Antitrust enforcement has exploded in recent years, with the U.S. Department of Justice obtaining record-setting fines and prison terms for criminal antitrust violations implicating companies whose products and services are household names. At the same time, the DOJ, Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general have also pursued high-profile civil conduct investigations of major corporations in a number of industries including telecommunications and technology. In this high-risk environment, corporations must be more careful than ever in their dealings with competitors - and the importance of retaining experienced, effective legal counsel has never been higher.
Crowell & Moring routinely represents companies, executives, and employees in both criminal and civil antitrust investigations before the DOJ and FTC. We have defended companies and their employees against government allegations of criminal price fixing, bid rigging, market allocation, customer allocation, and related issues of fraud and corruption, as well as navigated the waters of grand jury investigations, amnesty applications, plea negotiations, and extradition proceedings. On the civil side, we have defended companies in investigations that run the gamut of antitrust issues, from collusion to monopolization. We also routinely advise clients on creating effective antitrust compliance programs and conducting comprehensive antitrust trainings.
Experience
Crowell & Moring’s Antitrust Investigations team has wide-ranging experience with criminal and civil antitrust investigations on both sides of the aisle. Our lawyers include former DOJ Antitrust Division prosecutors, former FTC attorneys, former DOJ Fraud prosecutors, and former prosecutors from U.S. attorney’s offices. This first-hand experience gives us a unique insight into the inner workings of the U. S. federal and state agencies and their counterparts internationally, allowing us to craft truly strategic, global defenses.
Services
Criminal Antitrust Investigations. Crowell & Moring’s antitrust investigations attorneys have the experience to counsel clients through all phases of criminal antitrust proceedings. We have been instrumental in obtaining either declinations of prosecution or otherwise favorable resolution in light of the facts. And, because U.S. criminal antitrust investigations often involve global cartels, our representations extend to dealing with competition authorities in other jurisdictions, including those in Canada, Europe, and Asia.
Civil and Internal Investigations. Our civil antitrust investigation experience covers a multitude of industries and investigations by the DOJ, FTC, state attorneys general, and European and Asian competition authorities, as well as proactive internal investigations. In addition to handling specific investigations in response to enforcement agencies’ inquiries, we routinely conduct internal investigations covering the full range of antitrust issues in order to identify potential risks and recommend risk-reduction measures, as well as antitrust compliance program design and training.