Matt focuses on a wide range of antitrust matters, including complex transactions (and any related litigation), antitrust counseling, and government investigations. Matt is frequently relied upon to obtain regulatory clearance for many of the toughest, high profile deals. Representative clients and transactions include Bristol-Myers Squibb in its acquisition of Celgene, AbbVie in its pending acquisition of Allergan, Liqui-Box in its acquisition of DS Smith Plastics, Staples in its acquisition of Essendant, GlaxoSmithKline in its joint venture with Pfizer, Tronox in its acquisition of Cristal’s TiO2 business, Spectrum Brands’ sale of Rayovac to Energizer, Mazor Robotics’ sale to Medtronic, Sycamore Partners, Health Care Service Corporation, Blackstone, and Cinven.
Merger control
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
George Cary is a partner based in the Washington, D.C. office of Cleary Gottlieb. He has decades of experience in sophisticated antitrust matters, representing companies on industry-transforming transactions and complex monopolization litigation. His recent merger highlights include Walt Disney/21st Century Fox, T-Mobile/Sprint, and Dow/DuPont. His recent litigation highlights include defending Sanofi US and Keurig Green Mountain in closely watched monopolization cases. Prior to joining Cleary in 1998, Mr. Cary served as Deputy Director of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, where he oversaw a record number of merger transactions.
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Marin Boney is an antitrust and competition partner in Kirkland’s Washington, D.C., office. Ms. Boney regularly represents clients before the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice in complex merger reviews and government investigations. She also counsels clients on a range of business issues, including joint ventures, pricing, and distribution agreements. Ms. Boney has represented clients in a wide variety of industries, with particularly strong experience in software and technology, energy, healthcare, and consumer products and services transactions.Before law school, Ms. Boney was an analyst at the economic consulting firm Lexecon Inc. (now part of Compass Lexecon).
Antitrust Partner. Mr. Asker is an antitrust and competition partner. His practice focuses on antitrust aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures and represents clients before the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. He has advised clients in a range of industries, including technology and software, aerospace and defense, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, energy, and financial services, among others.
Leah Brannon’s practice focuses on antitrust matters, including litigation, merger review, and government investigations. She has represented clients in various industries including high technology, advertising, consumer products, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals. Her work has involved cases in both federal and state courts, and she has advised clients in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, state antitrust authorities and the European Commission. Leah has helped to secure critical wins for clients in numerous cases, including monopolization and conspiracy litigation. She has also helped clients obtain global merger clearance in complex transactions and has guided clients through government conduct investigations. She is also active in the firm’s pro bono practice.
Daniel Culley’s practice as a Partner at the firm focuses on antitrust counseling and antitrust litigation. His work includes counseling, merger control, antitrust litigation, and civil and criminal government investigations, particularly for high-tech industries and two-sided markets. Daniel has represented clients in federal and state courts and advised clients in both criminal and civil investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the FTC, state agencies, and the European Commission.
Elaine Ewing’s practice as a partner at the firm focuses on all areas of antitrust law, including merger reviews by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, and foreign authorities; civil antitrust litigation; criminal and civil antitrust investigations; and antitrust counseling. She frequently lectures and writes about antitrust issues.
Kenneth S. Reinker’s practice as a Partner at the firm focuses on all aspects of antitrust law, including litigation, government investigations, and merger review. Ken’s practice spans all industries, including extensive experience in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and health care; high-technology industries; media; and financial institutions. Ken has particular experience in the application of economics to legal matters and in working with economic experts. In addition to appearing before U.S. courts and regulators, he has had in-depth involvement with China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and other global regulators.
Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
John Harkrider was named GCR’s Lawyer of the Year and Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer in connection with the FTC’s investigation of Google. He currently represents Google in the Section 2 investigation before agencies throughout the world. He advised Dell in its US$67 billion acquisition of EMC; Ball in its US$6.85 billion acquisition of Rexam PLC; Thermo Fisher in its US$13.6 billion acquisition of Life Technologies and its US$12.5 billion tender offer of Qiagen; Google in its US$12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility and its US$700 million acquisition of ITA; Cingular in its US$41 billion acquisition of AT&T; and BellSouth in its US$67 billion acquisition by AT&T. He advised IMG in its merger with Learfield and MasterCard’s Board of Directors regarding their IPO to end the claimed structural conspiracy between the banks. John has represented Stanley Black & Decker, Tyson and United Technologies in Sherman Act litigation in district and circuit courts throughout the US. In government investigations, he advised Google regarding the FTC’s investigation of Standard Essential Patents, and Stanley Black & Decker regarding Made in USA Claims.
Raymond (Ray) A. Jacobsen, Jr., advises clients on mergers, acquisitions and complex antitrust litigation. He has significant experience in the defense, medical devices, biotech, consumer product, energy and health care industries. Ray is the global head of McDermott’s Antitrust Practice and serves on the Management Committee. Please visit McDermott website for full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/jacobsen-raymond-a/
Sara Razi is Global Co-Chair of the Firm’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Practice. She is a leading antitrust attorney, focusing on merger reviews, government antitrust investigations, antitrust litigation, and counseling on a variety of competition issues. Sara regularly represents clients in antitrust investigations by the DOJ, FTC and States, and has secured successful outcomes in several complex and closely-watched mergers and high-profile antitrust litigations. Her extensive private-sector and government antitrust experience spans a multitude of industries including media, telecommunications, technology, supermarkets and other retail, oil and gas, consumer products, healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Representative clients have included: Ahold N.V., Apax Funds, Best Buy, BMC Stock Holdings, BorgWarner Inc., Change Healthcare, CSL Ltd., Cypress Semiconductor, Dell Technologies, DIRECTV, Dollar General, EQT, HCA Healthcare, Hellman & Friedman and its portfolio companies, K2M, KKR and its portfolio companies, Lorillard, Mars, McKesson, PPD and Siltronic. Sara is an authority on antitrust issues and speaks frequently at conferences sponsored by the ABA, law schools, and private organizations. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee.
Corey Roush leads the firm’s antitrust/competition practice and heads its Federal Trade Commission (FTC)-facing consumer protection practice. He represents clients in federal antitrust and consumer protection investigations and litigation. He has specific expertise guiding clients through the merger review process before the FTC, DOJ and various attorneys general around the country. He is one of only a handful of antitrust lawyers to litigate against both the FTC and DOJ to preserve proposed and consummated mergers. He also regularly serves as lead counsel in multi-defendant class and non-class action matters and has experience in various industries, including healthcare, technology, energy, chemicals, fuel, advertising, and retail products. To learn more about Corey, please visit his full profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/corey-w-roush.html
Christine A. Varney is Chair of Cravath's Antitrust Practice. Ms. Varney has been widely recognized as one of the leading antitrust lawyers in the United States in both private practice and in government service, and she is the only person to have served as both the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust and as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. Ms. Varney formulates global antitrust strategy for clients in connection with joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other business transactions, including advising on business conduct or potential investments to ensure compliance with antitrust laws, securing antitrust regulatory approvals, and handling internal or governmental investigations into anticompetitive behavior. Her clients span diverse industries, including cable, financial services, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, retail, transportation, technology and telecommunications.
Mr. Byrne’s practice focuses on the antitrust review of mergers and acquisitions by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the European Commission; criminal investigations, EU cartel proceedings, and other antitrust enforcement matters; and civil antitrust litigation. He has represented clients in a number of industries, including chemicals and plastics, metals and mining, oil and gas, consumer products, telecommunications and technology, defense, health care, finance and banking, pharmaceuticals, insurance, agricultural chemicals and biotechnology, grocery and other retail, building materials, airlines, and automotive and other manufacturing.
David Gelfand is a partner based in the Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on a broad range of antitrust matters, including U.S. litigation, notifying mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, and providing antitrust advice to clients regarding potential transactions and various business practices. His clients have included companies in various industries, including computer software, computer hardware, information services, electronic platforms, chemicals, metals, pharmaceuticals, product manufacturing, retailing, and oil and gas. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and academic seminars.
Barry Nigro is Chair of Fried Frank’s Global Antitrust and Competition Department. Mr. Nigro’s practice is focused on the clearance of mergers, antitrust investigations and litigation, grand jury proceedings, and compliance counseling and training. Mr. Nigro rejoined Fried Frank from the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, where as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General he served as the second highest-ranking Division official responsible for overseeing all civil and criminal antitrust enforcement, including all major merger reviews. Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General. While serving at the Department of Justice, Mr. Nigro played a critical role in advancing the Department's antitrust enforcement priorities and numerous policy developments, including implementation of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, the 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines issued in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission, and modernization of the Department's Merger Remedies Manual and merger review process. He also served as Deputy Director for the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, where he managed the Bureau’s merger and anticompetitive practices investigations and litigation.
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