Leslie Overton > Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider Offices
1901 L STREET NW
WASHINGTON DC 20036
United States
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Leslie Overton
Work Department
Antitrust
Position
Having previously served in senior positions at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Leslie Overton offers her clients a valuable combination of experience and insight. Leslie guides companies through merger reviews, civil non-merger investigations, cartel investigations, and litigation involving federal, state, and foreign antitrust authorities. She also represents clients in matters concerning anticompetitive conduct and consolidation by competitors, suppliers, or customers. In her counseling practice, Leslie uses her skill and judgment to provide strategic advice and practical solutions on activities such as pricing, distribution, and licensing. She also customizes antitrust compliance programs to match her clients’ exposure and business realities.
While serving as deputy assistant attorney general for civil enforcement during the Obama Administration, Leslie managed over half of the DOJ’s merger challenges in fiscal years 2012–2014, including litigation complaints, settlements, and transactions restructured or abandoned. Leslie also supervised litigation and civil non-merger investigations, as well as several criminal antitrust matters. Additionally, Leslie oversaw the Antitrust Division’s international engagement and health care policy work. During the Bush Administration, she served as counsel to the assistant attorney general, where she contributed to investigations, litigation, and the seminal health care hearings and report with the FTC.
Memberships
- American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, Task Force on the Future of Competition Law Standards (2019-2021)
- American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, Consumer Protection & Diverse Consumers Task Force, Co-Chair and Nominating Committee (2021)
- American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law, Merger Practice Workshops, Co-Chair (2016-2018)
- American Health Lawyers Association
- National Bar Association
Education
- JD – University of Michigan (1994)
- BA – University of Pennsylvania (1991)
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Antitrust > Merger control
Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider is a specialist antitrust firm with a successful record in high-value, strategic merger clearances, focusing on complex and business-critical transactions for major US businesses facing regulatory scrutiny by US and international agencies on a hired gun basis. The firm combines its active merger work with contentious and litigation expertise, representing major corporations in fields such as manufacturing, pharma, and tech against government actions arising from merger activity. The firm is headed up by Michael Keeley, who is prolific in the merger space, representing major repeat clients such as Thermo Fisher and Tyson Foods, alongside New York-based John Harkrider, a vastly experienced antitrust counsel who successfully advised VMWare on its $69bn pending acquisition by Broadcom, and Lisl Dunlop. Bradley Justus is also a key team member, regularly handling FTC, DOJ, and global merger reviews in diverse jurisdictions and industries, with former senior DOJ official Leslie Overton noted for her combination of contentious and non-contentious merger work. James Attridge joined the team in September 2022, having previously served as Chief of Staff at the Antitrust Division. Lawyers are in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.