Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Charles F. (Rick) Rule, Jonathan S. Kanter, Joseph J. Bial and Andrew J. Forman will be joining the firm as partners in its Antitrust Group, resident in Washington, D.C. They will focus on providing antitrust advice in connection with major mergers and acquisitions, as well as handling significant antitrust litigation, including cartel defense and other substantial matters for leading U.S. and global business organizations. Mr. Rule will be joining the firm as co-chair of its Antitrust Group.
“With today’s heightened regulatory scrutiny of M&A transactions, intense regulatory focus on antitrust enforcement and increased private antitrust litigation, a top-flight merger clearance team and world-class antitrust litigators are indispensable assets,” said Brad S. Karp, chair of Paul, Weiss. “The addition of these extraordinary lawyers bolsters our preeminent Antitrust and M&A Groups.”
“We are delighted to welcome this team of leading antitrust lawyers to our D.C. office,” added Kenneth A. Gallo, managing partner of Paul, Weiss’s Washington, D.C. office and co-chair of the firm’s Antitrust Group. “Their talents and expertise are a great fit with our Antitrust Group, which handles front-page litigation and transactional matters for many of the world’s largest companies.”
Echoing these views, Robert B. Schumer, chair of Paul, Weiss’s Corporate Department, said that “A strong regulatory antitrust team is essential for the biggest and most complicated deals to cross the finish line. We are excited to work with these exceptional antitrust lawyers to advance our clients’ most significant strategic objectives.”
Mr. Rule is one of the world’s leading antitrust lawyers. He advises major corporations in high-profile mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, and also represents clients in high-stakes civil and criminal litigation. Mr. Rule has advised in some of the biggest, front-page deals in the airline, food and beverage, hospitality, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, software and other industries. He is a former head of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, becoming the youngest Assistant Attorney General (Antitrust) in history. Mr. Rule is regularly recognized as one of the nation’s preeminent antitrust lawyers in Chambers USA, Chambers Global, The Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, Global Competition Review and Benchmark Litigation, and has been highlighted in The Financial Times’ “U.S. Innovative Lawyers” report. Mr. Rule received a B.A. summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Mr. Kanter is a nationally recognized antitrust lawyer and a veteran of the FTC. Clients and industry observers recognize Mr. Kanter as among the nation’s “go to” lawyers for matters involving tech and media. He represents some of the world’s most significant companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, government investigations and public policy. Mr. Kanter received a B.A. cum laude from the SUNY Albany and a J.D. from the Washington University School of Law. Mr. Bial represents clients in high-profile antitrust and commercial litigation trials, appeals and regulatory investigations. He also has extensive experience handling international cartel actions and antitrust cases for clients, including many based in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. Mr. Bial was a law clerk for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He has consulted as an economic expert and also worked as an economist at the White House Office of Management and Budget. Mr. Bial received a B.A. from Miami University, a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Arizona and a J.D. with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a Bradley Fellow and a John M. Olin Fellow.
Mr. Forman focuses on counseling clients on antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and DOJ and FTC investigations, and also has considerable experience in private antitrust litigation. Mr. Forman helped lead the teams that won Global Competition Review antitrust “Matter of the Year” awards in 2014 and 2015. He is a former FTC Bureau of Competition lawyer and has extensive experience in healthcare and pharmaceutical matters from his time in government service and in private practice. Mr. Forman received a B.A. with honors from Washington University and a J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.
Source: www.paulweiss.com
