Antitrust: Pennsylvania

THE FIRM Dechert has impressive bench strength across transactional, counseling and litigation aspects of antitrust law. The group has recently been representing Dean Foods as defendants in a number of high-profile antitrust actions that include claims of alleged and actual monopolization and monopsonization and conspiracy to engage in them. Key sectors for the firm include food services, commodities, specialty chemicals and life sciences.

Sources say: "This is an excellent, bright and hard-working group."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Joseph Tate is universally acknowledged as a leader of the antitrust Bar: "He is an all-around good litigator, he is prepared, makes fine presentations and is both reasonable and practical." His expertise includes both criminal price-fixing type cases and commercial class action defense work. 

Well regarded in the market, Stephen Brown focuses on civil class action defense work. He has recently been defending long-standing client Commercial Metals against claims of conspiracy leading to increased steel prices.

George Gordon focuses on the pharmaceutical and life science industries and wins praise as "one of the top antitrust defense lawyers." "Smart, reasoned and reasonable," he recently acted for Elan in a suit brought by a manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals.

Christine Levin handles litigation and transactional work. Popular among clients, she garners praise for being both "a brilliant strategist" and "a quick-witted and formidable advocate."

Stephen Stack is heavily involved in the transactional side of things. Specialty chemicals, industrial gases and pharmaceuticals are all sectors in which he is regularly active.  "He is a well-known name and holds an established position," comments one peer.

Carolyn Feeney focuses on civil class action defense and has been a key figure in the firm's representation of Dean Foods in the cases mentioned above. 

THE FIRM This boutique fields a high-quality and extremely well-respected antitrust group which advises clients on all aspects of traditional antitrust and securities litigation. Primarily acting on behalf of plaintiffs, it has an excellent reputation for bringing class actions suits. This group continues to act as co-lead counsel on behalf of a proposed class in a case brought against Visa and MasterCard and their member banks involving alleged price-fixing of the interchange fee.

Sources say: "This team is conscientious and zealous in its representation of clients and is top of the field among the plaintiffs Bar."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Laddie Montague is universally recognized as a dean of the antitrust Bar. He is one of the lead co-counsel advising a potential class of direct purchasers litigating against alleged price-fixing by the major chocolate producers in the USA. "He is a good strategist and brings an experienced hand to tactical decisions," said one source.

Eric Cramer has a special focus on pharmaceutical cases, although he has recently been acting for a class of truck stop operators litigating against alleged monopolization by Comdata. "He can grasp both legal and technical issues and has good judgment in negotiations and settlements," notes one client.

Merrill Davidoff is reputed as a tough and tenacious attorney. He cochairs the group and recently represented a class of over 100 million individuals against Bank of America in a case to remove specific clauses from their cardholder contracts.

David Sorensen earns market praise for his "extremely good" courtroom skills. His recent practice includes representing a number of classes in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, including direct purchasers and a group of temporary nursing personnel.

THE FIRM This antitrust practice holds a prominent position in the market on account of its impressive work and strong client base. The group regularly takes cases to trial, and defends individuals and businesses under government investigation; it is complemented by an active transactional practice. Recently, the team has worked on behalf of clients in a number of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, food production and industrial manufacturers.

Sources say: "It has a strong antitrust practice and achieves good results for its clients."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Steven Bizar litigates in class and single-plaintiff actions, particularly on the defense side, and also regularly provides counsel to clients on antitrust matters. He earns keen praise from his peers, who consider him "a fabulous lawyer; he is great at putting arguments together and is a highly creative thinker."

Howard Scher is highly effective on both sides of the docket and, like Stephen Bizar, is also accomplished in class action defense.

Group chair Wendy Newton offers the full gamut of antitrust expertise, handling compliance advice, litigation and transactional antitrust matters. She is well respected by her clients, who "place great confidence in her advice."

THE FIRM This dedicated antitrust firm has an established presence in the market, mainly acting as lead counsel for the plaintiffs in significant civil class action cases, but also occasionally representing defendants. It also has an active criminal antitrust practice. The group has recently been representing plaintiffs in a high-profile class action alleging the price-fixing of urethane chemical products by Dow Chemical, Bayer and Huntsman.

Sources say: "A truly boutique firm with very bright practitioners."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Roberta Liebenberg garners some impressive praise from market sources: "She is extraordinary, she represents her clients successfully, really understands the law and won't take junk cases." A recent highlight was acting as co-lead counsel on behalf of the class and named plaintiffs, Standard Iron Works, in a case alleging price-fixing and attempts to restrict output of steel by ArcelorMittal.

Allen Black is a seasoned practitioner who is admired throughout Pennsylvania's antitrust Bar for his effective but courteous advocacy. As one source notes, "he is always logical in court and he won't kick a guy when he's down."

Gerard Dever is a well-regarded practitioner and was a key player in the firm's representation on the urethane case mentioned above. His practice covers mergers, criminal investigations and civil class actions, where he has represented both defendants and plaintiffs.

THE FIRM Pepper Hamilton has a bench of high-quality antitrust practitioners who, as part of a full-service firm, have a wide pool of resources to draw upon. The team attracts a wide range of clients and is currently representing West Penn Allegheny Health Systems as plaintiffs in a suit alleging conspiracy between a hospital and health insurer to retain their market dominance. Other notable clients include Arkema, GlaxoSmithKline and Saint-Gobain.

Sources say: "They pay attention to detail and are committed to providing excellent legal services."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The stellar Barbara Mather is universally acknowledged for her prowess in the antitrust arena. Commentators enthuse: "She is excellent at appellate and trial level, she is top-notch; when you deal with her you know you are dealing with the best."

Barbara Sicalides divides her time between Philadelphia and Washington, DC. She recently successfully defended her client Franke Consumer Products against antitrust allegations brought by WorldHomeCenter.com. "She has good judgment, is highly practical, has a good perspective of when to fight or not, and is both smart and savvy," said a source.  

Laurence Shiekman's antitrust practice centers around the intersection of antitrust, deregulation and economic policy issues. Recently, he has been counseling Pep Boys on antitrust compliance and competition matters.

Robin Sumner has recently been acting as defendants' liaison counsel in the Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation class action. "She is very articulate, does excellent analysis and has great skills with clients in terms of interpersonal relationships," said a source.  

THE FIRM Ballard Spahr's antitrust practice offers expertise in monopoly, conspiracy and tying cases, among other things. The past year has seen the team defend clients in a number of pharmaceutical cases against putative classes. Well known for its representation of GlaxoSmithKline and Comcast, the team has also been providing antitrust counseling to Albion Laboratories and Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Leslie John heads up the antitrust group.

THE FIRM Cozen's respected Pennsylvania antitrust group has a varied practice, with recent work ranging from criminal pharmaceutical litigation to conspiracy claims within the food industry. The group's clients include Dow Chemical, ACE USA and Apotex.

Sources say: "The team is highly efficient and concise."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Francis Newell is an experienced antitrust lawyer handling civil and criminal cases, internal investigations and providing counsel to clients on a variety of matters. Described as a "thorough and careful attorney,"  he recently represented Premier Chemicals in a case involving the magnesium oxide industry.

THE FIRM This compact practice is well regarded in the antitrust market. It primarily represents plaintiffs and is regularly involved in large class action suits involving price-fixing, market allocation, monopolization and other claims.

Sources say: "We consider it a fine firm of excellent lawyers; we are never disappointed."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Joseph Kohn is a popular figure at the antitrust Bar. Hugely experienced representing plaintiffs, he also occasionally acts as a defense attorney, and has previously been engaged on behalf of individuals, small businesses and major companies.

THE FIRM This three-partner team enhances its reputation as plaintiffs' antitrust counsel. It has a long-standing relationship with Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex and also acts for a generic pharmaceutical company in Iceland. Much of its work is consumer-related, an area for which it earns strong market praise.

Sources say: "It does an amazing job and gets great results."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Howard Langer is an esteemed figure in the marketplace. He holds a teaching position at the University of Pennsylvania and, in addition to antitrust litigation, also handles complex commercial disputes. "He is a good strategic thinker, is well spoken and always has insightful comments to make when he is arguing motions," enthuses one source.

THE FIRM The team is most frequently seen on the defense side of antitrust litigation. It has a focus on healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, although it also has several financial services clients. The group has recently been advising on a number of strategic mergers. 

KEY INDIVIDUALS Daniel Booker has a good reputation among his peers for antitrust litigation, M&A and counseling. He recently defended long-standing client US Steel in an alleged conspiracy case and won a motion to dismiss a case brought against Bank of America alleging the fixing of credit card interest rates.