York, where the firm said he will advise clients on antitrust investigations and litigation, including merger reviews. He was not immediately available for comment.

At Paul Weiss, Finch represented clients including Spirit Airlines, Uber and Mastercard in merger reviews.

A Paul Weiss spokesperson said the firm wishes him well. Cravath announced his hire the day following Republican President Trump's inauguration for his new term.

Cravath, one of the country's most profitable law firms, was historically known for infrequently making outside partner hires, instead promoting from within its ranks. But the firm has made a handful of hires in recent years, including several former government officials.

The firm opened a Washington, D.C. office with a trio of former government regulatory hires in 2022.

Noah Phillips, who was a commissioner on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in the first Trump administration, joined the firm as a partner in 2022 to co-chair its antitrust practice alongside Christine Varney, who was U.S. assistant attorney general for antitrust matters in the Obama administration and a FTC commissioner in the Clinton administration.

Cravath in 2023 hired Jeffrey Rosen, the former acting U.S. attorney general under Trump, as of counsel.

(Reporting by Sara Merken)

((Sara.Merken@thomsonreuters.com;))