Overview
McDermott Will & Emery maintained its position in GCR100’s 2019 Global Elite rankings. This was the seventh consecutive year it was included in Global Competition Review’s list of the top 25 firms for competition.
The Firm is noted as “one of the top competition firms in Illinois” and garnered an Elite ranking for that jurisdiction. McDermott upheld a Highly Recommended ranking in Washington, DC. Raymond Jacobsen, global head of the Antitrust Practice, was ranked individually as Highly Recommended.
McDermott teams secured several critical client victories during the past year and continue to represent businesses across a variety of industries in class actions. They recently secured a dismissal of claims that Steel Dynamics participated in a price-fixing conspiracy after defeating an appeal to the Seventh Circuit by a proposed class of indirect purchasers. The lawyers successfully handled various criminal antitrust investigations, including ending the US Department of Justice’s investigation of alleged drywall price fixing by Eagle Materials.
Clients also routinely turn to McDermott to assist in complex merger review and clearance. Recent examples include:
- Secured clearance from the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division for longstanding client Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.’s $1.6 billion acquisition of Bluegrass Materials Company following a ten-month review process.
- Served as antitrust counsel for Impax Laboratories, Inc. in a $1.45 billion business combination with Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. The transaction created a combined company worth over $6.4 billion and the fifth largest generics pharmaceutical company in the United States.
- Advised Praxair on the global divestiture process, focusing on the EU competition aspects, in relation to their merger with Linde.
- Secured clearance without conditions and obligations for the merger of Germany’s only two nationwide department store chains KARSTADT and GALERIA Kaufhof following an investigation by the German Federal Cartel Office, which its president characterized as “particularly intense”.
- Obtained US Department of Justice and foreign approvals for Motorola Solutions Inc.’s acquisitions of Aviglion and VaaS International Holdings without a Second Requests or extended reviews in any jurisdiction.
Effective January 1, 2019, the firm promoted three lawyers in the Antitrust Practice Group:
- Katharine O’Connor (Partner, Chicago)
- Alex An (Partner, Beijing)
- David Henry (Counsel, Brussels)
For full GCR100 Global Elite rankings and editorial, please click here
ABOUT GCR100
Compiled by the staff of Global Competition Review, GCR100 is a comprehensive listing of the world’s top competition practices, including quantitative and qualitative analysis of hundreds of law firms and economic consultancies. The Global Elite List includes the top 25 firms with competition practices on more than one continent. They are judged on the size and stability of the practice, attorney nominations to Who’s Who Legal and votes from other participating firms.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. With 20 locations on three continents, our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and geographies to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,100 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
