The ‘excellent’ team at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is renowned for its ability in handling high-stakes, multi-jurisdictional mergers, with its strengths on full display in the recent trial win over the DOJ in UnitedHealth’s $13.8bn acquisition of Change Healthcare. The team handles an ample influx of HSR filings and possesses standout capabilities in acting for clients before the DOJ and FTC, hailing from the worlds of aerospace, energy, pharma and retail. Matthew Reilly is a key figure in the team, noted for his focus on antitrust litigation, complex transactions and government investigations where major clients depend on him to navigate the approval process for high-profile transactions. Marin Boney frequently represents clients before the FTC and DOJ in merger reviews and government investigations, while Richard Cunningham is noted for his litigation capabilities. The team has been strengthened by the arrival of Christopher Leach who joins from Mayer Brown and Rebekah Tobison Scherr who joins from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, and New York's Daniel Zach, who arrived from Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in January 2024. All practitioners mentioned are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Excellent top-notch practice.'
‘The Kirkland merger control practice is highly strategic and prepares for the possibility of merger litigation at an early stage.’
‘Matt Reilly and Rich Cunningham are highly experienced former FTC lawyers who provide invaluable strategic antitrust advice and counsel. The antitrust litigation team headed by Craig Primis and Winn Allen was first class, highly competent trial counsel, capable of distilling complex antitrust, economic, and business issues into digestible evidentiary presentations to a court.’
Key clients
- BAE Systems
- EQT Corporation
- Eli Lilly
- Energy Transfer
- FJ Management (Maverik)
- Fortune Brands
- Oak Street Health
- Resonetics
- Six Flags Entertainment
- Specialty Products & Insulation
- Southeastern Grocers
- Tenet Healthcare
- Teva Pharmaceuticals
- Thoma Bravo
- UnitedHealth Group
- World Wrestling Entertainment
Work highlights
- Represented UnitedHealth Group (UHG) against the DOJ at trial in its challenge to UHG’s $14 billion acquisition of Change Healthcare.
- Advised EQT Corporation on its $5.2 billion acquisition of Tug Hill’s upstream assets from Quantum Energy Partners, which closed pursuant to an FTC remedy that required no asset divestitures and imposed no post-closing behavioral obligations on EQT.
- Advised Fortune Brands on its acquisition of divested assets in the Assa Abloy/Spectrum Brands transaction, in which the DOJ sued, forcing the parties to “litigate the fix,” then settled before trial.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Matthew Reilly