D.C. Bar to Host 2019 Antitrust and Consumer Law Institute

September 16, 2019

On September 26 the D.C. Bar will hold the Antitrust and Consumer Law Institute 2019, a must for attorneys who want to stay on top of developments and trends in antitrust and consumer protection practice. Part of the D.C. Bar CLE Institute, the daylong event offers opportunities to hear from those in the know, including officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in addition to experts in the private realm.

The day will kick off with two panel discussions, the first of which delves into the current landscape surrounding consumer protection at the federal, state, and individual levels. Panelists include Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection; Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates; and Benjamin Wiseman, director of the Office of Consumer Protection of the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

“This panel will explore the different priorities of the various federal and state agencies, as well as the nonprofit and private firms that are involved in consumer protection work,” says Anna Haac, partner at Tycko & Zavareeni LLP who will moderate the panel. “We’ll learn the extent of the public and private partnerships happening and the biggest areas of concern when it comes to consumer protection, especially changes in the political landscape over the past several years.”

The second panel will explore antitrust enforcement priorities under the current administration. Speakers include Ian Conner, deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition; Barry Nigro, deputy assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division; and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine.

“I’m interested in hearing what the high-level enforcers, such as Attorney General Racine, the DOJ, and the FTC, will say their priorities are,” says David Kully, a partner at Holland & Knight LLP and a steering committee member of the D.C. Bar Antitrust and Consumer Protection Community. “They are working on headline news issues such as AT&T buying Time Warner or efforts by the DOJ to investigate whether car makers illegally agreed to reduce fuel emission standards in California. These are developments to watch.”

Following the panels, Susan Hogan, a consumer reporter with NBC4, will give the keynote luncheon speech, followed by an afternoon of workshops in two tracks. Attendees will explore timely topics such as analysis of the AT&T–Time Warner and CVS–Aetna mergers, an overview of antitrust enforcement in the pharmaceutical industry, social media and privacy issues, and trends in consumer financial products.

“While events like this are often put on by a specific industry or [have] a granular focus, I think this institute represents a great cross-section of viewpoints from field experts, which you wouldn’t find easily in other conferences,” Haac says.

Reserve your spot at the Antitrust and Consumer Law Institute 2019 today.