Best Mergercontrol Podcasts (2025)

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#338 How Clean Are Your Claims? Understanding the New Anti-Greenwashing Amendments to Canada’s Competition Act 21:38

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1d ago21:38

21:38

Among the recent amendments to Canada's Competition Act are new provisions targeting so-called “greenwashing,” i.e., misleading claims in advertising regarding the environmental benefits of a product. In a related development, the Competition Bureau has issued guidelines concerning its enforcement approach to environmental claims under the new law.…

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#337 What Are the Risks of a Minority Shareholding? The European Commission’s Decision in Delivery Hero/Glovo 35:48

9d ago35:48

35:48

In June 2025, the European Commission announced a decision under which it fined two competing online food delivery companies a combined total of €329 million for cartel behaviour that took place while one company held a minority stake in the other company. The infringing behaviour included, among other things, exchanging competitively sensitive inf…

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#336 What Are the Risks of Serial Acquisitions? Empirical Evidence From the Dialysis Industry 38:57

16d ago38:57

38:57

There is a growing interest in understanding the economics of serial acquisitions, particularly in the healthcare industries and markets, and whether such corporate strategies lead to changes in prices and quality causing antitrust concerns. What has been found in existing economic studies? Paul Eliason, Assistant Professor of Economics at Brigham …

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#335 Are You Ready To Respond? Developments in Competition Law Dawn Raids 34:07

23d ago34:07

34:07

The "dawn raid" is one of the rare moments of high drama in the work of many competition lawyers. How can you be prepared when that early-morning phone call or text from a client comes? Ashley Latham, an antitrust and government investigations litigator with Linklaters LLP, joins Matthew Hall and Matt Reynolds for a discussion of current "dawn raid…

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#334 What’s the Word on Wage-Fixing? Cracking Down on Collusion Among Employers 27:35

30d ago27:35

27:35

The U.S. Department of Justice has made it clear that some agreements among competing employers regarding workers’ salaries or other terms of compensation--so-called “wage-fixing agreements”--may be subject to criminal prosecution. What kind of conduct falls within the scope of wage-fixing? In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Blair Matthews ta…

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#333 Is Antitrust Fashionable This Season? Antitrust in the Fashion Industry 38:58

1M ago38:58

38:58

What happens when antitrust law meets high fashion? In this episode, experienced fashion and luxury industry counsel Andowah Newton, joins Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to unpack recent antitrust cases in the luxury and fashion industries. From the FTC’s challenge to Tapestry’s acquisition of Capri, to no-poach allegations involving Saks and major fash…

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#332 What Is the Role of Behavioural Economics in Consumer Protection Enforcement? The UK’s New DMCC Act Regime 38:49

1M ago38:49

38:49

The UK's consumer protection regime changed early in 2025. How will behavioural economics be used by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in applying the rules? Stefan Hunt, partner at Keystone Strategy in London, joins Matthew Reynolds and Matthew Hall to discuss previous consumer protection cases investigated by the CMA and the new regi…

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#331 Wait, We Have to Tell Who? What You Need to Know About State Premerger Notifications 29:14

2M ago29:14

29:14

State legislatures around United States have passed or are on track to pass legislation that requires parties to submit notice to the state attorney general or other state authority when certain transactions result in a material change in ownership. Why are states passing these laws and how are they affecting regulatory review of transactions? Axin…

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#330 What's Happening in Paraguay and Costa Rica? Catching Up With International Enforcers at the 2025 Spring Meeting 24:00

2M ago24:00

24:00

While on site at the 2025 Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section, the Our Curious Amalgam team recorded interviews with senior competition agency enforcers from all over the world, including Paraguay and Costa Rica. In the first segment of this episode, Alicia Downey interviews Commissioner Eduardo Barros of Paraguay's National Competition…

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#329 What's Happening in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Japan? Catching Up With International Enforcers at the 2025 Spring Meeting 54:17

2M ago54:17

54:17

While on site at the 2025 Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section, the Our Curious Amalgam team recorded interviews with senior competition agency enforcers from all over the world. In the first segment of this episode, Anora Wang speaks with Ellie Siu, Senior Legal Counsel of the Competition Commission of Hong Kong. Next Matthew Hall inter…

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#328 What Should I Know About Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and COMESA? Developments in Key African Regimes 46:16

2M ago46:16

46:16

Merger control and antitrust enforcement continues to develop rapidly in Africa. What is happening in the key jurisdictions of Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria and COMESA? John Oxenham, lawyer at Primerio, and Nicolas Bremer, lawyer at Bremer, join Matthew Hall to discuss developments. Listen to this episode to learn more about the status of African an…

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#327 What's Happening in Germany and Portugal? Catching Up With International Enforcers at the 2025 Spring Meeting 36:20

3M ago36:20

36:20

While on site at the 2025 Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section, the Our Curious Amalgam team recorded interviews with senior competition agency enforcers from all over the world, including Germany and Portugal. In the first segment of this episode, James Hunsberger interviews Andreas Mundt, the President of Germany's Federal Cartel Offic…

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#326 What's Happening in Italy and Greece? Catching Up With International Enforcers at the 2025 Spring Meeting 35:22

3M ago35:22

35:22

While on site at the 2025 Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section, the Our Curious Amalgam team recorded interviews with senior competition agency enforcers from all over the world, including Italy and Greece. In the first segment of this episode, Jaclyn Phillips interviews Saverio Valentino, Board Member of the Italian Competition Authorit…

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#325 What’s Your POV? A Conversation With Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti at the 2025 Spring Meeting 31:44

3M ago31:44

31:44

While on site at the Antitrust Law Section's 2025 Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C., Section Chair-Elect Renata Hesse interviewed Mario Monti, former prime minister of Italy (2011-2013), and European commissioner for competition (1999-2004). What does he think about the current state of international competition enforcement? What direction does he…

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#324 Is Green the New Black? Greenwashing and Consumer Protection in the Fashion Industry 29:28

3M ago29:28

29:28

Sustainability claims are everywhere in the fashion industry — but how can consumers tell what’s real and what’s greenwashing? Baker McKenzie attorneys David Baay and Katia Boneva-Desmicht join Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to discuss civil litigation in this space, as well as government enforcement efforts on both sides of the Atlantic, from the FTC’s…

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#323 What’s Happening in the EU? A Conversation With DG COMP Director-General Olivier Guersent at the 2025 Antitrust Spring Meeting 49:04

4M ago49:04

49:04

The 2025 Spring Meeting of the ABA Antitrust Law Section offered the Our Curious Amalgam team a chance to speak with competition law enforcers from around the world. In this episode, host Matthew Hall asks Olivier Guersent, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission (DG COMP), about what’s been happening …

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#322 Prices on Your Mind? Using Economics To Understand Inflation, Tariffs, and Junk Fees 26:43

4M ago26:43

26:43

We are seeing some swirling changes to the marketplace and international trade that affect prices of goods and services in our daily lives. How can economics help us cope and understand underlying concepts such as cost pass-through? Anne Catherine Faye, Vice President at Analysis Group, speaks to James Hunsberger and Anora Wang about inflation, tar…

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#321 What Is Happening at the UK CMA? Impact of the Government’s New Approach 32:44

4M ago32:44

32:44

The UK government elected in 2024 has a "growth" agenda and is pushing regulators including the UK Competition and Markets Authority to support this. What does the approach mean for the CMA? Veronica Roberts, lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills, joins Blair Matthews and Matthew Hall to discuss the wide range of recent announcements and proposals from…

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#320 What Can In-House Counsel Do To Tame the Premerger Notification Beast? Practical Suggestions for Complying With the New HSR Rules 33:41

4M ago33:41

33:41

New disclosure requirements for U.S. premerger notifications under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act were announced in the fall of 2024 and became effective in February 2025. What are the practical implications of the new requirements for in-house counsel tasked with preparing for an HSR filing? In this episode, Matt Bester and Paul Covaleski of Accenture …

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#319 Can We Define Overlapping Markets? Understanding the Legal and Economic Arguments 38:21

4M ago38:21

38:21

Market definition plays a central role in antitrust analysis. Is it appropriate for the U.S. antitrust agencies to identify "overlapping markets" and "submarkets" as relevant markets for antitrust purposes? Keith Klovers, Counsel at Latham & Watkins and former advisor to FTC commissioners Christine S. Wilson and Maureen K. Ohlhausen, talks to Blair…

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#318 How Hot Is Cartel Enforcement Around the Globe? Checking the Forecast for 2025 and Beyond 29:35

5M ago29:35

29:35

Cartel enforcement remains a priority for agencies around the world, but in recent years enforcers have continued to focus on domestic cases. With political and personnel changes in the U.S. and across the globe, what can we expect in 2025 and beyond? John Terzaken, Partner and Global Co-Chair of Simpson Thacher’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Pra…

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#317 Is Artificial Intelligence Putting Data Privacy at Risk?: A New Wave of Investigations in Europe 27:52

5M ago27:52

27:52

The AI revolution has arrived, with the recent debut of Chinese AI bot DeepSeek confirming that this is a global market. But what are the data privacy implications of the massive amounts of personal data that companies are collecting to train and deploy their AI models? Rory Macmillan, an expert in data protection and privacy law, joins Alicia Down…

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#316 Does Taking Control of Your Health Mean Losing Control of Your Data? The Privacy Risks of Healthcare Apps 30:56

5M ago30:56

30:56

Millions of us use mobile apps to help manage our physical and mental health and wellbeing. How well does existing law protect the private health data collected by these apps? In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and Kelsey Paine talk to privacy and cybersecurity law expert David Turetsky about the issues posed by healthcare apps that collect sensi…

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#315 Are You In or Are You Out? Using Economics to Identify and Quantify Potential Class Members 29:17

5M ago29:17

29:17

Private class action lawsuits play a significant role in the vindication and development of U.S. antitrust law. But what are attorneys and courts to do when they know there's an injured class, but are not quite sure who's in it and who's not? Tram Nguyen, Ph.D., an economist and Managing Principal at Edgeworth Economics, joins Alicia Downey and Mat…

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#314 A New Era for Private Antitrust Litigation in China? Impact of the June 2024 Judicial Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court 40:33

6M ago40:33

40:33

Private antitrust litigation has long been part of the landscape in China. What will be the impact of the Supreme People's Court latest judicial interpretation on the issue? Susan (Xuanfeng) Ning, lawyer at King & Wood Mallesons in Beijing, joins Matthew Hall and Anora Wang to discuss the background to the judicial interpretation and its likely con…

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#313 Who’s Blocking Me? Competition Law Issues With Healthcare Information Blocking 38:09

6M ago38:09

38:09

When it comes to your health, having digitized information available for seamless sharing across multiple healthcare providers and other stakeholders -- including patients themselves -- is a clear benefit. But can certain actors disrupt the goal of interoperability? David Schwartz, a healthcare-focused antitrust lawyer, joins Jeny Maier and Matt Ta…

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#312 What New Direction Will Europe Take? New Ideas and New Leadership at the European Commission 26:27

6M ago26:27

26:27

How is the European Commission rethinking its approach to competition policy and enforcement as new leadership takes the helm, including the appointment of Spain's Teresa Ribera as the European Commissioner for Competition? Alicia Downey and Subrata Bhattacharjee talk to John Davies, Senior Advisor at the Brunswick Group, about the changing landsca…

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#311 What Will Happen to Competition Law Enforcement in Mexico? Implications of the November 2024 Reforms 32:47

6M ago32:47

32:47

The independent Mexican competition law regulator, COFECE, has been abolished and absorbed into the Ministry of Economics. What does this mean for merger control and competition law enforcement in Mexico? Lucia Ojeda Cárdenas, lawyer at SAI Law & Economics in Mexico City, joins Matthew Hall and Subrata Bhattacharjee to discuss this dramatic reform …

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#310 What Do Enforcers Say? A Global Perspective on Antitrust Issues Involving Cloud Computing & Infrastructure 44:47

7M ago44:47

44:47

Regulators around the world have raised antitrust concerns over concentrated control of key inputs into AI development and deployment, with access to cloud computing as one area of focus. What are the key concerns and proposed actions? A panel of experts from Argentina, Brazil, and the U.S. speak with Koren Wong-Ervin and Anora Wang on thoughts on …

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#309 Can You Click, Cancel, and Comply? How the FTC Is Unsubscribing Businesses From Deceptive Practices 20:11

7M ago20:11

20:11

The FTC’s new “Click-to-Cancel” rule is reshaping consumer protection and compliance in the subscription economy. But what challenges and opportunities does this regulation present for businesses? Panos Dimitrellos and Jaclyn Phillips explore these issues with guest Christi Lawson, partner at Foley & Lardner, discussing the rule’s legal, economic, …

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#308 What Makes a Compliance Program Effective? The DOJ’s Updated Corporate Antitrust Compliance Program Guidance 34:53

7M ago34:53

34:53

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division recently updated its guidance regarding the division’s “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs in Criminal Antitrust Investigations.” What are the key changes? In this episode, Alicia Downey and Anora Wang talk to Emma Burnham, Antitrust Division Director of Criminal Enforcement, about how pros…

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#307 Will the Past Be the Future? Looking Back at 2024 and Forward to 2025 32:14

7M ago32:14

32:14

Happy New Year to OCA listeners everywhere! Antitrust was a hot topic in 2024, and it's poised to get even hotter in 2025. In Our Curious Amalgam's year-end special episode, six of our regular hosts offer their perspectives on 2024's notable developments and trends in criminal antitrust enforcement, monopolization and merger challenges, internation…

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#306 How Do I Make a Competition Law Complaint in India? A Practical Discussion About Approaching the CCI 43:27

8M ago43:27

43:27

India is now one of the most important competition law jurisdictions in the world. With direct court action against anti-competitive practices not an option, how can a third party seek to persuade the Competition Commission of India to become involved? Abir Roy, partner and co-founder of Sarvada Legal, joins Matthew Reynolds and Matthew Hall to dis…

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#305 Is It Fair? The FTC’s Policies and Enforcement Actions on Unfair Methods of Competition Under Section 5 32:51

8M ago32:51

32:51

The FTC's unfair competition enforcement policy under FTC Act Section 5 has frequently been in the headlines the past two years. What is the history of Section 5 enforcement and how has the Commission utilized this tool since issuing its 2022 Policy Statement on unfair methods of competition? Hosts Jeny Maier and Sergei Zaslavsky explore the many a…

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#304 Is Per Se Here to Stay? Criminal Antitrust Cases Beyond United States v. Brewbaker 27:02

8M ago27:02

27:02

In the U.S., so-called "per se" antitrust crimes require nothing more than proof that the conduct occurred, relieving prosecutors of the difficult job of proving harm to competition. Is the Fourth Circuit's 2023 opinion in U.S. v. Brewbaker part of a growing judicial trend toward limiting the prosecution of per se cases? Ann O'Brien, the co-leader …

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#303 You’re Charging Me How Much? A Discussion of Personalized and Surveillance Pricing 25:55

8M ago25:55

25:55

With the greater availability of data and algorithms, firms in today's digital age are increasingly generating prices or price recommendations based on individual consumers' personal characteristics and behaviors. Does this benefit or harm consumers, and how should policymakers respond? Sanjog Misra, a Professor of Marketing and Applied AI at the U…

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#302 Are the Critics Wrong? How the Robinson-Patman Act Has Been Misunderstood by Its Detractors 28:30

8M ago28:30

28:30

The Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) has a long, controversial history within U.S. antitrust law and economics. In this episode, Mark Poe, an attorney who specializes in RPA litigation, discusses the RPA with hosts Puja Patel and Aaron Yeater. Mark and the hosts explore Mark's view that traditional critics of RPA are incorrect, which he first presented in…

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#301 Are Airline Mergers Taking Off? Economic Analyses of the Recent U.S. Passenger Airline Transactions 38:39

9M ago38:39

38:39

The U.S. passenger airlines have been active in mergers and acquisitions since last year or so, with the Alaska/Hawaiian acquisition, the failed JetBlue/Spirit merger, and more being proposed. But how are these deals and airline competition in general analyzed from an economic perspective? Dr. Gautam Gowrisankaran, Professor of Economics at Columbi…

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#300 What’s on the Radar? Legal and Regulatory Analysis of Airline Mergers in the U.S. 42:03

9M ago42:03

42:03

The U.S. passenger airlines have seen waves of active mergers and acquisitions including in 2009 through 2013 and again recently since 2023. But who is involved in the legal and regulatory reviews of an airline merger? Courtney Dyer of O'Melveny and David Heffernan of Cozen O'Connor, both with extensive experiences guiding airlines through regulato…

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#299 Who Is Lesley Fair? A Conversation With a Consumer Protection Law Legend 34:02

9M ago34:02

34:02

On the occasion of Lesley Fair's retirement after 37 years in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, she returns to Our Curious Amalgam to talk with co-hosts Alicia Downey and Jaclyn Phillips about some of the highlights of her illustrious career. Lesley has been described as “the voice of the FTC,” with a unique ability…

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#298 What Has Happened to Merger Control in India? The Impact of the September 2024 Changes 33:34

9M ago33:34

33:34

Significant changes to the Indian merger control regime came into effect in September 2024. But what has happened? Nisha Kaur Uberoi, partner at JSA law firm in Mumbai, joins Puja Patel and Matthew Hall to discuss the changes and their likely practical impact on transactions affecting India. Listen to this episode to learn more about the changes in…

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#297 HSR You Kidding Me? Unpacking the New Requirements for Merging Parties in the U.S. 31:28

10M ago31:28

31:28

Over a year after the FTC and DOJ first announced changes to the premerger notification form and associated rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, the final rules were released in October 2024. What do these new HSR rules mean in practice for parties to transactions that must make an HSR filing? Daniel Rosenthal, Special Counsel at Milbank, joins h…

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#296 How Should Competition Law Be Dealing With AI and Climate Change? 28:12

10M ago28:12

28:12

Can competition law save humanity? Over the past two years, Fiona Schaeffer has spurred on the lawyers, regulators, and economists of the ABA Antitrust Law Section to examine the role that antitrust law has, or potentially will have, in dealing with the existential challenges posed by climate change and the rise of artificial intelligence. In this …

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#295 More or (Even) Less Certainty in EU Merger Control? The European Court of Justice Judgment in Illumina/GRAIL 37:21

10M ago37:21

37:21

The European Commission's attempt to claim jurisdiction under the EU merger rules over Illumina's acquisition of GRAIL ultimately resulted in a stinging court defeat for the regulator. But why did it lose and what will happen now to merger reviews of "below threshold" transactions in the EU? Nicole Kar, partner at Paul, Weiss in London, joins Matth…

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#294 Acquisitions or Not? Big Tech's Big Problems Investing in Artificial Intelligence 24:06

10M ago24:06

24:06

It's no secret that competition agencies in the U.S. and elsewhere have been scrutinizing Big Tech's efforts to acquire emerging players in the AI space. In this episode, Luis Blanquez of Bona Law, P.C., talks to co-hosts Alicia Downey and Anant Raut about how the enforcers' concerns are now extending to investments, licensing deals, and other type…

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#293 Is the EU Position Now Clear? The European Commission’s Draft Guidelines on Exclusionary Abuses of Dominance 39:38

11M ago39:38

39:38

The European Commission's draft guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance will, once adopted, be a key document when applying EU competition law. But what is in the draft? Rona Bar-Isaac, head of competition at Addleshaw Goddard in London, joins Matthew Hall and Derek Jackson to discuss the draft guidelines and a controversial European Court o…

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#292 Thinking About Going Small? Starting Up a Solo or Small Firm Antitrust Practice 32:08

11M ago32:08

32:08

Can a Big Law antitrust practitioner have a successful career as a solo or small firm lawyer? In this episode, antitrust trial lawyer Sean Gates and co-hosts Alicia Downey and Matt Reynolds talk about their experiences leaving large firms to strike out on their own in the middle of their careers. Listen to this episode to learn what motivated them …

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#291 How Was Your Life In Antitrust? A Conversation With Jon Jacobson 31:52

11M ago31:52

31:52

What were the cases and controversies that defined a decades-long career as an antitrust lawyer and scholar? Hosts Alicia Downey and Subrata Bhattacharjee welcome former Antitrust Law Section Chair Jon Jacobson back to the podcast to talk about his newly-published memoir of the highs and lows of litigating some of the biggest antitrust cases in U.S…

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#290 Who Is Aviva Will? Antitrust Lawyer and Litigation Financing Entrepreneur 31:46

11M ago31:46

31:46

Antitrust and competition lawyers have a choice of career paths, including private practice, in-house, and public sector. What about the increasingly-important area of litigation finance? Aviva Will, Co-Chief Operating Officer of Burford Capital, joins Alicia Downey and Matthew Hall to discuss her career journey from a law firm to a senior executiv…

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#289 Is the Failing Firm Defense Thriving? Assessing When a Failing Firm Can Make a Deal Succeed 23:43

11M ago23:43

23:43

The failing firm defense can be viewed skeptically when put forward by merging parties. But when can it be used successfully to save a deal that may otherwise be found to be anticompetitive? Chris Wilson, partner in the antitrust group of Paul Weiss, joins Jaclyn Phillips and Anora Wang to discuss the current state of the failing firm defense. List…