Antitrust Counseling & Merger Clearance

We help clients recognize and minimize antitrust risk while demonstrating the procompetitive benefits of their initiatives, including joint ventures and other collaborations with antitrust implications. By designing and implementing effective, updated antitrust compliance programs and providing on-demand advice, McGuireWoods ensures clients minimize the risk of being investigated or sued, providing peace of mind to employees and leadership doing business in the current enforcement environment.

In the merger space, the team advises domestic and foreign companies across industries and geographies in navigating U.S. federal and state antitrust laws and the expanding number of competition laws in Europe, Latin America and other parts of the globe. Our experience in healthcare, energy, tech and manufacturing allows us to quickly assess the substance of a deal and to spot the competition-related pain points and affirmative arguments for allowing the deal to proceed. We provide practical risk assessments related to the merger clearance process based on a client’s priorities. Lawyers chart the most efficient path to closing, advising on gun-jumping, integration planning and avoiding regulatory pitfalls. We also represent third parties asked to provide information in connection with merger investigations, as well as clients interested in raising objections to particular transactions.

McGuireWoods works closely with companies, economists and other professionals to develop strategies for each step of the approval process. Experience and state-of-the-art technology allow us to handle the largest and most complex “second requests” for documents quickly and efficiently. In matters that require litigation or negotiated resolutions, we speak clearly and frankly to leadership, forging relationships that extend to multiple deals because clients trust our representation before regulators and courts.

The team nurtures relationships in other important arenas: We know the people, policies and practices of the Federal Trade Commission, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, state attorneys general offices and other regulatory bodies around the world, including the European Commission. And they know McGuireWoods’ reputation as zealous advocates for clients while maintaining respect and positive relationships with counsel and other stakeholders.