The Legal 500 > United States > United States > Civil litigation/class actions: defense

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP's Donald Flexner, who leads the standout litigation practice from New York, represents clients in both civil and criminal proceedings brought by competitors, classes and government authorities. The team, which comprises names such as Richard Feinstein, Michael Mitchell, Scott Gant and Greg Dubinsky, has previously secured significant victories for clients in the healthcare and air travel sectors. Also notable is David Boies, who sits in Armonk. Named attorneys are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

The Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton team 'not only provides great legal judgment but also advises in a timely manner'. One client describes Brian Byrne as 'virtually a step above any other lawyer' they have worked with; he is part of the cross-office team advising a group of financial institutions on multi-jurisdictional investigations by global regulators into foreign exchange trading, as well as the associated civil litigation cases. George Cary and Kenneth Reinker are currently acting for Sabre in a consumer class action alleging collusion between global distribution networks, and Leah Brannon continues to defend Keurig in an ongoing monopolization claim brought by two individual competitors and two purported classes of purchasers. Mark Nelson and Dave Gelfand are also key senior names to note. Mark Leddy was recently promoted to global co-head of the antitrust practice and Alexis Collins was made partner. Kathleen Bradish joined the group as counsel from the DOJ, and Cunzhen Huang and Larry Malm were promoted to counsel. All named individuals are based in Washington DC.

Craig Waldman, who splits his time between San Francisco and Silicon Valley, and Brussels-based Bernard Amory jointly lead the global antitrust practice at Jones Day. In a recent highlight, Washington DC-based John Majoras and Los Angeles' Eric Enson are currently collaborating with the Tokyo office to represent NGK and its US subsidiary in several putative class actions arising from the high-profile global investigation into the auto parts cartel. Railway equipment supplier Wabtec appointed a group led by Waldman and David Kiernan - who is based in San Francisco - to defend it in a putative class action brought by current and former employees alleging the client engaged in a conspiracy to depress wages through 'no-poach' agreements with Knorr-Bremse. Chicago-based Paula Render is acting for Deutsche Bank regarding the class action claiming anti-competitive behavior in the trading of interest rate swaps on electronic exchanges. Other key names include Cleveland-based Michelle Fischer and DC's Michael Knight, who is advising a pharmaceutical company on multi-district class action litigation brought by purchasers alleging the client monopolized sales of a drug by engaging in 'product hop' and hindering the entry to market of generics manufacturers. Michael Gleason is also a key name to note. David Wales moved to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

A stellar array of clients regularly appoints Kirkland & Ellis LLP's 'dedicated and invested team' to advise on a broad range of antitrust litigation; clients 'trust fully in its advice and appreciate its intelligence and diligence'. Edwin U is currently defending the ABB Optical Group in a series of over 50 putative class actions alleging the client and its co-defendants conspired to maintain minimum resale pricing in the optical lens sector, while a Chicago team including practice co-head Daniel Laytin is defending Blue Cross Blue Shield in a number of class actions challenging its health insurance structure. Also based in Chicago, team co-head James Mutchnik is acting for a major hedge fund as a third party in a multi-district class action brought against global banks on the grounds of alleged collusion in the interest rate swap market. The group's client base also includes names such as Deutsche Bank, DirecTV and also the Chicago Cubs, which Laytin and Paul Clement - among others - have been assisting with longstanding claims filed by the 'Wrigley Rooftops'.

Latham & Watkins LLP provides 'thoughtful and sound case strategy' and global co-head Christopher Yates 'has a sense for clients' needs' and stands out through his 'outstanding experience not only in antitrust, but litigation as a whole'. Daniel Wall and Sadik Huseny are currently collaborating with him to advise Apple on putative class action suits challenging the legality of Apple's restrictions on third-party applications via its App Store. The US Soccer Federation appointed a team including New York's Lawrence Buterman and Washington DC's Gregory Garre to defend it in a claim brought by the NASL alleging that US Soccer and other professional leagues conspired to exclude NASL from the top divisions to monopolize the market. Also notable in Washington DC are Jennifer Giordano and Margaret Zwisler, while Al Pfeiffer sits in the San Francisco office. They recently acted for high-profile clients in the healthcare, telecoms and media sectors, such as Highmark and Cox Communications. Amanda Reeves co-heads the department in Washington, D.C., and was part of the team which defended Genentech in a suit filed by Russian biotechnology company Biocad alleging the client and other drug manufacturers engaged in predatory pricing and unlawful tying arrangements to prevent Biocad from competing in the US market. Named individuals are based in San Francisco unless otherwise stated.

Servicing a stellar client base including some of the world's largest conglomerates, Baker Botts L.L.P. 's global antitrust team is jointly led by John Taladay, Stephen Weissman and Catriona Hatton . Irico Group appointed the team to advise on major price-fixing litigation brought by a class of direct purchasers, and Joseph Ostoyich teamed up with William Lavery to represent Patterson Companies in a suit filed by the FTC alleging Patterson and two of its competitors conspired to boycott dental group purchasing organizations and to coordinate pricing policies. Mark Botti and Anthony Swisher recently joined the practice from Squire Patton Boggs. Other key clients include AT&T, UnitedHealthcare, Ericsson and Royal Philips. Named attorneys are based in Washington DD, except Hatton, who is based in Brussels.

The advice provided by Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP's antitrust team is 'practical and takes business realities into consideration'. David Marriott and Lauren Moskowitz are currently representing Alcon Laboratories in over 50 putative class actions alleging violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act by the client's pricing policies for its contact lenses. Also notable are Evan Chesler, Peter Barbur, Rory Leraris and Kevin Orsini, who together secured a complete victory for American Express in the Second Circuit and US Supreme Court to end a longstanding dispute first brought by the DOJ then followed by several state attorneys alleging the client's card agreement 'non-discrimination' provisions violated the Sherman Act. Clients also recommend Lauren Roberta Kennedy and Karin DeMasi, who are 'both extremely responsive and give great legal counsel'. Katherine Forrest joined the team from her position with the government, and Vanessa Lavely was recently promoted to partner.

Dechert LLP's antitrust team recently secured a full victory for egg producer RW Sauder in a class action brought by direct purchasers claiming the client - and 12 other producers - conspired to reduce the domestic supply of eggs. George Gordon and Christine Levin, who are based in Philadelphia, defended Endo Pharmaceuticals in 'reverse payment' litigation brought by the FTC as a challenge to a patent settlement including a 'no-authorized generic' provision. A key name to note in New York is Ethan Litwin, who represented American Airlines in a series of class actions claiming the major airlines colluded to coordinate passenger seat capacity. Philadelphia-based Steven Bizar and New York-based Michael Weiner spearhead the firm's global antitrust department. Rani Habash was recently promoted to partner in the Washington DC office.

Hogan Lovells US LLP acts as co-lead counsel to a number of Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) health insurance plans in multi-district litigation brought by separate putative classes of purchasers and healthcare providers alleging collusive practice between the plans. Justin Bernick is currently representing BCBS Rhode Island in a suit filed by a Massachusetts hospital system alleging the client violated antitrust laws by preventing it from acquiring a hospital. He is regularly supported by senior associate Kimberly Rancour, who has been part of cross-office teams advising on cases in the entertainment, pharmaceuticals and chemicals sectors. Edith Ramirez is global co-head of the practice and is also a key name to note, as is Benjamin Holt. All named individuals are based in Washington DC.

O'Melveny & Myers LLP's antitrust team recently welcomed Benjamin Singer from the DOJ. In work highlights, Los Angeles-based Daniel Petrocelli recently secured a landmark victory for AT&T and Time Warner against the DOJ, which had challenged the clients' vertical merger. Ian Simmons and Ben Bradshaw, who jointly head the practice, are currently representing Samsung in multi-district litigation seeking over $1bn in damages on the grounds of an alleged price-fixing conspiracy in the optical disk drive market. Also notable is Katrina Robson, who collaborated with Bradshaw and New York's Andrew Frackman to advise American Airlines and the US Airways Group on two separate cases regarding allegations of a domestic conspiracy to inflate air travel fares, the second of which challenged Sabre's practices of unreasonably restrained trade. Edward Moss is another key name in the New York office; Kenneth O’Rourke works with clients such as NextEra Energy and AT&T. Named individual are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated. Richard Parker and Ted Hassi left the team for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP respectively.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP's 'highly skilled and experienced' antitrust team is currently representing the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in its challenge before the DOJ regarding changes to its longstanding antitrust consent decree brought by the Music Modernization Act, which was signed into law in 2018. Aidan Synnott 'leads an effective team in a client-oriented way and remains calm under pressure throughout the trial process'. Craig Benson, Joseph Bial and Kenneth Gallo, who sit in Washington DC, are defending Bumble Bee Seafoods against claims of a price-fixing conspiracy in the packaged tuna market brought by putative classes of direct and indirect purchasers and large retailers. In another highlight, Becton Dickinson appointed a New York-based group consisting of Robert Atkins, William Michael and Jacqueline Rubin to defend it in a putative class action brought by healthcare providers alleging the client inflated the prices of its products. Notable clients also include Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Pfizer and Cigna. Charles Rule is also a key contact.

The antitrust lawyers at Shearman & Sterling LLP are 'very practical, business-focused and all have excellent knowledge of the law'. The firm's client roster includes numerous household names in the financial sector and elsewhere. In a recent highlight, New York-based Adam Hakki has been acting for Bank of America as one of eight defendants in a class action claiming the group of financial institutions conspired to manipulate the London silver fix and fix the price of silver. On the manufacturing side, Djordje Petkoski, David Higbee, Ryan Shores and San Francisco's John Cove continue to advise Japanese manufacturer Rubycon in a DOJ criminal investigations as well as series of associated civil claims. Other key clients include Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, Equinor and Mizuho Securities. Ben Gris recently joined the team from the FTC. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Mark Gidley spearheads the antitrust litigation practice at White & Case LLP and recently teamed up with Boston's Michael Kendall to successfully obtain a full exoneration of Richard Usher, the lead defendant in the DOJ's criminal charges related to its investigation of the foreign exchange benchmark market. Noah Brumfield, who sits in Palo Alto, 'provides actionable advice that is very timely and efficient' and 'understands clients' businesses in a way that is rarely seen with outside counsel'. In the pharmaceutical space, Gidley, Peter Carney and New York-based Jack Pace and Michael Gallagher - among others - secured a reversal of class certification on behalf of Allergan. Also key is Christopher Curran, who leads the advice to longstanding client Toshiba; he recently defeated class certification in litigation brought by direct and indirect purchasers on the grounds of alleged price fixing in the lithium ion batteries market. Other key names include New York-based Robert Milne and John Chung, and Washington DC's Eric Grannon.

The civil litigation team at Winston & Strawn LLP is jointly led by Jeffrey Kessler and Eva Cole and was recently bolstered by the arrival in Washington DC of Neely Beth Agin and Eric Meiring from Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP and the DOJ, respectively. The firm's strength in the sports sector can be seen in Kessler's victory on behalf of a class of NCAA athletes in its challenge against the NCAA's restraints on compensation. In another highlight, Chicago-based Dan Webb and New York-based Aldo Badini defeated Keurig's motion to dismiss their client Treehouse Foods' complaint of anti-competitive practices. Other key names in the Chicago office include James Herbison and David Dahlquist, while Robert Pringle sits in San Francisco. Recent team developments also include the promotion to partner of Ian Papendick in San Francisco, sports litigation expert Jonathan Amoona in New York and Diana Hughes Leiden in Los Angeles.

Debbie Feinstein heads Arnold & Porter's global antitrust practice, while Jonathan Gleklen leads the US offering and Saul Morgenstern spearheads the New York branch. In recent highlights, Gleklen is part of the team advising Visa in litigation brought by putative classes as well as individual merchant plaintiffs challenging the default interchange fees set in the Visa and MasterCard system rules. James L. Cooper acted for Mitsui and its affiliates in class actions brought by end payers, automobile dealers and truck dealers on the grounds of an alleged price-fixing conspiracy in the ocean shipping industry. New York-based Jennifer Patterson is currently working alongside Morgenstern to represent a major US freight railroad in a number of class actions alleging surcharges on freight shipments in violation of the Sherman Act. Other key names include Sonia Kuester Pfaffenroth and Laura Shores. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

Mark Ryan leads Mayer Brown's global antitrust practice. The team was recently bolstered by the promotion to partner of Matthew Provance in Chicago and Stephen Medlock. In the banking sector, HSBC appointed the group to advise on a putative class action alleging a conspiracy among financial institutions to manipulate the market for USD-denominated SSA bonds, as well as a separate class action claiming financial institutions harmed competition in the trading of interest rate swaps. Chicago-based Britt Miller is acting for CDK Global and its partially owned joint venture CVR in multi-district litigation alleging CDK conspired with its primary competitor - the Reynolds and Reynolds group - to exclude third parties from the data integration market and monopolize the after-market for applications. Andrew Marovitz recently provided counsel to clients such as  ArcelorMittal, Lear Corporation and BASF, and is also a name to note in Chicago. Carmine Zarlenga, Adam Hudes and William Stallings are also key names to note. Named attorneys are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

The 'super practical and goal-oriented' team at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP fields 'true experts on antitrust who just get the job done'. Particularly noted is the 'excellent' and 'super-responsive' Jon Roellke, whose advice is 'clear, consistent and actionable'. In Philadelphia, global practice head Steven Reed obtained a dismissal on behalf of Shire ViroPharma in a case brought by the FTC alleging the client tried to hinder generic competition to its drug by abusing government processes. Also notable in Philadelphia is Brendan Fee, who is a 'real star in the making' and 'just gets it'; he collaborated with Reed to advise clients such as Comcast, Uber and Gemtex. Richard Taffet is a key name to note in New York and recently led a cross-office team in the representation of Qualcomm in a variety of consumer class action claims alleging that the client's licensing and chip supply practices violated Section 5 of the FTC Act. Ryan Kantor recently joined the team from the DOJ in Washington DC and is a key contact, as is San Francisco's Brian Rocca.

The antitrust litigation practice at Morrison & Foerster LLP, under the leadership of practice co-head Jeff Jaeckel, is currently representing Fujifilm and several of its subsidiaries in a federal class action brought by direct purchasers of capacitors on the grounds of alleged price-fixing, bid-rigging and output-restricting practices on a wide range of products. He also recently won a motion to dismiss on behalf of Oath in a case where plaintiffs claimed search engines such as Yahoo!, Google and Bing were harming competition by favoring a certain group of businesses in their search results, to their detriment. Brad Lui is currently acting for an employee of Citibank in a class action filed by plaintiffs claiming he conspired to reduce competition in an alleged market manipulation of USD-denominated bonds. Other key names are practice co-head David Cross and senior of counsel Roger Fones.

Michael Scarborough leads Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP's antitrust and competition practice from San Francisco and successfully defended Samsung against boycott and monopsonization claims brought by a non-practicing entity relating to the client's acquisition and licensing of smartphone patents. Michael Cohen sits in Washington DC and is currently representing Reynolds and Reynolds in state and federal antitrust conspiracy and monopoly claims brought by automobile dealers and software providers. On the healthcare side, David Garcia is acting for Humboldt Medical Specialists and individual doctors with regard to a complaint filed by a competitor alleging one of the client's hospitals and doctors conspired to stifle competition for outpatient medical lab testing by misleading customers and defaming its competitors. Special counsel James McGinnis and Dylan Ballard are key contacts in the San Francisco office, as is Leo Caseria in Los Angeles.

A key name in the antitrust litigation practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is practice head John Terzaken III. He sits in the Washington DC office alongside Sara Razi, Abram Ellis and Peter Thomas, who are currently representing McKesson in a class action alleging that it conspired with generic drug manufacturers to fix prices and allocate customers. In the financial services sector, New York-based Peter Guryan and Michael Garvey teamed up with Ellis to defend Tradeweb against a number of putative class actions alleging a number of banks conspired to manipulate the over-the-counter market for interest rate swaps; Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan are also key clients in the financial space. Andrew Lacy - also in DC - is part of the team acting for HCA in a class-action claiming that three defendant hospital networks around San Antonio colluded to depress nurse wages. In a notable hire, former assistant US attorney Brooke Cucinella joined in New York from the Southern District.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP's Steven Reiss and Adam Hemlock, both of whom are based in New York, recently obtained a preliminary settlement approval on behalf of Calsonic Kansei in two purported class actions brought by end-user purchasers and automobile dealers following the DOJ's landmark criminal investigation into the global auto parts cartel. The pair also advise Bridgestone and its US subsidiary in ongoing multi-district litigation arising from the auto parts investigation. In other highlights, General Chemical Corporation and its parent company appointed the group to defend it in a series of putative class actions alleging price-fixing practices in the liquid aluminum sulfate market. Panasonic is also a notable client.

Crowell & Moring LLP's Kent Gardiner and practice co-head Shari Ross Lahlou are currently defending CSX Transportation in a consolidated group of putative class actions filed by purchasers of rail freight services. In other highlights, counsel Luke Van Houweling is part of the team representing Marriott in a class action brought against major hotel companies alleging they conspired to hinder competition from online platforms such as Expedia and Priceline by agreeing not to bid on each others' brands or online search engine advertising keywords. In Los Angeles, practice co-head Jason Murray and counsel Jordan Ludwig are acting for two Kaiser entities in a suit brought by a rival hospital group claiming the client is trying to monopolize the health insurance market in Solano County, California by underpaying for the emergency care that Kaiser's health plan members receive in the plaintiff's hospitals. Alexis Gilman and Juan Arteaga recently joined from from the FTC and DOJ, respectively. Named individuals are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.

DLA Piper LLP (US)'s antitrust team 'is thoroughly committed to its clients and shows great effort to learn to improve its services'. AMN Healthcare recently engaged a team led by practice co-head David Bamberger (Philadelphia) to defend it against a claim brought by a competitor alleging violations of the Sherman Act, and Edward Scheiderman (Washington DC) is part of the team acting for McCormick & Company in a consolidated group of lawsuits brought by a competitor and a number of putative consumer classes alleging the client's change of packaging is in breach of several antitrust and consumer protection laws. John Hamill, who successfully dismissed a state court class action filed against NorthShore University Health System, was recently joined in the Chicago office by Robby Robertson, who arrived from Hogan Lovells US LLP. Lesli Esposito splits her time between Washington DC and Philadelphia and heads the practice alongside Bamberger.

Raymond Jacobsen, Jr. heads the global antitrust and competition practice at McDermott Will & Emery LLP from Washington DC. On the healthcare front, a team led by Chicago's Terrence Dee, Washington's Jon Dubrow and Orange County's William Diaz is representing group purchasing organization Premier in a class action filed by healthcare providers alleging that Becton Dickinson conspired with the client and its co-defendant to exclude rival syringe suppliers and raise prices. Jacobsen continues to work alongside Chicago-based David Hanselman to advise Eagle Materials and American Gypsum in class actions filed by direct and indirect purchasers of drywall, while Michelle Lowery and Joel Chefitz secured a dismissal for Steel Dynamics in a nationwide class action claiming that steel manufacturers conspired to restrict supply and fix prices; they are also based in Chicago. Also notable are Stephen Wu and Stefan Meisner, who both sit in Washington DC.

McGuireWoods LLP 'is a powerhouse firm in antitrust defense; its best assets are its people who are incredibly strategic', according to one client. The antitrust litigation team is led by Chicago-based Amy Manning, who is 'one of the toughest defense lawyers out there and a brilliant antitrust mind'. Other key names include Angelo Russo, Sarah Zielinski and Howard Feller.

Robin Adelstein leads the antitrust department at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP from the New York office. In recent highlights, Layne Kruse     - who splits his time between Houston and Washington DC - teamed up with David Foster to secure a summary judgment for a household name technology company in litigation filed by a competitor alleging the client and other power tool manufacturers conspired to boycott its safety technology. Also notable in New York is Mark Robertson, who is jointly representing a disposable lens manufacturer alongside Adelstein in putative class actions claiming a group of lens manufacturers conspired to engage in horizontal price-fixing and vertical price maintenance in violation of the Sherman Act. On the healthcare front, Houston-based Darryl Anderson was part of the team advising a health system on one of four suits filed against US hospitals claiming a conspiracy to depress nurse wages. Gerald Stein joined the firm from the FTC as senior counsel.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP's US antitrust department has a particular strength in the technology space and continues to serve household names such as Microsoft. The team's clients also include household names such as Sony, eBay and Fujifilm. San Francisco-based Karen Johnson-McKewan is currently representing Netflix in a counterclaim to Fox's case alleging Netflix unlawfully hired two of Fox's former employees; Netflix claims Fox's employment contracts violate California's unfair competition law. Jay Jurata leads the practice from Washington DC and is collaborating with San Francisco's Robert Rosenfeld to defend longstanding client Microsoft in a class action brought by indirect purchasers alleging Microsoft overcharges for its Intel-compatible PC operating systems and software. Also notable in Washington DC are Alex Okuliar, Steve Routh and new addition Amy Ray, who recently joined the practice from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Scott Hataway's Washington DC-based team at Paul Hastings LLP is a trusted destination for the full gamut of antitrust litigation. The group recently secured a dismissal for Barclays in a suit brought by a putative class of purchasers of SSA bonds alleging the client engaged in a global conspiracy to fix prices and restrain competition in the market. Associate Noah Pinegar, who recently arrived from the FTC, is part of the team representing Align Technology against 3Shape Trios, which claims Align attempted to monopolize the market for digital scanners used to order clear teeth-straighteners. Also notable are Michael Spafford and newly promoted counsel Michael Wise, who are currently defending clients in civil litigation arising from sensitive investigations in the energy and financial services sectors.

Proskauer Rose LLP's Scott Cooper and Bart Williams are currently acting for the PAC-12 conference and the college athletics defendants in high-profile multi-district litigation challenging the NCAA rules in football and basketball. In another highlight, Washington DC-based practice co-head Colin Kass and New York's Bradley Ruskin are representing Henry Schein in several matters, including a class action brought by a distributor alleging the client and the co-defendants colluded to boycott its business and to fix the prices of dental equipment in the US. Practice co-head Christopher Ondeck is also based in DC.

Vinson & Elkins LLP's antitrust team is particularly strong in Washington DC, Houston and San Francisco and acts for a client roster spanning a vast array of industry sectors. Alden Atkins is currently leading the advice to Southwest Airlines in a series of civil cases consolidated into multi-district litigation arising from the DOJ's investigation into the US air travel industry, where the major players are alleged to have conspired to restrict seat capacity to inflate fares. In the energy space, Houston-based practice co-head James Reeder teamed up with William Vigdor to represent Plains All American in civil litigation arising from its sale of its crude oil and gasoline terminals to an affiliate of Valero Energy. Darren Tucker, who jointly leads the team with Reeder, recently joined the firm's Washington DC office from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, along with new head of government investigations Hill Wellford and counsel Greg Wells.

From Washington DC, Williams & Connolly LLP represents large corporate and individual clients and has a strong track record taking cases to trial. Dane Butswinkas recently acted for Celgene in two separate antitrust cases brought by generic competitor Mylan and a class of indirect purchasers alleging Celgene unlawfully delayed the development of generic drugs. John Schmidtlein and Jonathan Pitt jointly lead the group, while Benjamin Greenblum specializes in the intersection of antitrust and food and drug law. Other key clients include Amazon, Google, CVS and Samsung. The team was recently bolstered by five partner promotions.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP's Corey Roush is heavily recommended by clients and recently secured, on behalf of Daimler Trucks, a denial of class certification in a claim brought by indirect purchasers as well as the dismissal of a purported class action filed by direct purchasers. In further highlights, Roush and Gorav Jindal are acting for US Concrete in an ongoing class action brought by purchasers of ready-mix concrete in the US Virgin Islands alleging violations of local antitrust laws. Fairley Spillman advised Inguran's subsidiary, XY, on a monopolization claim filed by Trans Ova in response to XY's suit for patent infringement, breach of contract and patent infringement. The team is led by Paul Hewitt. All named attorneys are based in Washington DC.

Clients 'get experienced, knowledgeable and pragmatic antitrust advice' from the team at Baker & Hostetler LLP, which has 'a strong and proven track record of providing solutions' and fields experts such as John Fornaciari, whose 'experienced perspective and ability to work through issues in a timely, efficient manner' is valued by clients. Caterpillar appointed a team led by Gregory Commins to defend it in a claim brought by a would-be importer of Chinese-made equipment, and Fornaciari is currently representing Soshin Electric and its US subsidiary alongside associate Sally Qin in the defense of several class actions and individual claims alleging a price-fixing cartel among Japanese manufacturers. Clients also recommend Danyll Foix, Robert Abrams, Robert Brookhiser and counsel Thomas Hogan.

Ballard Spahr LLP's 'overall team performance is exceptional', according to one source, who particularly notes Philadelphia's Edward Rogers for his 'excellent client communication skills and outstanding efficiency with his client's time'. In recent highlights, Stephen Kastenberg secured a major win for GlaxoSmithKline in two related class action suits arising from an alleged conspiracy to file sham patent litigation and enter into 'reverse payment' agreements to suppress the entry to market of generic competition. Leslie John is currently representing Niagara Bottling in a false advertising claim brought by a seller of bulk spring water and a nationwide class of sellers. He also acted for SIGMA Corporation in 19 individual class actions centered on price-fixing and monopolization allegations. Also notable is New York's Jay Fastow, who 'is clearly an antitrust expert'.

Within the team at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, 'all practitioners are specialized in antitrust and are experienced litigators'; 'their grasp on the legal and factual issues of the case is always impeccable and they are incredible at what they do'. The 'outstanding' Herbert Washer has recently led advice to Credit Suisse in several class actions filed against the major investment banks, including those arising from the investigations into alleged Libor and forex manipulation. Practice head Elai Katz and Lauren Rackow are 'both outstanding legal professionals' and 'very responsive and provide very clear, accurate and pragmatic advice'.

The 'very reliable' antitrust litigators at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP 'seamlessly work together' and the team recently welcomed Ted Hassi from O'Melveny & Myers LLP to its Washington DC office. The 'bright, prompt and professional' Michael Schaper is one client's 'go-to expert'; he recently led advice to Toyota and its affiliates in relation to civil litigation and class actions arising from the landmark global auto parts cartel. In other highlights, counsel Erica Weisgerber and Gary Kubek are representing the Bank of Yokohama in two multi-defendant putative class actions alleging manipulation of Euroyen, TIBOR and Yen-Libor interest rate benchmarks. Named attorneys are based in New York unless otherwise indicated.

Goldman Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP has recently defended Merck & Co in numerous antitrust litigation cases, including 15 putative class actions arising from a patent case settlement which the plaintiffs alleged violated federal and state laws. The group has also acted for clients in the construction materials space: it defended Holcim in a price-fixing lawsuit brought by consumers, and Lafarge North America in a price-fixing action relating to drywall. The team is jointly led by Jennifer Greenblatt and Tarek Ismail and recently bolstered its senior ranks through the promotion to partner of Doug Winnard, Rami Fakhouri and Andrew Rima. All named attorneys are based in Chicago.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP's antitrust team recently defended Safeway in a series of claims brought by fuel retailers alleging the client's loyalty program violated various antitrust laws. Roxane Polidora and Jacob Sorensen jointly lead the group and are currently acting for KEMET in class action and direct purchaser claims filed in federal court on the grounds of alleged price-fixing practices in the aluminum, film and tantalum capacitors market. In the healthcare space, Thomas Loran III is part of the team advising four major hospital groups on a class action brought by a healthcare employee beneficiary trust claiming the clients' written and verbal agreements with network providers prevent the plaintiff from competing in the market. Other notable clients include Sharp, Ralphs Grocery Store and Norwegian Air, while other key contacts include senior partner John Grenfell, Andrew Lanphere, counsel Laura Hurtado and associate William Palmer. All named attorneys are based in San Francisco.

Ropes & Gray LLP's antitrust team - led by Chong Park in DC and Boston's John Donovan - recently represented Eversource Energy in a class action alleging it violated federal and state antitrust laws by making systematic downward adjustments of daily natural gas capacity orders, resulting in inflated prices due to limited supply. San Francisco-based Rocky Tsai is working alongside Washington DC-based practice head Mark Popofsky to advise a biotechnology company on a complaint claiming a patent settlement and license agreement between the client and a former partner of the plaintiff harmed competition in the market for a specific type of drug.