Dechert

Dechert’s partnership is one of the most skilled and storied in the US antitrust bar, with multiple Who’s Who Legal: Competition entrants focused on mergers and government-facing work. The firm has made its name handling the past decade’s most difficult retail and agriculture antitrust issues, but its work spans industries and types of antitrust matters. It grew in Brussels in early 2017 with the hire of a team led by partner Alec Burnside, previously of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft.

The transatlantic antitrust team at Dechert breaks into the top-20 Global Elite rankings this year after climbing two spots from its 2016 position. The firm’s rise comes amid a better showing in several categories GCR tracks. The firm advised on two deals filed in the US, EU and China over the past year – cracking into the top 10 in that metric – after previously submitting no such deals for the GCR 100. The firm also handled significantly more non-cartel conduct matters and advisory work year on year, including acting for complainants and third parties in high-profile matters. Overall, it’s a talented group; almost two-thirds of its senior antitrust team appear in the Who’s Who Legal, among the highest rates in the Global Elite.

Of course, the firm continues to maintain an active slate of deal work, cartel defence assignments and court cases. Dechert’s work for client WhiteWave through its complex deal with Danone stands out; the US Department of Justice issues a second request to the companies and cleared the tie-up only after divestitures. And the US-based team is working for clients in the auto parts, drywall, capacitors and generic drugs investigations, among others. But Dechert takes on a number of other representations that live at the edge of antitrust law and other regulatory matters. It acted for Aer Lingus in the Irish air tax case; advised American Airlines on competition-related issues before the US Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration; and worked for a major third-party rival during the Walgreens/Rite Aid merger investigation in the US.