Details
The newly reconfigured U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is taking an aggressive stance towards digital platforms, refiling its complaint against Facebook in August 2021 and once again asserting Facebook throttled competition in the market. Join Wilson Sonsini Partners Scott Sher, Jamillia Ferris, and Justina Sessions as they cut through the noise and discuss why this case – and other FTC actions and rulemakings – are ones for companies to watch in the coming year and what it may mean for the future of U.S. Antitrust law.
Speakers
Jamillia Ferris
Partner
Wilson Sonsini
Jamillia Ferris is a Chambers-ranked antitrust partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She represents companies across multiple industries in merger matters and civil conduct investigations before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Jamillia is also an experienced counselor, helping companies comply with antitrust laws as they engage in a wide range of business conduct, including joint ventures and pricing and distribution, among others. Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Jamillia served in various leadership positions, and has overseen mergers at both the Antitrust Division of the DOJ and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). She was hired in 2014 to lead the FCC's review of AT&T's proposed $49 billion acquisition of DIRECTV. In this role, she directed all aspects of the FCC’s investigation. She was also a member of the steering committee overseeing the FCC's review of Comcast's proposed $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. While at the DOJ, Jamillia served as chief of staff and counsel to the assistant attorney general of the Antitrust Division. Jamillia currently serves on the board of the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, which provides comprehensive legal services to victims of domestic violence, as well as on the Advisory Council of Lemonada Media.
Scott Sher
Partner
Wilson Sonsini
Scott Sher is a partner in Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s Washington, D.C., office, where he is a leader of the firm’s antitrust practice. He currently serves on the firm’s board of directors. Over the past 20 plus years, Scott has represented companies before the antitrust agencies in transactions totaling more than $1 trillion, including some of the most high-profile consolidation deals in the life sciences, technology and retail markets investigated by the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, and a host of regulatory authorities around the world. Scott counsels clients on how to manage antitrust risk with regard to all aspects of their business, including strategic advice related to licensing and pricing and distribution programs, as well as guidance on how to establish and administer trade associations, patent pools, and joint ventures. He also provides litigation counseling, helping clients decide whether the benefits of litigation outweigh the costs, and how to best manage litigation in a cost-efficient manner. Since 2011, Scott has been perennially recognized as one of the leading antitrust practitioners in Chambers Global and Global Competition Review. Global Competition Review, in its review of antitrust lawyers in the United States, called Scott "a true star of the antitrust bar."
Tina Sessions
Partner
Wilson Sonsini
Justina (Tina) Sessions is a partner in the San Francisco office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she is a member of the antitrust practice. Tina is an accomplished Antitrust and IP litigator. She has successfully tried cases and handled evidentiary hearings, appeals, and administrative trials in antitrust and IP matters before courts and agencies nationwide. Tina has significant landmark litigation experience. Among them are the trial and appeal of FTC v. Qualcomm and the follow-on consumer class action, presenting trial witnesses, taking high-profile depositions, and leading the drafting of key briefs. Throughout her career, she has worked with clients ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies to help them navigate, negotiate, and win business-critical disputes with competitors and enforcement authorities. Tina maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented environmental advocacy and women’s health organizations in individual and impact litigation.