THE FIRM Washington, DC is undoubtedly the epicenter of Arnold & Porter's antitrust practice, and with star players also active in its New York and California offices the firm boasts an outstanding nationwide offering. The group's reputation is predominantly founded on its transactional strength, as is evidenced by its key role representing AT&T in the antitrust review resulting from its $39 billion proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA. The team also represented Intel in its purchase of McAfee for $7.68 billion, and represented BASF in its $3.8 acquisition of Cognis.

Client Service "Everything we get from them is very timely, they really know our business. We really think of them as a partners, they have become so integrated into our business."

Commercial Awareness "We rely on them extensively for overall strategic thinking and on difficult briefs."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Bill Baer is the head of the firm's global antitrust practice group. His considerable expertise extends across antitrust litigation, transactional reviews, and international cartel investigations. His colleague Deborah Feinstein is also a prominent antirust practitioner, and is especially heralded for her expertise in M&A reviews. Both Baer and Feinstein are based in the firm's DC office.

THE FIRM This Washington, DC-based group has secured a phenomenal reputation as a result of its adroit handling of both transactional regulatory work and high-profile, high-stakes antitrust litigation. The quality of its antitrust attorneys ensures it attracts regular work from prominent, household name clients, such as Google, for whom it is currently advising on the antitrust aspects of its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The group also acted for Google in obtaining FTC clearance in its acquisition of mobile advertising network Admob. The team is also involved in one of the most prominent deals of the year, through its role as antitrust counsel to Deutsche Telekom AG in its sale of T-Mobile USA to AT&T for a reported $39 billion. On the litigation side, the group won a notable victory for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in winning dismissal on summary judgment of a complaint in California Superior Court brought by 17 retail pharmacies against 17 major pharmaceutical companies, including GSK, alleging a conspiracy to fix prices of branded pharmaceuticals.

Client Service "Very smart, very creative, very good thinkers. Always looking for solutions to our problems, and they work well with us internally."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Washington, DC-based partners Mark Leddy and George Cary are the team's leading lights.

THE FIRM Through its noted antitrust practitioners in New York, Washington, DC, California and Texas, Gibson Dunn is able to offer a truly nationwide antitrust practice. Its team is recognized for its expertise in both litigation, including major class actions, and cartel cases. Recent highlights include defending UBS AG in a total of 17 class actions filed nationwide which concern alleged violations by prominent international banks of Sherman Act, RICO, and state antitrust laws. The group is also defending Micron Technology against claims brought by Oracle relating to alleged price fixing of computer memory chips. On the transactional side of the practice, the team successfully represented Applied Materials in relation to its $4.9 billion acquisition of Varian Semiconductor Associates.

Client Service "I would say they are probably the most professional law firm I deal with - consistent professionalism, thoroughness, they take that very seriously. It's not just individuals, every lawyer I've worked with there takes that personally."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The team is chaired by Gary Spratling out of San Francisco, Peter Sullivan in New York, Dan Swanson in Los Angeles, and Sean Royall in Dallas and Washington, DC.

THE FIRM Jones Day offers clients broad geographic coverage, with antitrust experts spread across its Washington, DC, California, Illinois, and Texas offices. The team garners considerable acclaim for its expertise in transactional work, and recently advised SAP AG in relation to its $5.8 billion acquisition of software firm Sybase. It also acted for Level 3 Communications in connection with a competition agency investigation into its $3 billion acquisition of Global Crossing. Another notable highlight was the group's representation of American Airlines before both national and international regulatory bodies in relation to its high-profile joint business agreement with Japan Airlines.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Washington, DC-based partner Phillip Proger is the global chair of the firm's antitrust practice group.

THE FIRM This New York-based team is widely recognized as one of the market leaders across the full range of antitrust work, having proven themselves to be equally adept at handling high-profile litigation, complex M&A transactions and government investigations. A notable current highlight has been its representation of JPMorgan Chase & Co in defending a large number of putative class actions which alleged a conspiracy among a number of financial institutions to set the LIBOR interest rate to a favorable level. On the transactional side, the group represented Tyco International in its acquisition of chemical manufacturer Chemguard. The team also represented mobile internet advertising company AdMob in its high-profile sale to Google.

Commercial Awareness "What really sets this team apart is their ability to combine excellent legal counsel with a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of our business. They very quickly got our market."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The undoubted star of the group is New York-based partner Kevin Arquit. A tremendously experienced practitioner, Arquit's career includes stints as the FTC general counsel and then as director of the commission's bureau of competition.

THE FIRM The critical mass of Skadden's antitrust practice group is centered around its New York and Washington, DC offices. The team is frequently engaged by prominent clients to handle complex mergers and joint ventures. Recent highlights include acting for Express Scripts in its $29.1 billion acquisition of Medco Health Solutions, the second-largest announced transaction of the year. Other transactional highlights include representing Duke Energy and Progress Energy in relation to the regulatory and antitrust issues arising from the $13.7 billion acquisition of Progress Energy by Duke Energy. The group also has a tremendous reputation for its work in handling complex litigation and competition investigations, and it recently represented Southwest Airlines in relation to the DOJ investigation into its acquisition of AirTran Holdings. The team is also assisting Sprint Corporation in its opposition to the high-profile AT&T and T-Mobile USA transaction.

Client Service "The responsiveness and the client service are incredible; they are available 24 hours a day, within a very short period of time, they are there and helping."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The firm's global antitrust practice group is headed up by the experienced figure of Shep Goldfein, from the New York office. His colleague Steven Sunshine is the chair of the North American antitrust group, and is based in the firm's Washington, DC office.

THE FIRM The Cravath antitrust group has had to contend with high-profile departures and retirements in recent years, but the team nevertheless remains one of the country's market leaders. The team continues to be highly acclaimed for its litigation expertise, especially in key industries including financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and technology. The group has also made the market's most high-profile hire of recent times in the shape of the former assistant attorney general of the DOJ's antitrust division, Christine Varney. On the transactional side, the team has had a number of recent prominent engagements; it represented United Airlines in its $7 billion merger with rival Continental Airlines, and represented Massey Energy Company in relation to the antitrust issues arising from its $8.1 billion sale to Alpha Natural Resources. In terms of litigation, the team is representing American Express in several ongoing antitrust litigations, one of which concerns an alleged conspiracy relating to currency conversion fees.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Evan Chesler is the firm's presiding partner, and its preeminent antitrust practitioner. A veteran trial attorney, his impressive breadth of litigation experience takes in not just antitrust, but also IP, securities, and general commercial litigation.

THE FIRM This group has earned the respect of the market for its excellence in M&A and joint venture work, with complex contentious matters also becoming an increasingly significant feature of its practice. The team's East Coast practice has been boosted with the hire of former FTC general counsel Michael Sohn, who has joined the firm's DC office. Recent highlights include the successful representation of Comcast in relation to the DOJ's antitrust investigation into its deal with General Electric to establish a joint venture involving NBCUniversal. The team also advised CVS Caremark in relation to its circa $1.25 billion acquisition of Universal American Corporation's Medicare Part D business.

Commercial Awareness "The people there are all superb. They seem to be entering the litigation realm more than before. Their people are uniformly tremendous."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Christopher Hockett is the global head of the firm's antitrust practice group. Based out of Davis Polk's Menlo Park office, he works with clients across a range of complex commercial litigation, with IP and securities disputes featuring on his brief alongside antitrust cases.

THE FIRM This highly regarded group undertakes a range of prominent work in litigation, merger clearance, and cartel defense work from its offices in California and Washington, DC. On the merger side, the team recently acted as global antitrust counsel to Coca-Cola Enterprises in a multifaceted $12 billion transaction involving, among other matters, the sale of all its bottling operations in North America to The Coca-Cola Company. In terms of litigation, the team is representing Apple in a putative class action relating to the iPhone. The case concerns Apple's alleged violations of antitrust laws by requiring iPhone purchasers to use AT&T. On the cartel side, the group represents Singapore Airlines Cargo (SIAC) in the international air cargo cartel investigations; the team has already achieved a favorable outcome for SIAC in the US investigation, and is appealing to the General Court of the European Commission following the EU investigation.  

Client Service "The antitrust lawyers provide uniformly excellent service." 

Commercial Awareness "They are more knowledgeable and thorough than firms we have used previously, while at the same time more practical in approach."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The global antitrust practice group is co-chaired by a triumvirate of partners - Peggy Zwisler and Michael Egge from the firm's DC office, and Christopher Yates in San Francisco.

THE FIRM This team is highly regarded for its transactional skills, as well as for its expertise in criminal antitrust investigations and trials, and private, government and class action civil litigation. The core of the group's strength is based in the firm's New York office, with key supporting members in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. The group has been defending Barclays Capital in litigation brought in connection with the much-publicized $5.3 billion leveraged buyout of Del Monte Foods. It is also representing two major financial institutions in the high-profile, industry-wide regulatory investigations into potential irregularities in the setting of LIBOR interest rates. On the transactional side, the team has been advising Chrysler Group on the potential $10.5 billion purchase of Chrysler from the US government.

Commercial Awareness "The antitrust team is as strong as any I have ever dealt with, both in terms of litigation and counseling. They have a great deal of depth and know the players on the government and private plaintiff sides well."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Merger specialist Yvonne Quinn co-chairs the practice group from the New York office, sharing the responsibilities with the managing partner of the firm's Washington, DC office, Daryl Libow.

THE FIRM This New York-based group is a highly sought after by clients facing high-profile, complex transactions. Its members frequently assist prominent clients with multijurisdictional M&A and the group boasts considerable expertise of working with antitrust agencies worldwide. While the team's transactional work attracts most headlines, the team also regularly represents clients in government investigations. Recent highlights include representing Google in acquiring the Nortel patent portfolio in a bankruptcy proceeding, and obtaining HSR clearance for the transaction. The team also represented Novartis in its acquisition of competitor Alcon.

KEY INDIVIDUALS The presence of Ilene Knable Gotts remains crucial to the group's success, with Michael Byowitz also prominent. Both partners are considered stand-outs for their transactional expertise.

THE FIRM Covington & Burling enjoys a growing profile in the antitrust world. The team has added new partners and new counsel through lateral hires, and is increasingly prominent on high-profile cases. This team brings deep government experience, with two recent former heads of the DOJ antirust division, and a plethora of former DOJ and FTC officials among its numbers. The team recently advised Expedia in connection with the acquisition of ITA by Google. The team also advised the travel website on its participation in Fairsearch.org, a prominent alliance of companies seeking to educate the DOJ about the likely harm to competition arising from Google's actions. The group was also central to one of the largest US sports cases of the year, acting for the NFL as lead counsel in the much-publicized antitrust action arising out of the league's labor dispute with the NFLPA.

Client Service "Very highly responsive, this is not unimportant in this area. In antirust matters they are in incredibly high demand and are in demand for incredibly important matters. I know that it is hard to be as responsive as they are."

KEY INDIVIDUALS Washington, DC-based partners Thomas Barnett and Deborah Garza split the responsibility of chairing this antitrust team. Barnett's vast experience encompasses a stint as assistant attorney general of the DOJ's antitrust division, as well a numerous leadership roles in international competition organizations, including chairing the working party of international co-operation and enforcement of the OECD competition committee.

THE FIRM This group has a tremendous presence on the East Coast, centered around its traditional Philadelphia hub, with a complementary growing presence in Washington, DC. This year also saw the addition of Michael Weiner, who expands the team's New York offering. The group functions across the full gamut of antitrust litigation and merger clearance work. The team is defending prominent travel services company Travelport in a high-profile dispute with American Airlines concerning alleged antitrust conspiracy claims.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Management of the team is split three ways, with Paul Denis, George Gordon, and recent addition Michael Weiner sharing the leadership of the antitrust practice group from the Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, and New York offices respectively.

THE FIRM Hogan Lovells's antitrust practice group covers the full range of antitrust law, acting on a broad range of transactional matters, as well as litigation and government investigations. The practice is principally anchored in the firm's Washington, DC office, though clients can also count on established antitrust practitioners in New York, California, Maryland, and Europe. The team acted as lead litigation counsel to H&R Block and 2nd Story Software, maker of TaxAct, in a merger litigation in which the DOJ is seeking to block the $287 million acquisition by H&R Block of TaxAct. It also acted for LabCorp in successfully overturning the FTC's attempts to block LabCorp's purchase of Westcliff Medical Laboratories. The group has also represented Verizon in connection with the DOJ investigation resulting from its acquisition of Terremark.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Washington, DC-based partner Jan McDavid remains the focal point of the practice, and she co-chairs the global practice team with her London-based colleague Susan Bright. McDavid's practice emphasizes government investigations, litigation, and antitrust policy issues.

THE FIRM This group has earned an impressive standing in the market thanks primarily to its high-level capabilities in antitrust litigation. The core of the practice is in Chicago and Washington, DC, but it also has a growing presence in New York and California. The team recently acted for Teva Pharmaceuticals in achieving FTC clearance of its acquisition of drug company Cephalon for $6.8 billion.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Core members of the team include Dan Laytin and Jim Mutchnick in Chicago, and Mark Kovner and recent addition Tim Muris in Washington, DC.

THE FIRM This group provides excellent national coverage through its teams in Illinois, New York, and Washington, DC. Litigation remains the core strength of the group, although its members also undertake significant merger clearance and cartel investigation work. The team is currently representing internet and software giant Google in a putative nationwide class action. The matter concerns an alleged conspiracy on the part of seven key high-tech companies to eliminate competition for highly skilled labor. The team is also acting as counsel to The Mosaic Company, in class actions brought by purchasers concerning an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of agricultural fertilizer in the US market. The group is also defending BASF SE and BASF Corporation in relation to alleged price-fixing in the national urethane products market.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Washington, DC-based Robert Bloch chairs Mayer Brown's global antitrust practice.

THE FIRM The bulk of McDermott Will & Emery's antitrust practice is in Washington, DC and Chicago. Its members garner praise for their capacity for undertaking complex antitrust litigation and class action defense work. The team continues to represent Mars in a significant antitrust class action, concerning alleged price fixing by a number of manufacturers of chocolate confectionary. A recent notable victory saw the group successfully secure the dismissal of a class action lawsuit filed against biotech giant Amgen by Warren General Hospital. On the transactional side, the team advised both Fila Korea and Mirae Asset Private Equity in relation to the antitrust aspects of the $1.225 billion acquisition of the Acushnet golf business from Fortune Brands.

KEY INDIVIDUALS The antitrust practice group is presided over by Joe Winterscheid in Washington, DC, with strong support from Ray Jacobsen. The key figures in the Chicago office are co-heads Joel Chefitz and David Marx.  

THE FIRM This group has strong antitrust groups on both the East and West Coasts. Perhaps the team's key highlight of the year came when the group was selected as trial co-counsel on behalf of T-Mobile in the hugely high-profile DOJ suit relating to the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T. Litigation is a clear forte for the team, which has also been called in on two complex consolidated MDL actions on behalf of Asiana Airlines, both of which are centered around alleged price fixing. The group also achieved a significant victory for its client Samsung Electronics, successfully representing the company in a major MDL action which concerned alleged price-fixing of optical disk drives.

Commercial Awareness "They have taken some very complicated business issues and understood them well. Their dedication to having subject matter expertise has been incredible."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The global group is chaired by veteran trial attorney Rich Parker, based in the firm's Washington, DC office.

THE FIRM This group is equally well regarded for its litigation and transactional capabilities. The team is an established Washington, DC presence, and also features considerable strength in its New York office. One of the group's key highlights saw it represent Kinder Morgan, an energy storage firm, in its high profile $38 billion acquisition of El Paso Corporation. The team also played a key role in another prominent transaction, as antitrust counsel to pharmaceutical company Sanofi in a $20.1 billion acquisition of biotechnology company Genzyme. Away from the transactional side of the practice, the team is representing CBS Corporation's publishing division, Simon & Schuster, in a DOJ investigation into the pricing and distribution of electronic books.

KEY INDIVIDUALS Steven Newborn is a key contact in Washington, DC.

THE FIRM This group is highly regarded for its expertise across the range of antitrust issues, including on mergers, investigations, and cartel matters. The group is based out of Washington, DC and Boston, and is noted for its expertise in the technology and life sciences sectors. On the technology side, the group has defended Intel Corporation in FTC litigation concerning alleged unlawful monopolization of markets relating to computer microprocessors and graphics processing. On the transactional side the team represented International Paper in its $4.3 billion acquisition of Temple-Inland, a corrugated packaging manufacturer.

Commercial Awareness "The longevity of the relationship is grounded in the top-quality legal advice that we get from the firm, and also the deep knowledge that the firm has about our business and the nature of our business. They understand the culture of our firm."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The practice group is co-chaired by Michelle Miller and Thomas Mueller out of the Washington, DC office.

THE FIRM Centered around its distinguished practitioners in Washington, DC, New York, and Silicon Valley, the Wilson Sonsini antitrust team attracts widespread praise. It is especially well known for its formidable strength in the hi-tech sector, with notable clients including Twitter, Netflix, HTC Corporation, Adobe, and Google. The team has been active on behalf of the latter client in providing representation in an FTC investigation into search and advertising, as well representing Google in antitrust matters relating to the acquisition of Zagat.  

Client Service "The firm has a business savvy approach to dealing with counseling problems and advice, they are very practical and thorough. They are very accessible. I work across offices - all have been consistent in serving us as a client, they are up to speed on issues we face."

KEY INDIVIDUALS This group is co-chaired by Washington, DC-based Susan Creighton, and New York-based Jonathan Jacobson.

THE FIRM Boies Schiller's phenomenal litigation reputation translates neatly to the antitrust space, where its members regularly undertake a range of both defense and plaintiff work. Clients continue to recognize the team's ability to handle complex multijurisdictional disputes. The group's focal points are its New York and Florida offices, although its nine other offices across the nation provide full support.

KEY INDIVIDUALS The leadership of the group is shouldered by founding partners David Boies and Don Flexner. Both are based in the empire state, Boies in Armonk, and Flexner in New York City.

THE FIRM This group is based in Atlanta and Washington, DC. It undertakes a wide range of antitrust issues, and is noted for the breadth of its practice which includes M&A, joint ventures, cartel defense work, and broader antitrust litigation. The team receives regular instructions from clients in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors. The team was lead counsel to Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb Sanofi Aventis Holding Partnership in a civil antitrust case relating to the proposed settlement of patent litigation with a generic pharmaceutical company regarding Plavix. The group is currently representing Bank of America and Merrill Lynch in defense of plaintiffs' claims alleging an illegal conspiracy to fix the price of municipal derivatives.

Commercial Awareness "I rate them very favorably - particularly in the areas of business guidance and ability to leverage antitrust considerations for purposes of negotiation either in litigation or contract negotiations."

KEY INDIVIDUALS The practice is led in Georgia by Jeffrey Cashdan, and in Washington, DC by Kevin Sullivan and Jeffrey Spigel.  

THE FIRM This group is predominantly recognized for its West Coast presence, though its growing Washington, DC and New York teams ensure a burgeoning East Coast reputation. The team has a strong background in transactional work, and was heavily involved in one of the biggest tech deals of 2011, through its role as antitrust counsel to Hitachi in the $4.3 billion sale of its subsidiary Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. The group also acted in a significant cross-border tech deal, representing Intel in the acquisition of Infineon Technologies AG's Wireless Solutions Business for $1.4 billion. On the litigation side, the team is representing Bank of America in federal class and individual class actions concerning allegations that payment card practices, including intercharge fees, constitute restraints of trade.

KEY INDIVIDUALS The group is led by David Meyer and Stephen Smith, who are both based in the firm's Washington, DC office.

THE FIRM This group is led from its Chicago and Washington, DC offices, although the group also draws upon the expertise of its practitioners in California and New York. The team has a strong reputation for undertaking highly complex international transactions, and is also recognized for its ability to handle significant multijurisdictional litigation. Perhaps the group's most high-profile recent highlight is its representation of AT&T in relation with its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA. The team is also representing LG Electronics in two separate antitrust class actions which relate to alleged price fixing conspiracies in the cathode ray tube and thin film transistor liquid crystal displays markets.

KEY INDIVIDUALS The leadership responsibilities are borne by three global co-ordinators: Charles Douglas and John Treece in Chicago, and Larry Fullerton in Washington, DC.

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