Belinda Lee > Latham & Watkins LLP > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

The ‘incredibly creative and hard-working’ team at Latham & Watkins LLP excels in securing early dismissals, settlement and wins at trial concerning claims alleging anticompetitive collusion, monopolization, distribution, and pricing policies in the US and globally. In Washington DC, global chair of the practice Amanda Reeves’ work spans litigation and merger control in a range of industries including high technology, life sciences and consumer products among others. San Francisco-based Belinda Lee, global vice-chair of the practice, has extensive experience in defending global companies across the technology, manufacturing and transportation sectors in consumer class actions, unfair competition, and licensing disputes. The ‘well-prepared, consistent, detailed, and energetic’ Christopher Yates offers significant trial experience involving high profile clients, evidenced in the significant trial victory for Oracle against Hewlett Packard Enterprises in a dispute alleging unfair competition. In DC, Jennifer Giordano has expertise in defending clients in cases at both the trial and appellate level including multidistrict litigation, class actions and business-to-business litigation. Trial lawyer Al Pfeiffer leads on many matters and is noted for his experience in representing Fortune 500 companies and handling antitrust claims concerning dominant firm conduct. Aaron Chiu, who is based in the firm’s San Francisco hub, was promoted to partner in January 2022. The team has grown its capacity with the recent hires in April 2022 of former assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim in DC and Katherine Rocco, formerly at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, who joined the firm’s New York office. Daniel Wall is no longer at the firm.

Active in a broad range of international litigation matters, Latham & Watkins LLP is recognized for its capacity across cybersecurity, tax, intellectual property and white-collar defense, leveraging its deep bench of former federal prosecutors in government enforcement proceedings and regulatory investigations. Global chair of the litigation and trial department, Michele Johnson, based in Orange County, focuses her practice on representing large companies, directors and financial institutions in securities class actions, M&A litigation and other commercial litigation. Associate Elizabeth Annis, based in Washington DC, has experience in regulatory investigations with a cross-border component and Belinda Lee, based in San Francisco has been active in antitrust and regulatory investigations relating to an acquisition of a semiconductor chip designer.

With a strong presence on both coasts, Latham & Watkins LLP has a market-leading cartel defense practice that runs the gamut of civil and criminal litigation, government investigations, and follow-on enforcement proceedings. Its client roster includes corporates and individuals from a diverse range of industries, including automotive manufacturing, food production and processing, and retail. The firm also benefits from its significant agency expertise and deep governmental relationships, with several of the team’s members having extensive former experience from the DOJ and the FTC. Notably, April 2022 saw Makan Delrahim, former Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Antitrust Division, joining the firm’s Washington DC office. Also in DC is practice co-head Amanda Reeves, while New York’s Elizabeth Prewitt, a seasoned cartel defense litigator known in particular for her work on financial services cartel investigations, rounds out the firm’s East Coast team. On the West Coast, practice co-head Belinda Lee, based in San Francisco, represents multinationals in civil and criminal cartel litigation before global regulators and courts. Other key names from the San Francisco office include Niall Lynch, a recognized antitrust litigator with significant experience from the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, as well as Ashley Bauer, whose practice focuses on regulatory investigations and follow-on litigation.

Latham & Watkins LLP remains active on complex, business-critical merger mandates for blue-chip clients, and enjoyed considerable success in contested mergers in 2022, most notably representing US Sugar against the DOJ’s challenge to its acquisition of Imperial Sugar, and advising Illumina on the multi-jurisdictional investigations into its acquisition of GRAIL. The team, which has a strong presence in Washington DC and the West Coast, was strengthened by the 2022 arrival of Katherine Rocco, a prolific merger counsel who has expanded the firm’s antitrust work in New York, and DC-based Makan Delrahim, formerly Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, reinforcing the firm’s DOJ and FTC expertise. As well as handling major US clearances, related investigations, and litigation, the firm also leverages its global base, particularly in Paris and Brussels, to advise on multi-agency approvals across jurisdictions. The team is led by global antitrust chair Amanda Reeves  in DC, who took the lead on the US Sugar clearance, and Bay Area-based vice chair Belinda Lee , while DC-based Michael G. Egge is a vastly experienced figure with a track record in complex clearances, most notably representing Illumina in the GRAIL deal. Also in DC, Farrell J. Malone  is noted for his cross-border expertise, while Bay Area-based Kelly Fayne continues to expand her profile in the market, notably working closely with Reeves on MGM’s $8.45bn acquisition by Amazon.