Insights

Washington – August 17, 2023: The 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 47 firm lawyers as "Best Lawyers" and 41 lawyers as “Ones to Watch.”

Washington – February 17, 2023: Chambers and Partners has ranked eight Crowell & Moring practice groups and 15 individual lawyers in the Chambers Global 2023 guide. The rankings are driven by independent interviews of clients and members of the legal community.

Washington – August 18, 2022: The 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® has recognized 54 firm lawyers as "Best Lawyers" and 32 lawyers as “Ones to Watch.”

On August 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division announced three organizational changes that, if fully implemented, could significantly influence the manner in which it conducts its civil investigations and enforces its judgments and consent decrees. Specifically, the Antitrust Division announced: (i) the creation of an Office of Decree Enforcement and Compliance, which will be responsible for investigating and prosecuting both merger and non-merger judgment and consent decree violations; (ii) the establishment of a permanent Civil Conduct Task Force, which will be responsible for investigating and prosecuting non-merger-related anticompetitive business practices; and (iii) the reallocation of certain industries and related commodities among its civil Sections.

On May 11, 2016, the European Commission prohibited the proposed acquisition of Telefónica UK (O2) by Hutchison 3G UK (Three). The transaction would have been a 4:3 merger involving the number 2 and number 4 U.K. mobile network operators. The merged entity would have had a non-dominant share of around 40% and network sharing arrangements with both its remaining competitors (BT/EE and Vodafone). The Commission’s decision was based, in particular, on the elimination of Three as “an important competitive force” that offered the most competitive prices in certain market segments and 4G at no extra cost. The Commission made no finding of coordinated effects.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice recently released a long-anticipated draft update to the agencies’ Vertical Merger Guidelines. The draft Guidelines—which come on the heels of the DOJ’s failed bid to block the AT&T/Time Warner merger and several recent and very public skirmishes among the FTC Commissioners in vertical transactions—are the first update to the agencies’ guidance on vertical merger enforcement in nearly four decades.

Crowell & Moring is featured in Law360's "Weekly Verdict: Legal Lions & Lambs" article for the firm's success in obtaining approval from the Federal Trade Commission on AT&T Inc.'s $48.5 billion merger with DirecTV.

Crowell & Moring's Antitrust Group has been recognized as "highly recommended" in Global Competition Review's (GCR) 15th edition of the "GCR 100: The World's Leading Competition Practices." The report highlights the group's 2014 success in all facets of the practice, including advising on in-depth merger investigations and prevailing in a dozen dispositive motions in litigations. The Washington, D.C. and New York based teams are specifically cited for three pillars of their practice, including big-ticket merger work, criminal cartel investigations, and civil antitrust litigation. The editors note the strength of the group can be seen through their Fortune 500 clients including, AT&T, DaVita, and Amazon.

Crowell & Moring is cited as lead antitrust counsel for AT&T in its acquisition of BellSouth Corp. The deal is the third major antitrust matter for which Crowell & Moring has advised the organization. Last year, Crowell & Moring played a similar role for SBC Communications Inc. in its $16 billion acquisition of AT&T Corp, and in 2003 the firm advised SBC/Cingular Wireless in its $41 billion acquisition of AT&T Wireless. 

This conference offers a unique forum for exchanging ideas and discussing recent developments in competition law across the globe. It brings together leading figures in the field from around the world including judges, competition officials, academics, in-house counsel and private practitioners. The conference combines the policy perspective of the London-based Interdisciplinary Centre for Competition Law and Policy (ICC) with the real world experience of the international law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP.

Jennifer Waters, Keith Harrison, Cliff Hendler, Monica Parham, Lisa Savitt, Cliff Zatz, Arif Ali, Trina Fairley, Heather Hodges and Randy Smith will attend this dinner.

This conference offers a unique forum for exchanging ideas and discussing recent developments in the field of competition law globally. It brings together leading figures in the field from around the world including members of the judiciary, competition enforcement bodies, academia, inhouse counsel and private practice. The conference combines the policy perspective of the London-based Interdisciplinary Centre for Competition Law and Policy (ICC) with the real world experience of the international law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP.