The government's decision to hire a lawyer outside the department signals its determination to win this case, according to the Justice Department.
A DOJ spokesman said 
that Boies was hired to work with the government on the Microsoft case but would not elaborate.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson today set a hearing for January 13 on the government's request that Microsoft be held in contempt for violating a court order issued last week.
Justice has asked that Microsoft be held in civil contempt and fined $1 million a day for allegedly "flouting" an order Jackson issued last week that bars the software giant from requiring licensees of the Windows 95 operating system to carry its Internet browser.
Reporter Dan Goodin and Reuters contributed to this report.
