Eric Ashby II

Eric Ashby II is an associate in Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. office and is a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Government Contracts groups. Eric represents clients on a range of antitrust matters including civil litigation, mergers and acquisitions, and government investigations. He represents government contractors in both counseling and litigation, including procurement ethics and compliance, as well as civil and criminal matters.

Representative Matters

• Defending a global hospitality company in a class action litigation and related lawsuit involving an alleged conspiracy to eliminate competition for branded keyword search advertising.
• Representing a multi-state integrated health system in its proposed acquisition of a large regional referral hospital.
• Advising a major cloud computing company on structuring its public sector agreements consistent with industry standards.
• Represented a private equity firm and its portfolio companies in obtaining clearance from the FTC of multiple acquisitions, including in an area subject to a Prior Notice requirement.
• Represented a Fortune 25 corporation in a grand jury investigation into price fixing and market allocation in the generic pharmaceutical industry.
• Represented a government contractor in connection with a bribery, bid rigging, and procurement fraud investigation by the Department of Justice.
• Advising clients regarding potential antitrust liability associated with horizontal and vertical conduct in the hospitality, chemicals, aerospace and defense, and veterinary health care services industries.
• Drafted training materials for clients on antitrust compliance in public procurement.

Eric maintains an active pro bono practice. Recent pro bono matters include:

• Representation of a domestic violence victim in a landlord-tenant dispute in District of Columbia Small Claims Court.
• Representation of family members from El Salvador seeking asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and legal permanent residency in the United States.

Eric’s other pro bono interests include LGBTQ-rights advocacy, voting rights, racial justice, veterans affairs, and First Amendment matters.

Eric received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School where he was Notes Editor for the Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law and a recipient of the Certificate of Merit Award for Outstanding Performance in Health Law. During law school he was an extern for the Honorable Cathy Ann Bencivengo in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Eric also volunteered with the Central Florida Gay & Lesbian Law Association where he drafted a model ordinance for Florida localities banning the practice of conversion therapy.

Eric graduated phi beta kappa from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Political Science. During college he interned for U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio, working primarily on military and veterans affairs. Eric is a military veteran who served in the United States Air Force where he earned the Humanitarian Service Medal for disaster relief efforts.

Affiliations

Admitted to practice: California, District of Columbia

Professional Activities and Memberships

• Member, LGBT Bar Association of DC
• Member, American Bar Association, Antitrust Section
• Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section