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In this program, V&E lawyers Darren Tucker and Jason Powers will discuss recent antitrust developments in the energy and chemicals industries and what lies ahead for companies.

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has revised the thresholds that govern pre-merger notification requirements under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (“HSR Act”). The new HSR Act thresholds will become effective for all transactions closing on or after February 23, 2022.

Antitrust activity increased significantly in 2021. This past year brought numerous changes in merger and non-merger enforcement policies and priorities that signal increased scrutiny in industry transactions.

In late December 2021, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) settled charges in two separate matters for failure-to-file violations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, 15 U.S.C. § 18a (“HSR Act”). In one, investment fund operator Biglari Holdings Inc. agreed to pay a penalty of $1.4 million.

On this podcast episode, Bloomberg’s Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway speak with V&E Antitrust partner and Litigation/Regulatory Department co-head Craig Seebald to understand how the law in this space gets applied.

It is no secret that the current administration has made antitrust regulation and enforcement a key part of its agenda, and consumer goods, including meat-processing, are a top priority of concern, especially as prices are going up.

On November 30th Vinson & Elkins’ Craig Seebald, Matt Strock and Lindsey Vaala, along with AlixPartners’ Managing Director Tasneem Chipty, participated in PLI's program.

When acquiring a company or merging, are you conducting due diligence on the target’s compliance with competition laws? If not, you may be making a big mistake.

On December 2, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it had filed an administrative complaint (the “Complaint”) to block Nvidia Corp.’s (“Nvidia”) $40 billion acquisition of U.K. chip design provider Arm Ltd. (“Arm”). This Complaint is significant because it challenges a vertical transaction after the FTC withdrew its Vertical Merger Guidelines.

Over the last twenty years, Vinson & Elkins’ lawyers have been involved in some of the largest and most important cartel cases our clients have faced both domestically and internationally.

The National Law Journal interviewed Craig Seebald, managing partner of Vinson & Elkins’ Washington, D.C. office, current co-head of V&E’s complex commercial litigation group, and lead antitrust lawyer, as he prepares to be promoted to co-lead of the firm’s global litigation practice group.

On November 2, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to block the planned $2.175 billion merger between powerhouse publishing companies Penguin Random House, LLC and Simon & Schuster, Inc.