Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Antitrust Lawyer

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking an experienced Antitrust Lawyer (Competition Law Counsel) to provide high‑value legal advice and advocacy on domestic and cross‑border competition matters. The ideal candidate will counsel corporate clients and business units on merger control (HSR and international filings), cartel and abuse-of-dominance investigations, compliance program design, antitrust litigation and dispute resolution, and regulatory enforcement before agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), European Commission (EC), UK CMA and other competition authorities. This role blends regulatory strategy, litigation readiness, transactional due diligence, and client-facing counseling, and is ideal for lawyers skilled at translating complex economic and legal issues into business-focused solutions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Antitrust/Competition Associate in a law firm
Litigation or regulatory associate with exposure to M&A or compliance
In-house counsel in compliance, regulatory or legal affairs
Government agency attorney at DOJ, FTC, EC or national competition authority

Advancement To:

Senior Counsel / Deputy Head of Competition Practice
Partner in a law firm specializing in antitrust and competition
Head of Antitrust / Head of Competition Compliance (in-house)
General Counsel or Chief Compliance Officer for regulated industries

Lateral Moves:

M&A / Transactional Partner with antitrust specialization
Regulatory policy advisor or government relations director
Litigation partner handling class actions and complex commercial disputes

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end‑to‑end antitrust and competition law advice on high‑value domestic and cross‑border mergers and acquisitions, including conducting clearance strategy, preparing jurisdictional analyses, and managing filings such as Hart‑Scott‑Rodino (HSR), EU Merger Regulation notifications and national merger notifications.
Manage complex merger control matters, coordinate European Commission and national competition authority submissions, prepare market definitions, competitive impact analyses, and remedies packages, and negotiate remedy commitments with regulators.
Represent clients before competition authorities (DOJ, FTC, EC, CMA and other national agencies) in merger reviews, cartel investigations, abuse-of-dominance probes and civil enforcement proceedings, including oral advocacy and regulatory negotiations.
Lead responses to dawn raids, subpoenas and information requests from enforcement agencies; coordinate rapid crisis teams, oversee document preservation and privilege strategies, and manage external investigators and forensic vendors.
Conduct internal and independent investigations into suspected antitrust violations (cartel conduct, price fixing, market allocation, bid rigging), interview witnesses, review communications, supervise e‑discovery, and advise on self‑reporting and leniency strategies.
Counsel clients on antitrust risk in commercial agreements, distribution and pricing strategies, vertical restraints, resale price maintenance, exclusivity arrangements and unilateral conduct to avoid Section 1 and Section 2 exposures.
Provide pre‑transaction antitrust due diligence for M&A transactions: identify competition risks, draft representational and warranty language, propose holdbacks and indemnities, and advise on deal structure to mitigate regulatory risk.
Advise on regulatory enforcement strategy, including whether to litigate, negotiate consent decrees or seek settlements, coordinate defense counsel, economic experts and expert reports, and prepare litigation briefs and motions.
Draft and manage legally sound competition compliance programs and corporate policies tailored to client operations, including antitrust policies, training modules, audit protocols, escalation procedures and reporting mechanisms.
Design and deliver targeted antitrust compliance training for executives, sales teams, procurement, and other business units; create scenario‑based materials, workshops and e‑learning content to reduce organizational risk.
Coordinate with economists and competition economists to develop economic models, theories of harm, market definition analyses, and competitive effects reports for filings and litigation support.
Draft and review pleadings, briefs, witness statements, settlement agreements, cartel leniency applications, and litigation pleadings in antitrust cases and coordinate multi‑jurisdictional litigation strategies.
Provide day‑to‑day counseling to business leaders on product launches, pricing changes, promotional programs and collaborations to ensure commercial initiatives are competition‑compliant.
Lead cross‑border coordination of multi‑jurisdictional investigations and filing campaigns, managing timelines, translation needs, local counsel relationships and harmonized client messaging.
Negotiate settlements, consent decrees, commitments and behavioral or structural remedies with regulators and opposing parties, and manage implementation and compliance monitoring of remedies.
Support class action defense and private antitrust litigation in courts by coordinating discovery, preparing expert reports, conducting depositions and managing trial preparation alongside litigators.
Develop practical risk assessments and decision‑trees for business units to assess antitrust exposure in potential collaborations, joint ventures, licensing agreements and information exchanges.
Monitor and analyze evolving antitrust law, regulatory guidance, cartel enforcement priorities, merger control trends and key competition law developments globally and translate them into client alerts and internal briefings.
Support transactional teams during M&A deal negotiation and closing by advising on HSR timing, timing contingencies, suspension tools and approaches to minimize closing delays caused by competition clearance.
Supervise and mentor junior associates, paralegals and support staff in antitrust matters, allocate work, provide feedback on drafting and strategy, and contribute to performance reviews and professional development.
Lead business development efforts: prepare pitches and proposals, develop thought leadership (articles, client alerts, seminars), maintain client relationships and participate in industry conferences to grow the competition practice.
Manage budgets and billing on antitrust matters, prepare fee estimates for clients, supervise external expert and economist costs, and ensure profitable delivery of legal services.
Evaluate and implement e‑discovery and document review strategies specific to antitrust investigations, including use of predictive coding, privilege review protocols and secure data rooms.
Coordinate with government relations and public affairs teams on policy advocacy, regulatory submissions, stakeholder outreach, and amicus briefs relating to competition policy and enforcement priorities.
Prepare corporate executives and witnesses for regulatory interviews, hearings and depositions, providing mock interviews, media coaching for public statements, and strategies for testimony and board reporting.

Secondary Functions

Support cross‑practice teams (litigation, corporate, IP, regulatory) to ensure integrated client service on matters touching competition law and policy.
Contribute to the firm’s or company’s antitrust knowledge base by drafting templates, checklists, playbooks for common competition risks and standardizing filing procedures.
Participate in pro bono matters and industry working groups on competition policy, providing expertise on regulatory reforms, white papers and public consultations.
Assist in post‑remedy compliance monitoring and reporting, including preparing compliance certifications and managing independent monitor relationships where required by consent decrees.
Provide practical input into product development and commercial rollout plans from an antitrust perspective to prevent inadvertent competitive harm.
Support recruitment, onboarding and training efforts for new hires in the competition practice and contribute to continuing legal education sessions.
Help maintain relationships with external experts (economists, forensic vendors, local counsel) and coordination protocols for quick mobilization during investigations.
Lead periodic internal audits of competition compliance processes and recommend operational changes to mitigate legal risk.
Participate in industry panels, seminars and webinars to raise the profile of the antitrust practice and generate business leads.
Assist with client invoicing, matter budgeting and financial forecasting for competition matters to support practice management objectives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep substantive knowledge of antitrust and competition law (U.S. Sherman Act, Clayton Act, FTC Act; EU competition law; UK Competition Act; national merger control regimes).
Practical experience preparing and filing merger notifications (HSR filings, EU merger notifications, national filings) and managing multi‑jurisdictional clearance strategies.
Proven track record handling cartel investigations, dawn raids, leniency applications and criminal and civil cartel defense.
Antitrust litigation skills: drafting pleadings, motions, discovery management, deposition preparation, and courtroom advocacy.
Experience designing and implementing compliance programs, policies, training curricula and monitoring systems tailored to client operations.
Ability to interpret and apply economic evidence, work with competition economists, and integrate empirical analyses into legal strategy.
Familiarity with regulatory processes and enforcement tools, including negotiations on consent orders, divestiture remedies and behavioral remedies.
Strong legal research, statutory interpretation, and brief writing skills, with the ability to produce persuasive memoranda for executives, boards and regulators.
Proficiency in managing large document review projects and e‑discovery platforms, including experience with TAR/predictive coding and privilege logs.
Cross‑border project management skills, coordinating local counsel, translations, filings, and harmonized messaging across multiple jurisdictions.
Experience with merger remedies drafting, monitoring, and implementation, including negotiating and overseeing compliance with court or regulatory conditions.
Ability to prepare and defend expert witness reports, work product for economic testimony, and coordinate expert depositions and testimony.

Soft Skills

Excellent client‑facing communication with the ability to translate complex legal and economic concepts into clear business advice.
Strategic thinking and commercial judgment to balance legal risk against business objectives and to recommend practical solutions.
Strong negotiation and advocacy skills for regulatory settlements, remedy negotiations and commercial agreements.
Leadership, team supervision and mentoring abilities with experience managing associates and cross‑functional teams.
High emotional intelligence and crisis management skills to lead responses to urgent regulatory inquiries or dawn raids.
Project management, organization and attention to detail to handle multiple concurrent matters and tight regulatory deadlines.
Persuasive oral presentation and courtroom presence for hearings, regulatory meetings and executive briefings.
Resilience and adaptability in fast‑moving, high‑pressure regulatory and litigation environments.
Ethical judgment, confidentiality and professional integrity when handling privileged information and sensitive investigations.
Business development and networking skills to build client relationships and grow the antitrust practice.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent primary law degree and active bar admission in relevant jurisdiction(s) (e.g., state bar in the U.S., or country bar where practicing).

Preferred Education:

LLM or graduate specialization in Competition Law, Antitrust, or International Trade Law; additional qualifications in Economics are a plus.
Admission in multiple jurisdictions or ability to practice through local counsel in key markets.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Law (Antitrust, Competition Law, Litigation)
Economics (Industrial Organization, Applied Microeconomics)
Business or Regulatory Affairs
International Trade and Public Policy

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

4–12+ years of post‑qualification experience in antitrust and competition law. (Junior/mid roles ~4–7 years; Senior counsel/partner tracks ~8+ years)

Preferred:

Significant experience advising on multi‑jurisdictional merger control, representing clients before regulators (DOJ, FTC, EC, CMA), handling cartel investigations and litigation, and designing antitrust compliance programs.
Demonstrated history of managing cross‑border teams, coordinating economists and local counsel, and delivering strategic regulatory outcomes for corporate clients.