CHICAGO, March 21, 2022 — The American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s 70th Annual Spring Meeting, the largest gathering of competition and consumer protection professionals from around the world, will be April 5-8 in person in Washington after two years of virtual meetings due to COVID-19 concerns.
What: 70th Antitrust Law Spring Meeting
Sponsored by the ABA Antitrust Law Section
When: Tuesday-Friday, April 5-8
Where: Marriott Marquis
901 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
More than 2,300 government enforcement officials, private attorneys, in-house corporate counsel, academics, judges, economists and businesspeople from 54 countries have registered for the Spring Meeting. Programs cover a broad range of national and global antitrust and competition issues, as well as consumer protection and data privacy developments; perspectives from jurists; and updates from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Jonathan Kanter, DOJ assistant attorney general for antitrust, and Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the European Commission responsible for competition, are two of the many high-profile presenters at the conference. Both will be on the panel, “Enforcers Roundtable,” at 10 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 8.
Other conference highlights include (all times EDT):
Wednesday:
“Agency Update with the U.S. Department of Justice” — DOJ deputy assistant attorneys general will discuss the latest in civil enforcement, cartel cases and policy initiatives. Presenters include:
- Doha G. Mekki, principal deputy assistant attorney general
- Richard A. Powers, deputy assistant attorney general
- Carol Sipperly, acting deputy assistant attorney general
9-10:15 a.m.
“Views from the Bench: Non-mergers” — Non-merger litigation has presented a broad variety of antitrust issues involving dynamic facts and complex economic testimony. This panel of experienced judges discuss how they approach and manage these types of cases. Speakers are:
- Denise L. Cote, judge, U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, New York City
- Amit P. Mehta, judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- R. David Proctor, judge, U.S. District Court Northern District of Alabama, Birmingham
10:45 a.m. - noon
“Spring Meeting Luncheon: Women at the Top” — The glass ceiling on the global competition world is breaking. While leadership of the world’s 140-plus competition agencies used to be an exclusive men’s club, today a growing number of women have led competition agencies on every continent. This program presents firsthand accounts of how they got there and what’s ahead. Speakers are:
- Cani Fernandez, president, National Commission of Markets & Competition, Barcelona, Spain
- Michal Halperin, Harvard Kennedy School, Boston
- Rahat Kaunain Hassan, chairperson, Competition Commission of Pakistan, Islamabad
- Alejandra Palacios Prieto, The Brattle Group, Mexico City
Noon–1:30 p.m.
Thursday:
“Views from the Bench – Mergers” — The past few years have seen some of the most challenging and heavily litigated merger cases come before the courts. Judges who have heard these cases will share their lessons and observations from the bench. Presenters are:
- Kevin Arquit, chief legal officer, JBS USA, Greeley, Colorado
- Gerald J. Pappert, judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Alice R. Senechal, magistrate, U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, Fargo
8:30-10 a.m.
“Chair’s Showcase” — Can antitrust be used to repair the world? Should it? Leaders in their field will discuss the sort of problems that antitrust can and should try to solve. Speakers are:
- Michael D. Hausfeld, Hausfeld LLP, Washington
- Jonathan M. Jacobson, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC, New York City
- Barry C. Lynn, Open Markets Institute, Washington
- Leslie C. Overton, Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, Washington
- Zephyr Teachout, Fordham Law School, New York City
- Diane P. Wood, judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, Chicago
10:15 a.m.–noon
“Let’s Talk about Antitrust’s Diversity Problem” — Despite years of diversity measures, it is still common to see antitrust trial teams, client pitches, leadership roles and expert panels filled mainly by white men. Is progress being made? Speakers are:
- Paulette Brown, past president, American Bar Association, New York City
- Bernice B. Donald, judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, Memphis, Tennessee
- Roberta D. Liebenberg, Fine Kaplan & Black, Philadelphia
- Ashok Ramani, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Menlo Park, California
3:30-5 p.m.
Friday:
“Agency Update with the FTC Bureau Directors” — With new leadership at the helm, the Federal Trade Commission directors of the Bureau of Competition, Bureau of Consumer Protection and Bureau of Economics discuss their priorities and policy initiatives in antitrust and consumer protection enforcement.
Speakers are:
- John Kwoka, chief economist to the chair, FTC
- Samuel A.A. Levine, director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC
- Holly Vedova, director, Bureau of Competition, FTC
8:30-10 a.m.
“Enforcers Roundtable” — This panel of some of the world’s leading competition authorities will offer an expert view of some of the cases and investigations hitting the news. Speakers are:
- Gwendolyn J. Cooley, NAAG representative, Office of the Attorney General, Madison, Wisconsin
- Alexandre Cordeiro Macedo, president, Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica, Brasilia
- Jonathan S. Kanter, assistant attorney general, DOJ, Antitrust Division, Washington
- Lina Kahn, chair, FTC, Washington (invited)
- Margrethe Vestager, vice president and commissioner, European Commission, Brussels
10 a.m.-noon
The 70th Annual Spring Meeting brochure, which includes the complete agenda, is here. All sessions are open to the media, but reporters are required to register in advance by 5 p.m. EDT, Friday, March 25, by contacting Bill Choyke at [email protected]. All attendees must provide proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the start of the meeting. Once you have requested registration, confirmation and further COVID-related instructions will be sent to you by email.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.