Antitrust & Trade Regulation

Vedder is a trusted advisor to companies navigating complex antitrust challenges.  Clients rely on the team for clear guidance, sound judgment, and practical strategies that protect business objectives while allowing transactions and operations to move forward. The practice is respected for its ability to translate competition law into actionable advice grounded in real-world commercial realities.

Antitrust risk intersects with most aspects of operations including pricing decisions, distribution models, growth strategies, and competitive positioning. Vedder’s team brings a market-aware perspective shaped by experience across industries and working with regulators, allowing the team to identify concerns early, assess risk realistically, and help clients make informed decisions before issues escalate or disrupt momentum.

The team represents companies and individuals in civil and criminal investigations, enforcement actions, and antitrust litigation before federal and state agencies and courts. Matters commonly involve pricing and bidding practices, marketing and distribution arrangements, information exchanges, joint ventures, intellectual property licensing, and allegations of monopolization. When disputes arise, the focus remains on disciplined strategy, efficient discovery, and advocacy aligned with broader business goals.

Vedder also guides clients through all phases of antitrust review for mergers and acquisitions. This includes early risk assessment, Hart-Scott-Rodino filings, coordination of foreign premerger notifications, and investigations by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general. For transactions involving non U.S. investors, the team advises on CFIUS filings and related considerations. Beyond transactions and investigations, Vedder provides ongoing counseling, training, and compliance support to help clients manage risk in day-to-day operations.

Key Areas of Focus

• Litigation and Investigations
  Representation in civil and criminal proceedings, enforcement actions, arbitration, and government investigations involving pricing and bidding, distribution and marketing, joint ventures, intellectual property licensing, monopolization, and consumer protection.
• Merger and Acquisition Review
  Antitrust risk assessment and regulatory review for transactions, including Hart-Scott-Rodino filings, coordination of foreign premerger notifications, CFIUS filings for U.S. acquisitions by non-U.S. investors, and representation in investigations conducted by regulatory agencies or state attorneys general.
• Practical Counseling and Compliance
  Ongoing guidance on business conduct, pricing, distribution, licensing, and joint ventures, supported by compliance programs, training, and policy development.

Experience

• Served as lead antitrust counsel in obtaining DOJ and multi-state clearance of a multi-billion-dollar acquisition involving overlapping services across more than 50 U.S. geographic markets.
• Represented a private equity sponsor in the sale of an industrial manufacturing company, successfully navigating HSR filing, Second Request compliance, and a fix-it-first resolution without a consent decree.
• Led antitrust strategy for a large manufacturing and packaging company in a billion-dollar acquisition, resolving government concerns and positioning the client as a leading competitor in its industry.
• Defended poultry producers in nationwide antitrust class actions alleging supply reduction, bid rigging, price fixing, and hub-and-spoke conspiracy theories.
• Represented a multinational financial institution in a complex antitrust class action involving alleged price fixing in the secondary market for government-backed securities.
• Represented a technology company in monopolization claims against a competitor involving an alleged digital or information services market.
• Secured dismissal of monopolization claims for a recreational services provider at the trial court level and successfully defended the dismissal on appeal in federal court.