Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law, California Lawyers Association

“Golden” Opportunity: Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section Holds Cutting-Edge Discussions in Golden State Institute

The City by the Bay was the backdrop for the 2024 Golden State & Unfair Competition Law Institute held on October 24, 2024. More than 250 people attended the high-profile, sold out educational conference in San Francisco, bringing together private and public sector attorneys, academics, legal experts, economists, judges, and students to learn about recent developments in the law, trials, and regulatory enforcement.

Conducted by California Lawyers Association’s (CLA) Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section, the conference is the largest annual gathering of antitrust professionals in the state, offering participants a host of perspectives on legal developments in California affecting consumers, businesses, and practitioners. Attendees heard information in several key areas, including developments in antitrust and consumer protection law; sports, where new antitrust cases have shaped collegiate sports and television broadcast rights; State Attorney General enforcement; and professional ethics, where experienced lawyers debated strategies in hypothetical scenarios focused on in-house counsel managing risks.

“There has been a large uptick in antitrust litigation,” says Steve Vieux, CLA Chair for the Golden State Institute. “California is such a large economy that decisions made here have a big impact nationwide. What we do is bring together practitioners, from both the plaintiff and defense side, and include state and federal representatives.”

Seasoned and respected economists and attorneys on a Remedies Panel presented their views on a wide range of topics such as the Justice Department’s recent call for sanctions against tech giant Google, the effectiveness of behavioral and structural remedies in anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions, and the implications for cases involving artificial intelligence and algorithmic pricing technology.

The Honorable Jinsook Ohta, US District Court Judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of California, the Honorable Anne-Christine Massullo, presiding judge of the Superior Court of San Francisco County, and the Honorable Patrick Casey Pitts, US District Court Judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of California, shared insights on how they manage their docket, assess competing experts, and best practices for attorneys appearing before them.

A “Fireside Chat” with Henry Liu, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, was the keynote event. Mr. Liu highlighted the agency’s work in overseeing investigations and enforcement actions to prevent anticompetitive mergers and business practices and antitrust enforcement policy over the past several years.

CLA’s Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section is dedicated to achieving a unique balance of plaintiff, defendant, government, and in-house perspectives. Through its committees, mentoring programs, and diversity and inclusion initiatives, it seeks to develop, support, and highlight diverse thought leaders.

“I feel like if you get involved it’s not just a collection of people. You can make friends for life,” says Malinda Lee, Deputy Attorney General for the California Department of Justice in Los Angeles and the Section’s Vice Chair of Communications. “It’s the best decision I’ve made. I feel like it’s also offered up professional opportunities. It’s helped me developed my confidence and leadership skills, and that’s something you don’t always think about when you join an organization.”

The Section’s leadership and members place a high value on diversity in their area of practice. The Inclusion & Diversity Fellowship Program is jointly managed by the California Lawyers Foundation (CLF) and CLA’s Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section. It recognizes law students who want to pursue careers in antitrust law. The goal of the fellowship is to provide career opportunities for students from groups underrepresented in the legal profession, increase interest in antitrust and unfair competition law, and promote the work of the Section. The fellowship includes a $10,000 stipend and summer internship placement with the California Attorney General’s Office in either the Antitrust Section, the Consumer Protection Section, or the Competition Unit of the Healthcare Rights and Access Section.

This year the Section awarded two students with the prestigious fellowship: Iman Eslami, a second year law student at UC Berkeley School of Law, who is a first-generation American; and Karla Lora, a second year law student at the University of San Diego, School of Law, who recently obtained citizenship after being undocumented for 16 years. Mr. Eslami and Ms. Lora each gave remarks at the Institute regarding their motivation for joining the legal profession and interest in antitrust and consumer protection law.

Last year, the Section launched a new “Lawyers to Watch” award program to recognize lawyers in the first eight years of their legal careers who have exhibited outstanding achievements in the practice of antitrust and unfair competition. This year, CLA was proud to give this recognition to four New Lawyers, who were honored at an opening reception for the Golden State Institute: Leigha Beckman, an associate in the San Francisco office of Morgan Lewis, Jeremy Kauffman, an associate in the Los Angeles office of Jones Day, Tae Kim, an associate in the San Francisco office of Hausfeld, and Margaret Webb, an associate in the San Francisco office of Morrison Foerster.

The  Institute was capped with the 2024 Antitrust Lawyer of the Year Dinner and Award Ceremony honoring Paul J. Riehle of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Mr. Riehle was recognized for his four decades of practice and leadership in the antitrust bar in California.

The Institute is supported by several sponsors: applEcon, AB Data, Analysis Group, Angeion Group, Ankura, The Brattle Group, Cornerstone Research, DISCO, Epiq Global, Huntington, NERA, and Rust Consulting.

The Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section will hold its Consumer and Unfair Competition Law Institute (CUCLI) in Los Angeles on January 31st, 2025.

For more information on CLA’s Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section, its activities, and how to get involved, visit: https://calawyers.org/section/antitrust-unfair-competition-law/.


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