Proposed Merger Guidelines Outline Fundamental Change of Approach to Merger Investigation and Enforcement

By Nicole Castle, Jon B. Dubrow, Noah Feldman Greene, Gregory E. Heltzer, Joel R. Grosberg, Raymond A. Jacobsen, Jr., Lisa P. Rumin, Ryan Tisch and Stephen Wu on July 25, 2023

Posted In DOJ Developments, FTC Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions will continue to face strong headwinds at the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice under new proposed Merger Guidelines released on July 19, 2023. The Proposed Guidelines embody the antitrust agencies’ aggressive posture toward merger enforcement under the Biden administration. This On the Subject highlights the most significant changes in the Proposed Guidelines and what steps companies contemplating mergers and other transactions should take in the face of these changes.

Nicole Castle
Nicole L. Castle provides legal counsel on complex civil and criminal antitrust litigation. She regularly represents clients in complex, multidistrict class action antitrust litigation alleging Sherman Act violations. She also defends mergers and acquisitions before the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Nicole counsels clients on strategies for addressing cartel prosecutions and defenses, from the inception of government investigations to the initiation of civil class action litigation. Read Nicole L. Castle's full bio.

Jon B. Dubrow
Jon Dubrow is co-head of McDermott’s Antitrust Mergers Focus Group and is a strategic advisor serving clients across a host of inter-related antitrust issues, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions / merger clearance, counseling and litigation. Jon leads the defense of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures before the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and other international competition authorities. He also regularly assists third parties whose interests are adversely affected by proposed transactions. Jon also is experienced in antitrust litigation. He provides counseling on distribution issues, contracting arrangements and a wide variety of other competition-related matters. Read Jon Dubrow's full bio.

Noah Feldman Greene
Noah Feldman Greene focuses his practice on antitrust matters. During law school, Noah served as a judicial intern for the Hon. Beverly Reid O’Connell of the US District Court for the Central District of California. He was senior editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law and participated in the William Minor Lile Moot Court. Read Noah Feldman Greene's full bio.

Gregory E. Heltzer
Gregory (Greg) E. Heltzer focuses his practice on defending mergers and acquisitions before the US Federal Trade Commission, US Department of Justice, state antitrust authorities and foreign competition authorities. Greg has extensive experience in evaluating whether potential transactions will be cleared by antitrust enforcers and developing a viable path for clearance. In addition, he handles complex antitrust litigation, government investigations and antitrust counseling. Read Greg Heltzer's full bio.

Joel R. Grosberg
Joel R. Grosberg is co-head of McDermott’s Antitrust Mergers Focus Group and assists clients on civil and criminal antitrust matters, including obtaining merger clearances, counseling and litigation. He has represented clients in obtaining antitrust approvals in numerous challenging transactions, and in other government antitrust investigations before the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) and foreign competition authorities. Joel has significant experience in the high tech, chemical, health care and life sciences industries, including counseling on matters related to pricing and distribution practices and other competition-related issues. Read Joel Grosberg's full bio.

Raymond A. Jacobsen, Jr.
Raymond (Ray) A. Jacobsen, Jr., advises clients on mergers, acquisitions and complex antitrust litigation. He has significant experience in the defense, medical devices, biotech, consumer product, energy and health care industries. Ray is the global head of McDermott's Antitrust Practice, and also serves on the Management Committee and Executive Committee. Read Raymond A. Jacobsen, Jr.'s full bio.

Lisa P. Rumin
Lisa P. Rumin focuses her practice on antitrust, regulatory and litigation matters. She assists clients across a variety of industries and has represented numerous clients in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. Lisa advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, including obtaining clearance from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as counsels clients on issues regarding antitrust compliance, pricing, and distribution. Read Lisa Rumin's full bio here.

Ryan Tisch
Ryan Tisch provides strategic antitrust counsel for boards of directors, chief executive officers and key business stakeholders as they maneuver government regulations around the world. He is known for securing approvals for significant mergers facing review in multiple jurisdictions, including some of the largest mergers in the communications, manufacturing, technology, and food and beverage industries. As the digital economy exposes traditional businesses to new competition, clients also turn to Ryan to advise on their evolving business platforms and go-to-market strategies. Read Ryan Tisch's full bio.

Stephen Wu
Stephen Wu focuses his practice on antitrust litigation, defending mergers and acquisitions before antitrust enforcement agencies and counseling clients on antitrust compliance issues. He represents clients in a wide variety of industries ranging from aerospace to consumer products and food, with a particular concentration on health care antitrust matters. He is co-chair of the Firm’s Health Antitrust Affinity Group. Read Stephen Wu's full bio.

Proposed Merger Guidelines Outline Fundamental Change of Approach to Merger Investigation and Enforcement

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