Yes, the Viacom-Google (NSDQ: GOOG) lawsuit on YouTube is kicking up again and, well, “progressing”: Google has replaced the high-profile attorney leading its defense against the $1 billion lawsuit, reports MarketWatch. The lawsuit was filed in march last year, and in May, Google hired Phil Beck, a partner with Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP, to lead its defense. Beck has represented George W. Bush in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) during its anti-trust trial.

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But now, Beck is being replaced by attorneys from international firm Mayer Brown LLP…Google sad in a statement that this was done because “scheduling conflicts might pose problems as we move into the more active stages of discovery”.