Hill Wellford > Vinson & Elkins LLP > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Vinson & Elkins LLP Offices
2200 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE NW
SUITE 500 WEST
WASHINGTON, DC 20037-1701
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
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Hill Wellford
Work Department
Antitrust
Position
Partner
Career
Hill Wellford heads the firm’s Antitrust Government Investigations team and is co-head of its HSR and CFIUS groups. Since leaving the DOJ Antitrust Division for private practice, he has focused on matters in the energy, technology, pharmaceutical and media industries, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Hill’s antitrust practice includes matters in the Americas, Asia and Europe. He files dozens of “merger control” notifications yearly under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR Act) and parallel international laws, and his non-deal work includes cartel and criminal investigations, civil conduct challenges, and jury, bench, and administrative trials. He also counsels third parties involved in merger divestitures and has been appointed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as counsel for agency-installed divestiture monitors and trustees.
In Hill’s work with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), he assesses the deal risks of a national security review and makes voluntary and mandatory CFIUS filings, in compliance with the 2018 Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) and the Pilot Program rules on Covered Transactions in “critical industries.”
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
Vinson & Elkins LLP regularly represents both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stake civil antitrust lawsuits, specializing in the airline, electronics and energy and chemicals sectors. The team is co-headed by antitrust investigations expert Darren Tucker and Hill Wellford, who counsels and assists clients in the energy, pharma, and tech industries. Trial lawyer Alden Atkins focuses on antitrust class actions and arbitrations across a spectrum of industries, and Craig Seebald’s core practice consists of defending international and domestic clients in cartel and price-fixing investigations. In Houston, commercial and business litigator Jason Powers also leads on many matters. The practice has recently expanded its team with the hires of Stephen Medlock from Mayer Brown in October 2022 and the January 2023 arrival of Mike Scarborough and Dylan Ballard in San Francisco from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. All attorneys are based in Washington DC unless specified otherwise.
United States > Antitrust > Merger control
Vinson & Elkins LLP offers a broad nationwide antitrust practice with a strong presence across Washington DC, Texas, and California, working with clients in highly scrutinized sectors such as energy, tech, chemicals, and pharma on merger clearances, combining prolific HSR filing work with a successful record in antitrust litigation relating to contested mergers. The team focuses on cross-border mergers, encompassing multijurisdictional filings and approval proceedings, alongside investigations by international regulators, best evidenced by co-head Darren Tucker’s representation of Google in its $2.1bn acquisition of Fitbit, which required European, Canadian, and Latin American merger approvals and was subject to international investigation. Co-head Hill Wellford is also noted for his specialism in antitrust investigations by the FTC and DOJ, including several high-profile merger cases. Vastly experienced antitrust litigator Alden Atkins has a strong focus on the energy and infrastructure sectors, while Zachary Terwilliger, formerly United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is also a key team member, focusing on contentious merger cases and trials. All lawyers mentioned are in Washington DC.
United States > Antitrust > Cartel
With an impressive client roster that spans a range of industries, including the chemicals, techn, automotive, pharma, and transportation sectors, the team at Vinson & Elkins LLP is noted for its strength in handling cross-border and international civil and criminal proceedings. Recent notable work includes representing Hitachi in the DOJ’s investigation into the auto parts industry, as well as representing Google in several investigations by Taiwanese and South Korean authorities. The team is jointly led by Darren Tucker and Hill Wellford, who both have significant in-house experience from the FTC and the Antitrust Division, respectively, and who take the lead on DOJ and FTC proceedings and governmental investigations. On the litigation front, Alden Atkins represents clients in domestic and international criminal and civil cartel matters and arbitrations, with Houston’s Jason Powers also playing a key role on this front. Mike Scarborough and Dylan Ballard joined the firm from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP in January 2023, further strengthening the firm’s San Francisco office. Unless otherwise stated, lawyers are in Washington DC.
Lawyer Rankings
- Cartel United States > Antitrust
- Merger control United States > Antitrust
- Civil litigation/class actions: defense United States > Antitrust
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Government > Government relations
- Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
Firm Rankings
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Government > Government contracts
- Finance > Project finance
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: equity offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Tax > International tax
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Real estate > Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: large deals ($500m+)
- Real estate > Real estate
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- Industry focus > Sport
- Tax > US taxes: contentious
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Real estate > Land use/zoning