
Hill Wellford

2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 500 West
Washington, D.C. 20037





Hill Wellford is co-head of the firm’s Antitrust group. Since leaving the DOJ Antitrust Division for private practice, he has focused on matters in energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, media, and heavy industry, both in the U.S. and internationally. Chambers USA has called him “very strong” in antitrust and “one to watch.”
Hill’s practice includes matters in the United States and worldwide. He files dozens of “merger control” notifications yearly under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR Act) and parallel international laws. His non-deal work includes advising clients on some of the most hot-button current antitrust issues—including platforms/two sided markets, ESG/sustainability collaborations, and energy transition—as well as government civil conduct investigations and cartel and criminal investigations. He also counsels third parties involved in merger divestitures and has been appointed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to represent agency-installed divestiture monitors and trustees.
Hill is a longtime leader in the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust, where he is a member of the International Comments Committee, co-chaired the Dominance Divergence Task Force that issued a landmark 2019 report, and served a three-year term on the section’s governing Council. His government service included several positions in the DOJ Antitrust Division in Washington, DC, including Chief of Staff, trial attorney, investigator and Legal Policy counsel. He obtained the highest security clearances for classified information and restricted data (nuclear weapons and energy), including TS/RD. At DOJ, he also worked with the OECD, ICN, and foreign agencies, particularly focused on Asia, on matters of international trade.
Experience Highlights
Global Partners in its acquisition of Wheels Inc.
Brookfield Renewable in its $1 billion acquisition of Scout Clean Energy
DigitalReef in its merger with Gamers Club
Focus Financial in its $7 billion acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier and Rice
HighRidge Resources, Inc. in the sale of its subsidiary FlexSteel Technologies Holdings, Inc. to a newly formed subsidiary of Cactus, Inc.
John Hancock in the sale of its interests in Texas Nevada Transmission, LLC to HICL Infrastructure PLC
MN8 Energy in its agreement with Mercedes-Benz and ChargePoint to create a new EV charging network
Enable Midstream in its $7.2 billion merger with Energy Transfer
Represented Google LLC in its $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit, Inc.
KKR in the $5.7 billion merger between Independence Energy and Contango to form Crescent Energy Company
Switchback Energy Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC sponsored by an affiliate of NGP Energy Capital Management, in its $2.4 billion business combination with ChargePoint, a leading electric vehicle charging network
EVgo Services, a portfolio company of LS Power and an electric vehicle public fast charging network, in its $2.6 billion business combination with Climate Change Crisis Real Impact I Acquisition Corporation, a SPAC
Represented pharmaceutical companies before FTC in connection with settlement of patent litigation
Tortoise Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC sponsored by an affiliate of Tortoise Investments, LLC, in its $1.4 billion business combination with Volta Industries, an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle charging networks
Switchback II Corporation, a SPAC sponsored by an affiliate of NGP Energy Capital Management, in its $2.3 billion business combination with Bird Rides, a leader in shared short range environmentally friendly electric transportation
Live Oak Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC, in its $1.4 billion business combination with Navitas Semiconductor, the industry leader in Gallium nitride power ICs
Spartan Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC sponsored by funds managed by an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, in its $1.3 billion business combination with Sunlight Financial, a premier U.S. residential solar financing platform
Sunpro Solar, a residential solar company, in its $865 million sale to ADT
TPG Growth and The Rise Fund in their majority investment in Greenhouse, a hiring software company
Data Foundry, Inc., a carrier-neutral colocation and data center provider, in its $420 million sale to Switch, Inc.
Liberty Oilfield Services in its acquisition of Schlumberger’s onshore hydraulic fracturing business
The Carlyle Group in a USD $374 million investment in Amp Solar Group, a global energy transition platform, to support the growth of both Amp’s asset base and Amp X, a proprietary digital energy platform, within its core markets of North America, Japan, Australia, Iberia and the UK
Blackstone in its acquisition of Sabre Industries from The Jordan Company
CLEAResult Consulting, Inc., a leader in designing and implementing technology-enabled energy efficiency programs for utilities, in its acquisition of technology and affiliates
DigitalBridge in its acquisition of a controlling stake in Vertical Bridge Holdings, the largest private owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure in the U.S.
Representation of US financial company in obtaining favorable Business Review Letter from the DOJ Antitrust Division, approving new products and business plans
Representation of Japanese auto parts company in cartel investigation by the DOJ Antitrust Division
Credentials
- University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1995
- Dartmouth College, B.A., 1992
- U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division: Chief of Staff; Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General; investigator; trial lawyer; counsel in the Legal Policy Section; 2003–2009
- Clerkship to Judge Richard L. Wiliams of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 1995–1996
- Recognized, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers 2017 Practice Group of the Year for Antitrust Law, Law360 2018 Practice Group of the Year for Antitrust
- Chambers USA, Antitrust Litigation (District of Columbia), 2011–2019; Antitrust (District of Columbia), 2020–2022
- The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), (Washington): Antitrust Law, Litigation–Antitrust, 2016–2018, 2020–2023
- Legal 500 U.S., Antitrust: Cartel 2019–2022; Antitrust: Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense, 2020 and 2022; Antitrust: Merger Control 2017 and 2019–2022
- Lawdragon, 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2023
- Selected to the Washington D.C. Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers® (Thomson Reuters), 2019–2023
- JD Supra Reader’s Choice Awards, Top Author – Antitrust & Trade Regulation, 2023
- Co-chair: ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Dominance Divergence Task Force
- Former Council Member: ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Governing Council
- Life Fellow: American Bar Foundation
- Member: American Bar Association, Antitrust Section
- Member: American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Top Secret and Restricted Data (Atomic Energy) Security Clearances (issued 2007)
- District of Columbia, Virginia, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Rankings & AwardsJune 1, 2023
- EventMay 22, 2023 - May 24, 2023
- Deals & CasesMay 19, 2023
- Deals & CasesMay 9, 2023
- InsightMay 1, 2023
V&E Antitrust Update
- Rankings & AwardsApril 28, 2023
- InsightApril 3, 2023
Published in IFLR, March 21, 2023
- Deals & CasesMarch 1, 2023
- Deals & CasesFebruary 28, 2023
- Deals & CasesFebruary 28, 2023
- Deals & CasesFebruary 14, 2023
- InsightFebruary 9, 2023
- InsightJanuary 31, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 25, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 24, 2023
- Deals & CasesJanuary 24, 2023
- InsightJanuary 10, 2023
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightJanuary 6, 2023
V&E Non-Compete Update
- Deals & CasesJanuary 3, 2023
- Deals & CasesDecember 22, 2022
- Deals & CasesDecember 13, 2022
- Deals & CasesNovember 16, 2022
- Deals & CasesNovember 3, 2022
- Deals & CasesOctober 21, 2022
- Deals & CasesOctober 17, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsOctober 4, 2022
- InsightSeptember 20, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesSeptember 15, 2022
- Deals & CasesSeptember 13, 2022
- Deals & CasesSeptember 13, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsAugust 18, 2022
- Deals & CasesAugust 15, 2022
- Deals & CasesAugust 4, 2022
- InsightAugust 1, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesAugust 1, 2022
- InsightJuly 14, 2022
- Deals & CasesJuly 5, 2022
- Deals & CasesJune 28, 2022
- Deals & CasesJune 17, 2022
- InsightJune 16, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 16, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsJune 1, 2022
- InsightMay 27, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesMay 25, 2022
- Deals & CasesMay 10, 2022
- Rankings & AwardsMay 2, 2022
- InsightApril 20, 2022
- Deals & CasesApril 11, 2022
- Deals & CasesMarch 16, 2022
- InsightMarch 11, 2022
- Deals & CasesFebruary 15, 2022
- InsightJanuary 24, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightJanuary 18, 2022
- InsightJanuary 13, 2022
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesJanuary 12, 2022
- Deals & CasesJanuary 6, 2022
- InsightDecember 8, 2021
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesDecember 6, 2021
- InsightNovember 8, 2021
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesOctober 22, 2021
- Deals & CasesSeptember 20, 2021
- Deals & CasesSeptember 15, 2021
- Deals & CasesSeptember 9, 2021
- InsightSeptember 7, 2021
- Event RecapAugust 19, 2021
- Deals & CasesAugust 12, 2021
- Deals & CasesAugust 10, 2021
- InsightAugust 5, 2021
Published in JOTA, July 30, 2021
- Deals & CasesAugust 4, 2021
- InsightJuly 22, 2021
Previously published on Lexis Nexis – A Practical Guidance
- Deals & CasesJuly 20, 2021
- Deals & CasesJuly 13, 2021
- Deals & CasesJuly 12, 2021
- Deals & CasesJune 2, 2021
- Deals & CasesMay 12, 2021
- Deals & CasesMay 11, 2021
- Deals & CasesMay 3, 2021
- Rankings & AwardsApril 22, 2021
- Deals & CasesApril 20, 2021
- Deals & CasesApril 13, 2021
- Deals & CasesMarch 11, 2021
- Deals & CasesMarch 3, 2021
- Deals & CasesFebruary 17, 2021
- Deals & CasesFebruary 8, 2021
- Deals & CasesFebruary 5, 2021
- InsightFebruary 3, 2021
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesJanuary 22, 2021
- Deals & CasesJanuary 14, 2021
- Deals & CasesJanuary 13, 2021
- InsightJanuary 7, 2021
V&E Antitrust Update
- Deals & CasesJanuary 7, 2021
- Deals & CasesJanuary 6, 2021
- Deals & CasesJuly 20, 2020
- InsightJune 22, 2020
V&E Antitrust Update
- InsightDecember 5, 2018
- “Big Data, Privacy, and Antitrust” (video link), Institutio Brasileiro de Direito Empresarial (Ibrademp), June 29, 2022 (panelist)
- “Aviation Focus: Algorithmic Pricing and Recent Enforcements,” 2019 Antitrust Texas Summit, September 24, 2019 (panelist)
- “Trade Association Antitrust Compliance: Safety in Numbers?” Antitrust Law 2019 Spring Meeting, March 27, 2019 (panelist)
- “FTC Updates Guidance on Premerger Due Diligence and Negotiations (Sharing But Not Oversharing),” Energy Series, V&E Houston Office, June 13, 2018 (speaker)
- “Competition Developments in Brazil the US and EU – What Brazilian Counsel and Companies Need to Know,” July 13, 2018 (speaker)