Fierce Competition

Antitrust/competition attorneys Evan R. Kreiner , Joseph M. Rancour and Justine M. Haimi discuss the rise of state attorneys general as independent antitrust enforcers. The conversation covers new mini-Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) filing regimes spreading across the country, California's aggressive legislative push, recent high-profile cases and how states are investing in enforcement resources — from...

From Australia to Argentina to Africa, merger control regimes around the world are being reshaped in real time. Host Simon Dodd is joined by colleagues Georgios Zacharodimos , counsel in Brussels, and Jacqueline Arena , Asia Pacific counsel, for a sweeping tour of the developments reshaping global deals. Together they navigate five major themes: new and shifting filing requirements across multiple...

The ABA 2026 Antitrust Spring Meeting gathered antitrust lawyers and practitioners – some 3,500 of them – for 70 panels in Washington, D.C. Host Bill Batchelor reports back along with Skadden antitrust/competition partners Evan Kreiner and Aurora Luoma . Drawing out the central themes from the conference, they cover the latest in merger control — from the CMA's "4 Ps" framework to the EU's revised...

AI dominates headlines from both a deal and antitrust enforcement perspective. Antoni Terra , counsel in Skadden 's Brussels office, moderates a discussion on recent developments and trends across Europe and the U.S. in the AI space with colleagues Mike Menitove , partner in Skadden's New York office, and Iacovos Antoniou , European counsel in Skadden's London office. The panel explores key merger...

Gone are the days when companies could simply agree with a handshake not to poach each other's IT staff. Today, violations in the labor market are receiving heightened scrutiny and are being addressed with greater severity. Host Bill Batchelor is joined by three Skadden colleagues to discuss the rapidly evolving enforcement landscape. Jim Fredricks , antitrust/competition partner in Washington, D....

The antitrust landscape in both the EU and U.S. is rapidly evolving as legacy legal frameworks, including Article 102, are being adapted to address digital platform dominance and new forms of monopolistic behavior. With the arrival of Teresa Ribera to the European Commission and a new U.S. administration, enforcement priorities are shifting toward digital markets, with a particular emphasis on spe...

Antitrust premerger notification just became more complex. The Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act premerger form underwent substantial changes in February 2025, requiring significantly more information from merging parties. Host Rita Sinkfield Belin and her Skadden colleagues Joe Rancour and Joe Ciani-Dausch offer insights on the new requirements. The discussion highlights the 10 most notable changes, ex...

Skadden antitrust partners Aurora Luoma and Bill Batchelor delve into the significant legislative and policy changes in U.K. competition law that took effect at the beginning of 2025. These changes, introduced by the Digital Market Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), aim to address gaps in merger control and the digital markets regime while enhancing the enforcement capabilities of the Competiti...

Antitrust regulators throughout the world often use their authority to review transactions that fall below filing thresholds.  Host Julia Zhu invites Skadden colleagues Joseph Rancour and Niels Baeten to discuss how these deals fit in the global regulatory picture. The three antitrust attorneys cover ways in which enforcement is carried out, how deal-makers know if their transactions are call...

Cartels may be as old as “Adam Smith’s smoke-filled room,” but in today’s world, they’re employing sophisticated tools like algorithms and AI. Enforcers continue to target price-fixing, bid-rigging and other potential antitrust violations. Skadden attorneys Bill Batchelor (partner, Brussels and London) and James Fredricks (partner, Washington, D.C.) highlight what’s changed 一 and what hasn’t 一 w...

In the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union, sports leagues — from soccer to golf to ice skating — are testing the boundaries of antitrust and competition laws. Skadden attorneys Bill Batchelor (partner, Brussels and London), Karen Lent (partner, New York) and Vikram Pandit (associate, Brussels) consider the intersection of sports and competition law on both sides of the Atlantic....

In this episode of the "Fierce Competition" podcast, Skadden attorneys Tara Reinhart (partner, Washington, D.C.), Annie Villanueva Jeffers (partner, New York and Palo Alto) and Justine Haimi (counsel, New York) explore the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC’s) landmark ban on noncompete agreements. They discuss the FTC's rationale for the rule, as well as potential implications of the ban for busines...

Illumina announced in December that it would divest GRAIL, the result of a merger challenge with many twists and turns both in the United States and in Europe.  In this episode of the “Fierce Competition“ podcast, Skadden attorneys Julia York (partner, Washington, D.C.), Ingrid Vandenborre (partner, Brussels) and Michael Sheerin (counsel, New York) talk about the three-year Illumina-GRAIL sag...

Until recent years, there was barely a single collective claim in Europe, but now, things have changed. This episode of the “Fierce Competition” podcast features Skadden partners Bill Batchelor, Bruce Macaulay and Matt Martino, who explore class action lawsuits in the U.K. and U.S., focusing on the evolving role of the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), a new collective actions tribunal in the U.K...

This episode of the “Fierce Competition” podcast features Skadden antitrust/competition partners Ken Schwartz (New York), Tara Reinhart (Washington, D.C.) and Aurora Luoma (London), who dig into the complexities behind increased antitrust scrutiny for private equity transactions. They shed light on the regulatory focus on market roll-ups, delve into recent litigation and unpack potential political...

Around the world, regulators are rapidly evolving their approaches to merger control. The landscape has become increasingly complex and fragmented. Transactions that were once straightforward now take much longer and are more likely to be challenged.  Responding to a perception that their old tools were not working as well as perhaps they should, regulators have introduced a wave of new thres...

From Skadden , Fierce Competition is a podcast for corporate counsel of multinational organizations who face the challenges of navigating antitrust policy and enforcement around the world. This is not another U.S. or Eurocentric antitrust podcast. We’re covering global antitrust issues, impacting the most complex industries. In today's fast-paced global economy, staying informed about antitrust de...