Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz

United States: New York

The highly regarded Ilene Knable Gotts leads WACHTELL LIPTON ROSEN & KATZ’s antitrust team in New York, assisted by fellow partners Joseph Larson, Damian Didden and Nelson Fitts. What the firm lacks in litigation and cartel defence work it makes up for in high-profile merger control matters.

Gotts led for WESCO International in its $4.8 billion purchase of Anixter International and for Mondelēz International on its purchase of baked goods producer Give & Go in the United States and Canada. Didden took the lead for BB&T in its $66 billion all-stock merger of equals with SunTrust Banks, which the DOJ cleared subject to the divestiture of 28 branches. Didden also advised the Strategic Development Committee of TD Ameritrade on its $26 billion tie-up with Charles Schwab.

Fitts steered Celgene through its $74 billion sale to Bristol Myers Squibb, which the FTC cleared subject to the $13.3 billion divestiture of a psoriasis treatment. He also advised Marathon Petroleum on the $21 billion sale of its Speedway business to 7-Eleven. Rounding out the partners, Larson led for Analog Devices on its $21 billion purchase of rival chipmaker Maxim Integrated Products, and he is also advising Uber on its $2.65 billion acquisition of Postmates.