On the heels of the historic proposed changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (“HSR”) merger review process, the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission released the 2023 Draft Merger Guidelines for public comment. The single set of guidelines will replace the former horizontal and vertical guidelines, becoming the principal resource for merger review and challenges. The DOJ and FTC will finalize the Draft Guidelines following the close of the 60-day comment period on September 18, 2023. Together, the two sets of changes usher in a radically different climate for dealmaking in the U.S. and have the potential to grind transactions to a near halt just as M&A is beginning to regain steam.

Read the full client alert here.

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Photo of John R. Ingrassia John R. Ingrassia

John is a partner at the Firm, advising on the full range of foreign investment and antitrust matters across industries, including chemicals, pharmaceutical, medical devices, telecommunications, financial services consumer goods and health care. He is the first call clients make in matters relating…

John is a partner at the Firm, advising on the full range of foreign investment and antitrust matters across industries, including chemicals, pharmaceutical, medical devices, telecommunications, financial services consumer goods and health care. He is the first call clients make in matters relating to competition and antitrust, CFIUS or foreign investment issues.

For more than 25 years, John has counselled businesses facing the most challenging antitrust issues and helped them stay out of the crosshairs — whether its distribution, pricing, channel management, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, or price gouging compliance.

John’s practice focuses on the analysis and resolution of CFIUS and antitrust issues related to mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, and the analysis and assessment of pre-merger CFIUS and HSR notification requirements. He advises clients on issues related to CFIUS national security reviews, and on CFIUS submissions when non-U.S. buyers seek to acquire U.S. businesses that have national security sensitivities.  He also regularly advises clients on international antitrust issues arising in proposed acquisitions and joint ventures, including reportability under the EC Merger Regulation and numerous other foreign merger control regimes.

His knowledge, reputation and extensive experience with the legal, practical, and technical requirements of merger clearance make him a recognized authority on Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust merger review. John is regularly invited to participate in Federal Trade Commission and bar association meetings and takes on the issues of the day.

Photo of Colin Kass Colin Kass

Colin Kass is a partner in the Litigation Department and Co-Chair of Proskauer’s Antitrust Group. As a seasoned trial lawyer, Colin has handled many of the nation’s most complex and innovative antitrust cases over the past 20 years.

His practice involves a wide…

Colin Kass is a partner in the Litigation Department and Co-Chair of Proskauer’s Antitrust Group. As a seasoned trial lawyer, Colin has handled many of the nation’s most complex and innovative antitrust cases over the past 20 years.

His practice involves a wide range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, sports, media, pharmaceuticals, and automotive markets, and spans the full-range of antitrust and unfair competition-related litigation, including class actions, competitor suits, dealer/distributor termination suits, price discrimination cases, criminal price-fixing probes, and merger injunctions.

Colin also has extensive experience interfacing with the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, obtaining clearance for competitively-sensitive transactions and handling anticompetitive practices investigations.

As a trusted advisor, Colin also counsels clients on their sales, distribution, and marketing practices, strategic ventures, and general antitrust compliance.

Photo of Timothy E. Burroughs Timothy E. Burroughs

Tim Burroughs is an associate in the Litigation Department.

Tim earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School, where he was the Executive Student Writing Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law and Teaching Assistant for the legal writing program. While at Vanderbilt…

Tim Burroughs is an associate in the Litigation Department.

Tim earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School, where he was the Executive Student Writing Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law and Teaching Assistant for the legal writing program. While at Vanderbilt, Tim interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and published his student note on international anti-money laundering regulation in the fine-art market.

Prior to law school, Tim taught elementary school in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn for three years as part of Teach for America.