Jeffrey Ayer is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis. His practice focuses on a wide range of antitrust matters, including securing antitrust clearance for complex transactions, antitrust litigation, antitrust counseling and government investigations. Jeffrey Ayer has obtained antitrust clearance for numerous transactions, litigated cases in state and federal court, and represented clients in civil investigations before the U.S. antitrust agencies. His practice includes counseling on proposed transactions and joint ventures, distribution practices and Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filing requirements. With many transactions triggering both U.S. and foreign filings, Jeffrey Ayer has worked closely with local counsel in securing clearance in jurisdictions worldwide. He has also represented clients before the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission in merger reviews and investigations of alleged anticompetitive conduct.
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This article has been nominated for the 2013 Antitrust Writing Awards. Click here to learn more about the Antitrust Writing Awards. Department of Justice to Merging Parties: Altering 4(c) Documents May Land You in Jail* A senior executive of a Korean manufacturer of Automated Teller (...)
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the long-awaited changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notification form (HSR form). The changes will go into effect 30 days from publication in the Federal Register. The FTC and DOJ (...)
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) imposed on Toys "R" Us a $1.3 million civil penalty for violating a 13-year-old antitrust order. This fine highlights that FTC orders can stay in force for 20 years—and potentially indefinitely if they are obtained in district court —and that the FTC (...)
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On March 18, 2009, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced that it had blocked Coca-Cola’s proposed acquisition of Chinese Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd. (Huiyuan) under Article 28 of China’s Anti-Monopoly Law (AML). This was MOFCOM’s first merger prohibition since the AML came into effect (...)
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has increased thresholds and penalties pertaining to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) pre-merger notification regime. The Commission also increased the thresholds for Section 8 of the Clayton Act. Penalties for HSR Violations The maximum penalty for violations (...)
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) won a major victory last week when a splintered D.C. Circuit overturned the district court’s denial of its request for a preliminary injunction against the acquisition of Wild Oats by Whole Foods. The decision provides the FTC a much-needed win in a (...)
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On December 12, 2002, the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition announced the implementation of new guidelines for future merger investigations. The guidelines, which relate mostly to FTC Second Requests, emanate from Bureau-sponsored public workshops on best practices in merger (...)
