North America - United States • Antitrust
2

Merger control

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

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Praised for its ‘unique pragmatism and client-centric understanding’, the antitrust team at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP focuses on high-stakes, complex, and precedent-setting matters, advising major corporates and financial institutions in the US and internationally across a myriad of sectors and industries. The team is regularly sought after for its expertise on litigation and investigations work brought by the DOJ, FTC, and state attorneys general, as well as international antitrust enforcers. Antitrust chair Christine Varney, a former FTC Commissioner, is a key name for navigating clients through the regulatory clearance process for high-stakes mergers, evidenced by her representation of Illumina on the FTC investigation into its acquisition of GRAIL. Washington DC-based co-chair Noah Joshua Phillips continues to act on major deal clearances, notably representing WestRock Company on its pending $20 billion combination with Smurfit Kappa Group. Maggie Segall focuses on transactional matters and merger-related litigation. Lawyers are based in New York unless otherwise stated. Daniel Zach left the firm in January 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Cravath brings exceptional client service and is a "go to" firm for any company interested in strategic transactions. The practice is not only the best when it comes to substantive experience, but also offers a unique pragmatism and client-centric understanding. They understand that each transaction is unique and different; there is no "cookie cutter" approach to deal work within the practice. Moreover, they commit to true value and collaborate on fees and costs that make sense for each individual transaction. ’

  • ‘Craig Arcella Steve Kessing and Nicholas Dorsey are exceptional, particularly when it comes to client service, pragmatism and business acumen. I always appreciate working with these 3 lawyers because they immediately engage in the overarching strategy of a transaction, not just the legal details. They want to and do understand how each transaction fits into the business and this makes them true "business advisors", not just legal practitioners.’

Key clients

  • Amgen Inc.
  • Altra Industrial Motion Corp.
  • Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc.
  • Brookfield Reinsurance Ltd.
  • Cisco Systems, Inc.
  • EchoStar Corporation
  • Illumina, Inc.
  • Louis Dreyfus Company, LLC
  • Micro Focus International plc
  • RWE AG
  • The Walt Disney Company
  • WestRock Company

Work highlights

  • Representing Illumina on appeal after securing an unprecedented trial win rejecting the FTC’s high-profile challenge to the company’s $8 billion acquisition of GRAIL.
  • Represented Amgen in successfully defending against an FTC challenge to Amgen’s $27.8billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics.
  • Representing Cisco Systems on antitrust issues in connection with its pending $28 billion acquisition of Splunk.

Lawyers

Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Christine Varney
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
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.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Christine Varney, Noah Joshua Phillips

Other key lawyers

Maggie Segall, Craig Arcella, Steve Kessing, Nicholas Dorsey

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