Civil Antitrust Investigations and Internal Audits
Our antitrust compliance investigation experience covers federal and state criminal and civil antitrust investigations of all kinds, and also includes investigations by European and Asian competition authorities, as well as internal investigations.
The FTC and/or state Attorneys General have recently closed investigations without action with respect to clients we represented in the following industries:
- Animal health products
- Musical instruments
- Printing supplies
We have also handled internal investigations, in the U.S. and in Europe, requested by companies in the following areas:
- Oilfield services
- Building products
- Transportation
In addition to handling specific investigations, we routinely conduct antitrust audits for clients with respect to the full range of antitrust issues, to identify potential risks, and recommend risk-reduction measures. Such audits can be calibrated from very targeted e-mail review, to more in-depth investigation of conduct most likely to lead to the greatest antitrust exposure (i.e., contacts with competitors).
As one example, we assisted a client in developing an audit of its trade association memberships, and the level of antitrust compliance and sophistication of those trade associations. Based on the results of the audit, the client determined that it should eliminate nearly half of its association memberships, and request other associations to enhance their antitrust compliance. The net result was both substantial annual cost savings with respect to association memberships and participation expenses, and substantial reduction in the company's antitrust risk profile.
For information about our civil antitrust investigations and internal audits practice, please contact Wm. Randolph Smith, Robert Lipstein or Bridget Calhoun.