The New Global Antitrust Enforcers: A Look Back and Looking Forward

Over the past year, antitrust enforcement and policy have shifted materially across the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom—reshaping deal strategy and enforcement risk. Please join us for a timely masterclass unpacking the most significant opportunities and threats for deal makers in the months ahead in the antitrust space.

Our session will examine how new leadership at key agencies, evolving merger control frameworks, and intensified scrutiny of strategic sectors are redefining the risk calculus for transactions and conduct. including a discussion of the ever-changing enforcement climate and what this means for your business. Across jurisdictions, we will draw out key lessons learnt from recent enforcement actions, and discuss what issues enforcers are scrutinizing. We will consider the net effect of pro‑growth agendas against a record of continued aggressive enforcement, look ahead to the next 12 months and consider practical solutions for success, including deal structuring in heightened review environments, planning for unpredictable enforcers, and aligning internal governance to meet expanded filing and data demands.

Whether your organization is in the midst of a hectic M&A schedule or considering how best to position itself in the next year, this session offers essential guidance for navigating the complexities of the current antitrust environment.

William H. Stallings , Co-leader of Antitrust & Competition, Washington DC

William H. Stallings advises clients on domestic and global merger reviews, government investigations, cartels, litigation (including class actions), and government procurement matters. He regularly appears before the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Bill previously spent 17 years at the US DOJ’s Antitrust Division, where he held several key roles, including Chief of the Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section. Bill had responsibility for second request merger reviews, civil conduct investigations, and litigating cases in industries such as airlines, oilfield chemicals and services, meatpacking, shipping, agricultural products, energy generation and distribution, and financial services. For his outstanding service in antitrust enforcement, the DOJ awarded Bill the prestigious Neil E. Roberts Award.

Christian Horstkotte , Co-leader of European Antitrust & Competition, Düsseldorf

Christian Horstkotte co-leads our European Antitrust & Competition group and is the leader of Mayer Brown’s German antitrust and litigation practice. He counsels clients on all aspects of German and European antitrust law. He focuses on complex merger control proceedings, cartel investigations, and proceedings before German and European competition authorities and courts, including follow-on litigation. Christian also advises clients in dominance matters, in the implementation of compliance programmes and with respect to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proceedings and filings under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). In recent years Christian managed to secure two unconditional clearances in complex EU phase 2 merger control proceedings.

Mark Hills , Antitrust & Competition Partner, London

Mark Hills helps clients navigate global merger control and foreign direct investment regulations enabling the execution of their key transactions. He also counsels clients involved in complex antitrust investigations, often cross-border, and on day-to-day antitrust compliance, including ESG projects. Clients value Mark’s depth of expertise in the financial services sector. Before joining Mayer Brown, he spent several years working in-house at a leading European bank, advising on merger control strategy among other matters. Mark has also spent time working in the UK CMA’s Mergers Unit with day-to-day responsibility for running a number of complex and high-profile UK merger investigations.

Note: Mayer Brown will seek accreditation for this program in CA, IL, NY, NC, UT, and VA. CLE credit is pending until the course is approved by the relevant MCLE agency.