Stephen Weissman > Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile

Experienced in every aspect of antitrust law, ranging from investigations to DOJ and FTC civil antitrust enforcement and compliance, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP comfortably operates across an array of sectors, with particular capabilities in the financial services, pharmaceuticals, retail, and high-tech industries. The team is jointly steered by Rachel Brass in San Francisco, former Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition Stephen Weissman, and Cynthia Richman, with Richman experienced in representing clients in grand jury investigations by the DOJ as well as the defense of companies before state and federal courts. Specializing in domestic and international labor and employment-related matters,  Brass has acted in numerous investigations by the FTC, DOJ, European Commission, Korean Fair Trade Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, among others, contributing to the firm’s strength in handling international matters, which is reinforced by Scott Hammond and Jeremy Robison, who both are references for multinational companies that are involved in cartel investigations outside of the US and EU. Robison’s practice focuses on matters related to price fixing, customer allocation, bid rigging, and no-poach agreements, while Hammond is a port of call for clients in need of crisis management. Unless stated otherwise, all mentioned lawyers are based in Washington DC.

Counting blue-chip companies in the tech, consumer goods, telecoms, and pharma sectors among its impressive roster of clients, the antitrust department at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP fields a deep and experienced bench with extensive experience advising on the full range of contentious antitrust issues. In San Francisco, practice co-head Rachel Brass has notable experience advising clients in high-stakes appellate litigation before the Supreme Court, as well as handling both indirect and direct purchaser class actions. Brass works alongside co-heads Cynthia Richman and Stephen Weissman, both based in Washington DC, who take point on antitrust defense work and litigated merger challenges, respectively. Also in Washington DC is Joshua Lipton, whose broad antitrust litigation practice covers both investigations and merger challenges. The Los Angeles-based Daniel Swanson has a strong track record litigating Sherman Act Section 2 monopolization and dominance cases, while Eric Stock, in New York, is a key contact for clients in the pharma, financial services, and tech industries. Rich Parker left the team in April 2023.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP remains active on complex, business-critical merger mandates for blue-chip clients, and enjoyed success in contested mergers in 2023, most notably representing VMware, Inc. in its acquisition by Broadcom, Inc. The firm has broad multijurisdictional capabilities, regularly working with its teams in Europe on cross-border merger control mandates, and can call upon key agency experience in its senior team, including practice co-chair Stephen Weissman, a former FTC Director. Co-chair Cynthia Richman regularly handles litigation arising from contested and proposed mergers, while San Francisco-based Rachel Brass is noted for her cross-border capabilities. Michael Perry has extensive expertise in FTC and DOJ merger processes, advising clients across the healthcare, life sciences, energy, and technology industries. Attorneys are based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.