From the Section Co-Chairs
Sondra L. Mills and Maribeth Petrizzi
Many thanks to those who participated in our section's first Speed Mentoring Event in February. It was a great event and it provided everyone with an opportunity to offer and receive useful career advice in the fields of antitrust and consumer law. Please look for future speed mentoring events in our newsletter.
We will be closing out our current organizational year with a series of exciting events. In May, we will have a brown bag on the always interesting topic of the utility of state antitrust enforcement. In June, we will host a program featuring career strategies and opportunities for new antitrust and consumer law practitioners. We will cap off the year with the annual Bernstein lecture with the Department of Justice, featuring a presentation by AAG Thomas Barnett. Please feel free to contact any steering committee member with suggestions for programs and activities. We welcome your participation and look forward to seeing you at our programs and hearing from you!
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Upcoming Section Events
Local Government
Antitrust Enforcement – What Is It; Does It Provide an Important
Public Benefit?
May 23, 2008
12:15–2:00 pm
D.C. Bar Conference Center
1250 H Street, NW
Washington, DC
Panelists will describe and discuss state and local antitrust
enforcement. A senior antitrust enforcer for D.C. will describe local
antitrust activities and the public benefits from state and local antitrust
enforcement. An experienced private antitrust practitioner will comment
critically on state and local antitrust enforcement. Topics include
the need for state and local enforcers to pursue matters that could
be left to federal agencies, such as the Microsoft litigation, and the
fairness of damage recoveries by states that may duplicate private and
federal recoveries.
Panelists: Don Resnikoff, Senior Assistant Attorney General (Antitrust),
District of Columbia; Mark Kovner, Kirkland and Ellis.
Moderator: Mike McNeely
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Antitrust and Consumer Protection: Career Strategies and Opportunities for the Young, and Soon-To-Be, Practitioner.
June 17, 2008
6:00-8:00 pm
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
1300 I Street, NW Suite 900
Washington, DC
This reception will give young lawyers, law students, and summer interns an opportunity to learn about career possibilities in the fields of antitrust and consumer protection law. Join us to hear and meet our panelists and other practitioners and to network before and after the event over wine and cheese.
Speakers:
Laura Wilkinson, partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP; Maribeth Petrizzi, Chief, Litigation II Section, Antitrust Division, Department of Justice; Karin Moore, general counsel, Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc.; Leonor Velazquez, Attorney, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission. Moderator: Sondra Mills, trial attorney, Office of Consumer Litigation, Department of Justice.
Cost: Free of charge
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Lewis Bernstein Memorial Lecture.
Speaker: Assistant Attorney General Thomas O. Barnett, [DETAILS TENTATIVE - PLEASE SAVE THE DATE AND WATCH FOR FURTHER PUBLICITY]
June 26, 2008
5:30 pm
Hogan & Hartson Conference Center
555 Thirteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC
The section and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice annually cosponsor a lecture to honor the memory of Lewis Bernstein, who served as chief of the Antitrust Division’s Special Litigation Section from 1958 until his retirement in 1977. Lew was the recipient of many awards and acknowledgments throughout his life, and was the model of the selfless and public-spirited government attorney.
Our speaker, Tom Barnett, joined the Antitrust Division in April 2004 and became assistant attorney general in February 2006. Previously, he was a partner in the D.C. office of Covington & Burling. Mr. Barnett graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1989, and received a M.S. in economics in 1986 from the London School of Economics. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1985.
Cost: Free of charge
Reception precedes program
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Recap of Recent Section Events
China’s New Anti-Monopoly Law
January 25, 2008
In 2007, China enacted its first comprehensive antitrust law, which features broad merger control provisions, an expansive definition of market dominance, stringent rules on market conduct, and express references to intellectual property. In this program, two leading Chinese practitioners, Yingxi Fu-Tomlinson of Kaye Scholer, Shanghai and Xiang Ji of Fangda Partners, Beijing & Shanghai, discussed the new law and its implementation. Mark Whitener, antitrust counsel for General Electric, described the law’s impact on foreign investors. Stuart Chemtob of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division discussed lessons to be learned from the U.S. experience. The moderator for the panel was Yee Wah Chin of Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti. The panel was well attended and provided valuable insights on this significant development.
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Speed Mentoring
February 28, 2008
The section hosted this event at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. In ten minute rounds seasoned attorneys were paired one-on-one with students or lawyers starting careers in antitrust or consumer law. The event was a great success, and the response of the mentees' was enthusiastic. Around 40 individuals participated. The event sparked new interest in the Section, including new membership.
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Volunteer and Outreach Opportunity
Please contact Leonor Velazquez or Christine Naglieri, coordinators, to request information.
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Bread for the City
The section has committed to send at least one volunteer to the D.C. Pro Bono Program Advice & Referral Clinic held at Bread for the City on the 2nd Saturday of each month. The minimal commitment only involves showing up from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and giving brief advice to civil clients from D.C. The clinic has resources to help find responses to the legal issues that may arise. Often, a matter can be solved with a simple letter or a phone call. We need volunteers from our section for June 14 and July 12. Please contact one of the coordinators if you are interested or have questions.
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Membership Opportunity
Section membership is not restricted to D.C. Bar members, so whether you are barred in another jurisdiction or simply an antitrust or consumer law enthusiast, we encourage you to join the Antitrust and Consumer Law Section. Non-D.C. Bar members receive major section benefits, including notifications of case law developments and invitations to section events. (Only D.C. Bar members may vote on section matters or hold Section office.) To join or request information, contact Leonor Velazquez or Christine Naglieri.
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Steering Committee Roster
The steering committee members and their responsibilities are as follows:
Sondra Mills
Cochair
Maribeth Petrizzi
Cochair
Robert Bloch
CLE Coordinator
Marian Bruno
Financial Officer
Claudia Higgins
Antitrust Law Committee Vice Chair
Ron Isaac
Consumer Law Committee Chair
Mike McNeely
D.C. Practice Manual Coordinator, Newsletter editor
Karin Moore
Nominating Committee, Internet Coordinator
Antitrust Law Committee Chair
