ABA Antitrust Law Section sponsors in-person mergers conference May 19 in D.C.

The American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section will offer a unique glimpse into the life cycle of a merger under investigation through a practice workshop, providing an opportunity to witness some of the most accomplished U.S. private practitioners, corporate counsel and government enforcers engage in a mock review process.

The “2022 Antitrust Mergers Practice Workshop” will take place Thursday, May 19, from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

The one-day practice workshop, the fifth offered by the Antitrust Law Section, will look at various elements of the merger review process, including:

  • Strategy sessions among antitrust counsel
  • The initial pitch to U.S. antitrust enforcers
  • Internal conferences among agency staff
  • Meetings to develop economic evidence, customer support and documentary evidence
  • A front office presentation with a “hot bench,” where questions are peppered at the parties
  • An internal decisional meeting among staff and the front office

While intended for practitioners, the step-by-step illustration of the merger review process will be beneficial to anyone seeking an insight into how a mega-major transaction is put together and how government enforcers analyze it.

Among the confirmed participants are Suzanne Morris, chief, Premerger & Division Statistics Unit, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Antitrust Division; Kathleen S. O'Neill, DOJ senior director of Investigations and Litigation; Antitrust Division; and Gwendolyn Cooley, National Association of Attorneys General Antitrust Task Force chair and assistant attorney general for the state of Wisconsin. Also, a host of well-known practitioners from law firms mostly throughout the Washington area will perform in “buyer” and “seller” roles in the daylong exercise.

For additional information on the workshop, visit https://bit.ly/3Mbk3Y2.