Christopher A. Williams

• Represented a paint distributor in its acquisition by a competitor, guiding the client through a comprehensive FTC preliminary investigation that raised questions about horizontal competitive effects in a distribution market, resulting in clearance without a Second Request.
• Represented a clinical research organization in resolving an FTC preliminary investigation of its acquisition by a larger competitor.
• Represented an owner-operator as a potential divestiture buyer to resolve the FTC’s concerns with a proposed merger between residential care services providers.
• Represented a manufacturer of valued-added proteins in resolving a DOJ preliminary investigation of its acquisition by a major North American food manufacturers and distributor.
• Represented a domain management services company in a lengthy DOJ preliminary investigation into its acquisition of a competitor. Convinced DOJ to close its investigation without issuing a Second Request.
• Represented an industrial robotics company in a DOJ preliminary investigation of its acquisition of another AI-based robotics company. Avoided a Second Request investigation into potential and nascent competition concerns initially raised by DOJ.
• Represented a leading manufacturer and distributor of building materials in a preliminary investigation by DOJ and FTC involving an HSR-reportable acquisition of a leading wholesale distributor and manufacturer of building materials. Convinced staff to close the investigation during the initial HSR waiting period by resolving horizontal competition and vertical relationship concerns raised by staff.
• Represented a leading wood products manufacturer in a preliminary investigation by DOJ involving an HSR-reportable acquisition of a competitor. Convinced staff to close the investigation during the initial HSR waiting period by resolving horizontal competition and vertical relationship concerns raised by staff.
• Represented a private equity fund in a preliminary investigation by DOJ of its sale of an engineered wood products company to another private equity company. Convinced staff to close the investigation during the initial HSR waiting period, resolving vertical relationship concerns raised by staff.
• Represented a specialty provider of value-based healthcare services in its acquisition by the leading provider of healthcare services for that same specialty and its joint venture with physician groups. Advised on antitrust risk, highlighting the risk of an FTC investigation, advocated for the client during the preliminary investigation of the transaction, and prepared the client to respond to a civil investigative demand issued by FTC in connection with the Second Request issued to lead buyer.
• Advised a processor of implantable human tissue on antitrust risk of a potential sale to a competitor.
• Recommended a “fix-it-first” strategy to a specialty pharmaceutical company that avoided FTC scrutiny in the HSR review of its acquisition of a competitor.
• Represented a specialty pharmaceutical company in its acquisition of a competitor. Convinced FTC staff to close its preliminary investigation into the merger before expiration of the HSR waiting period.
• Advised Pacira BioSciences on antitrust matters in connection with its acquisition of Flexion Therapeutics.
• Represented R1 RCM, a provider of revenue cycle performance solutions for health systems, hospitals, and physician groups in its acquisition of Acclara.
• Represented an industrial robotics company in a DOJ preliminary investigation of its acquisition of another AI-based robotics company.
• Advised PharmaCann, a vertically integrated cannabis company, in its acquisition of LivWell Enlightened Health.
• Represented 11:11 Systems, Inc. in the acquisition of Green Cloud Technologies, LLC, an independent channel-only cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service provider.
• Represented S.D.S. Lumber Co. and S.D.S. Co., L.L.C. in their sale to Twin Creeks Timber, LLC, The Conservation Fund, and WKO, Inc.
• Represented personal finance platform in its acquisition by a leading financial software company, which resulted in a consent decree to divest a portion of the seller’s business to a third party to resolve antitrust concerns.*
• Managed large-scale, antitrust integration-planning compliance project for a major telecom merger.*
• Represented a provider of enterprise networking equipment, in connection with an FTC Second Request investigation concerning its acquisition by a major semiconductor company. The investigation was resolved with a behavioral remedy via consent order to resolve vertical concerns with the proposed acquisition. Coordinated global antitrust filings and negotiations of behavioral remedies to obtain conditional clearance for the transaction in China, the European Union, and Japan.*
• Represented a leading media company before the DOJ Antitrust Division in a radio station asset exchange with another broadcaster. The other broadcaster divested radio station assets to the client to resolve antitrust concerns with its acquisition of another radio company.*
• Advised a life sciences company on competition matters before the FTC in its successful defense against a hostile takeover by a competitor.*
• Represented a real estate technology company in an FTC Second Request investigation related to its acquisition by a competitor.*
• Represented a catalyst manufacturer in a preliminary investigation by the FTC of an acquisition of a competitor. Convinced staff to close the investigation after a pull-and-refile, arguing that the merged firm’s ability to increase price or reduce output or innovation was constrained by large customers and the likelihood of entry of independent suppliers in Asia.*
• Advised a wholesale grocery cooperative in connection with its acquisition of a competitor, which combined the two largest national wholesale food cooperatives, in a preliminary investigation by the FTC.*

* Prior experience

• Represented a global generics company in an antitrust suit against a branded pharmaceutical company for using REMS as a pretext to prevent the generic supplier from acquiring necessary samples of the branded product to conduct bioequivalence studies.*
• Represented a global generics company in an antitrust suit against a branded pharmaceutical company for product hopping strategies.*

* Prior experience