Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has a widely-praised merger control practice, with clients spanning the chemicals, pharma, finance, entertainment and media, energy, and software industries. The team’s international reach, working closely with colleagues in the UK and EU, means that it is able to ‘operate seamlessly on trans-Atlantic transactions’. Its litigation, investigations, antitrust counselling and cartels expertise is also notable. New York-based Peter Guryan acts as global co-chair of the firm’s antitrust and trade regulation practice along with Sara Razi and John Terzaken. Guryan offers longstanding experience of civil and criminal antitrust matters, supporting major corporates and private equity funds, while Razi leverages extensive private-sector and government antitrust experience to represent clients in investigations by the Department of Justice, FTC, and states. ’A true superstar’, Preston Miller focuses his practice on merger review, while Karen Kazmerzak is ‘a natural choice for any company’ managing a complex deal before the FTC or DOJ. All attorneys based in Washington DC unless otherwise stated.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Karen Kazmerzak is a stand-out on the team. A consummate advocate with an eye for detail and excellent relationships with the government, she’s a natural choice for any company trying to get a tough deal through the FTC or DOJ.’
‘The team is very deep in the US, UK and EU, allowing it to operate seamlessly on trans-Atlantic transactions. It also has a network of strong contacts among local competition counsel in the jurisdictions in which it does not have operations.'
- 'The team is deep in terms of the range of counsel, including very senior and experienced counsel like Peter Guryan, excellent counsel like Richard Jamgochian and Josh Hazan, and a large team of dedicated associates.'
- 'There isn't a merger control matter that they cannot handle.’
‘Peter Guryan is, easily, one of the best US merger control lawyers in the US. He is extremely smart, practical, a fantastic team player and focused on getting the deal done rather than on ego.'
- 'Preston Miller is a true superstar. Preston is an excellent technical lawyer who gets the job done. Really a great person to work with on the same side and opposite of - a real team player.'
- 'Richard Jamgochian is an excellent HSR lawyer who knows the HSR subject matter better than anyone.’
Key clients
- Acadia Healthcare
- AGCO
- Amedisys
- Apax
- Blackstone Real Estate
- BorgWarner
- Bright Health Group, Inc.
- Brightspring
- Circana
- Cohesity
Work highlights
Advised Mattress Firm in FTC litigation to block its proposed $4 billion acquisition by Tempur Sealy.
Advised KKR in its joint venture with T-Mobile to acquire Metronet.
Advised Truist Insurance Holdings in connection with its sale of McGriff Insurance Services to Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Sara Razi
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Sara Razi; John Terzaken; Peter Guryan
Other key lawyers
Lynn Neuner; Jonathan Youngwood; Preston Miller; Richard Jamgochian; Karen Kazmerzak; Max Fischer-Zernin; Joshua Hazan