The Antitrust Practice Group consists of experienced attorneys in the firm’s U.S. and European offices who represent clients throughout the world in resolving all types of antitrust matters.  Those matters include a wide range of national and international merger filings, U.S. and European investigations of alleged cartels, abuses of dominance, and other anticompetitive activity, class-action and private litigation, and business ventures that involve the antitrust or competition laws of multiple jurisdictions.

Willkie’s Antitrust Practice Group has developed significant experience in antitrust matters in a wide variety of sectors.  A few recent examples of those sectors include consumer products, energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, building products, financial services and information, insurance, telecommunications and media, space, and the defense industry.

Mergers

We serve the antitrust needs of parties to mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.  Many such transactions involve multiple jurisdictions, thereby raising inquiries by U.S., EU, and national antitrust enforcement agencies.  Our teams in Europe and the U.S. have handled numerous complex cases, some of which gave rise to in-depth investigations before the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and national merger control authorities.  We also frequently advise third parties that wish to comment on pending transactions.

Litigation

The Antitrust Practice Group serves the litigation needs of clients located throughout the world that are confronting litigation in the United States, in Europe (Community courts of Luxembourg and national courts of EU member states), and Canada.  The firm’s antitrust attorneys are experienced in both class-action and private litigation across a broad spectrum of industries.

Investigations

The Antitrust Practice Group handles multijurisdictional price-fixing and other cartel investigations, as well as investigations regarding abuses of a dominant or monopoly position, exclusionary conduct, deceptive trade practices, parallel trade, and state aid.   We assist our clients before the full range of enforcement authorities in defining their strategies as potential defendants, complainants, or applicants for antitrust immunity or leniency treatment.

State Aid

In Europe, a significant part of the team’s activities relates to state aids for which it enjoys a first-class reputation:  it has advised several undertakings in both administrative and contentious proceedings in the fields of energy, media, and retail banking before both the European Commission and Community courts.

Selected Recognition

Our Antitrust Practice Group has been recommended as being among the leading antitrust practice groups by publications such as Chambers and Global Counsel.  In particular, the Antitrust Practice Group has been recognized for having “impressed clients with its depth of antitrust litigation experience,” for its New York lawyers being “well integrated with teams in DC and Brussels” (Chambers USA—America’s Leading Business Lawyers), and, in Europe, as “the name on everyone’s lips” where its leading partner is regarded as “one of the leading figures” practicing in the area of antitrust (Chambers Europe).