Our Curious Amalgam

What does competition and litigation risk look like from inside a company operating at the intersection of financial markets, data, technology, and regulation? Kay Lynn Brumbaugh, Head of Litigation, Group Legal at London Stock Exchange Group plc (LSEG), joins Anora Wang and Matthew Hall to share an in-house perspective on managing disputes in a highly regulated global business. Listen to this epi...

The Federal 340B Drug Pricing Program has grown from a modest drug discount program into a massive federal program involving pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospitals, pharmacies, insurers, and third-party administrators. But when can similar conduct by participants in this program suggest coordination or raise other competition concerns? Archan Ruparel, economist at Charles River Associates, joins...

What's ahead for the ABA Antitrust Law Section in 2026–2027? Section Chair Melanie Aitken and Counsel to the Chair Christina Skinner join Our Curious Amalgam to discuss Melanie's vision for the Section and her priorities for the coming year. Listen to this episode to learn how under Melanie's leadership, the Section plans to double down on its value to members, strengthen its leadership and proces...

The European Court of Justice's judgment in Google Android is one of the most consequential EU competition law judgments of the last decade. But why is it so important? Thomas Höppner, lawyer at Geradin Partners, joins Matthew Hall and Subrata Bhattacharjee to discuss the key issues raised and their relevance to abuse of dominance cases generally. Listen to this episode to learn more about counter...

Larry Buterman is one of the rare antitrust attorneys who has successfully first chaired landmark cases both at the DOJ Antitrust Division and in private practice. In this career profile, co-hosts Derek Jackson and Lexi Michaud ask Larry about the differences and similarities in representing the DOJ versus representing a private party, about Larry's trial war stories (including his cross-examinati...

We are re-releasing this episode in tribute to Prof. Randy Picker, who passed away on August 15, 2026. In 2020, Randy joined co-hosts Anora Wang and John Roberti for an episode on the 13-year-long U.S. antitrust case against IBM brought in 1969, exploring how U.S. antitrust dealing with tech ranges from early government cases involving punch cards to government probes into today's platforms, and h...

Several U.S. states have recently passed legislation aimed at AI pricing tools that use consumer or competitor data. What is driving this spate of legislation, what different approaches are the states taking, and are the states sufficiently accounting for possible unintended consequences? In this episode, hosts Sergei Zaslavsky and Alicia Downey talk to Orrick partner Shannon Yavorksy about the pr...

For nearly 50 years, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act has given antitrust enforcers a chance to review deals above a certain value before they can close. What happens when the government concludes a transaction was structured intentionally to slip past that review entirely? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Evan Miller of Vinson & Elkins about HSR Act avoidance and the FTC's record-se...

State legislatures across the country are taking aim at subscription traps and deceptive cancellation practices — but what does effective consumer protection actually look like at the state level? Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General and former Director of Consumer Protection at the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with Anna Olson and Anora Wang about the growing wav...

Singapore's Competition and Consumer Commission — CCS — has been enforcing competition law for roughly two decades and more recently consumer protection laws as well. How does a small, open, trade-dependent city-state design and enforce a competition regime that punches above its weight — and what does that mean for global practitioners? Mr. Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive of the CCS ove...

Competition law isn't just for antitrust lawyers anymore—it's increasingly a boardroom issue. What questions should directors be asking to ensure their companies are identifying and managing competition risk before it becomes a crisis? Julie Goshorn, whose career spans the DOJ, FTC, private practice at Arnold & Porter, and global in-house leadership at Visa, speaks with Jeny Maier and Anora Wang a...

Digital financial services are transforming the way we bank, borrow, save, invest, and make payments. But are these innovations creating more competitive markets, or are they simply fostering new forms of market power? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Beatriz Marques of the OECD Competition Division about the evolving competitive landscape in digital finance. We explore the ro...

Vertical merger review has long rested on the principle that competitive harm is most likely when a merged firm has both the ability and incentive to foreclose rivals, yet courts and enforcers often struggle to establish that harm empirically. But can potentially anticompetitive vertical integrations be screened in advance using observable market characteristics? Charles Hodgson, Assistant Profess...

AI is transforming all areas of legal practice. But what are the special issues in antitrust? Daniel Schwarz, CEO and Founder of CompetitionAI and a former antitrust attorney at Clifford Chance and the IMF, joins Matthew Hall and Alysha Pannu to discuss the use of AI in antitrust now and in the future and its impact on lawyers and competition authorities. Listen to this episode to learn more about...

Are you as AI fluent as you should be? The American Bar Association's "21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge" is a free online resource that offers a path toward becoming adept in the use of AI to enhance legal practice and professional development. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and James Hunsberger speak with legal innovation strategist and "21 Days of AI" co-author Gabrielle...

What have been the latest competition law developments across the Middle East and Africa in the last year? Nicolas Bremer and John Oxenham join Matthew Hall and Jeny Maier to discuss new filing regimes, agency priorities and hot topics for competition law compliance in jurisdictions across the Middle East, COMESA, and South Africa. Listen to this episode to get up to speed on what to know about th...

Recently, the role of lobbying in M&A has become the talk of the antitrust bar in current administrations in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions. But what about the related discipline of public affairs? Nat Wood, Managing Director of Rational 360, a strategic communications, public affairs, and crisis management firm, joins Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to discuss what's involved in crafting a public...

What is happening in competition enforcement in Austria and Switzerland? Lukas Cavada, Executive Director for International Affairs at Austria's Federal Competition Authority (BWB), joins Anora Wang to discuss the BWB's most significant accomplishments over the past year, key competition enforcement developments in Austria, and the evolving challenges facing competition authorities in an increasin...

The analysis of mergers in the EU and UK is adapting to take account of a changed worldwide geo-political and trade context. But what does this mean in practice? Stuart Hudson, co-lead of Brunswick's global regulatory practice, joins Matthew Hall and James Hunsberger to discuss the European Commission's draft new EU Merger Guidelines and changes in the UK. Listen to this episode to learn more abou...

The OECD's Competition Division carries out the organisation's work on worldwide competition law, policy and enforcement. But what does this mean in practice? Ori Schwartz, Head of the Competition Division, joins Matthew Hall to discuss the Division's activities. Listen to this episode to learn more about the Division's recent and upcoming focus areas. With special guest: Ori Schwartz, Head, OECD...

What are the latest trends and developments in competition law enforcement in Ireland, Brazil, and Paraguay? Geoffrey Gray of the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), joins Lexi Michaud to discuss his agency's efforts to refine merger analysis and enhance competition in Ireland's taxi and ride-sharing sector. Brazilian CADE President Gustavo Augusto speaks with Matthew Hall...

Benchmarking and information sharing can be procompetitive, but modern data tools can also make it easier for rivals to coordinate on prices. But when does benchmarking cross the line into unlawful antitrust conduct? Norman Lee Morris, Attorney for Mississippi Attorney General, joins Panos Dimitrellos and Alysha Pannu to discuss the evolution of antitrust enforcement, the economic risks posed by r...

What is happening in competition enforcement in Australia and New Zealand? Luke Woodward, Commissioner at the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), joins Lexi Michaud to discuss the ACCC's distinctive joint competition and consumer protection mandate, the ACCC's role in deregulation as a way to unlock innovation, growth, and productivity, and where the ACCC is focused to keep pace w...

Can competition laws keep pace with the AI race? Blanche Savary de Beauregard, General Counsel at Mistral AI, joins co-hosts Anora Wang and Clémence Coppin, in collaboration with the New York State Bar Association, to discuss how a European AI company competes against U.S. and Chinese makers of AI foundation models, the strategic logic behind Mistral's major industry partnerships, and why Europe's...

What has competition enforcement looked like in Italy and Portugal over the past year? Saverio Valentino, Board Member of the Italian Antitrust Authority, joins Jaclyn Phillips to discuss AGCM's 2025 enforcement record, an ongoing digital sector investigation into Meta, and a whistleblower platform that has generated over 600 complaints since 2023. Next, Nuno Cunha Rodrigues, President of the Port...