Michael G. Dashefsky
Michael Dashefsky is Co-Chair of the firm’s Antitrust & Trade Practices Group. For more than two decades, Michael has counseled clients on a wide array of antitrust matters, including investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and antitrust agencies outside the United States; domestic and international antitrust litigation, including multidistrict class actions; and regulatory inquiries before U.S. and foreign regulators. In addition, Michael has extensive experience as an antitrust enforcer in roles with the DOJ’s Antitrust Division and the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, where he managed some of the agencies’ most significant investigations and litigation. Michael is deeply experienced at handling matters before the federal government as outside counsel and as in-house counsel for a Fortune 200 company. Leveraging this diverse experience, Michael counsels and defends clients with a unique perspective on the inner workings of both antitrust enforcement authorities worldwide and a multinational company, enabling him to develop targeted strategic solutions to meet the needs of each client separately.
Michael represents clients on antitrust matters involving mergers and acquisitions, non-merger investigations and cases, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. In these matters, he represents and advises companies that are before the DOJ, FTC, state antitrust authorities and foreign competition agencies. Specifically, Michael has obtained antitrust approvals for several billion-dollar transactions before U.S. and international competition authorities. Michael also has significant experience in the payments and financial services industries, leading numerous antitrust investigations and litigation.
Memberships
American Bar Association
American Health Law Association (AHLA)
Representative Experience
Publications
Past Events
Media Mentions & Firm News
Accolades
Federal Trade Commission — Award for Meritorious Service (1998)
John M. Olin Fellowship
Phi Beta Kappa
The Tax Lawyer — Editor
Previous Experience
Corporate Representation
- Managed all domestic and international antitrust issues and provided counsel for a multinational corporation in its $20.7 billion acquisition of a leading European payments company; obtained antitrust clearance from several competition authorities, including the European Commission, and advised on all competition-related restructuring issues.
- Managed the defense for a Fortune 200 company in both U.S. federal district and appellate courts in relation to class action antitrust litigation in the ATM industry affecting over $500 billion in commerce.
- Managed the successful litigation and trial for a multinational corporation relating to numerous European antitrust claims filed against the company in the United Kingdom; after a four-month trial, the court rejected plaintiffs’ claims and found in favor of the company.
- Represented a leading manufacturer of fiber-optic communication products in its $41 billion merger with a competitor in an antitrust investigation commenced by the DOJ; convinced the DOJ to clear the merger.
- Represented an optical communications company on a $15 billion merger that combined leading manufacturers of high-technology optical communication products in an antitrust investigation before the DOJ; convinced the DOJ to clear the merger.
- Represented a significant television network in its $3 billion acquisition of a competitor in an antitrust investigation commenced by the DOJ; convinced the DOJ to clear the acquisition.
- Managed the defense for and counseled a multinational financial services company in relation to an antitrust challenge brought by the European Commission in the payments industry.
- Managed the defense for and counseled a Fortune 200 global company in relation to an antitrust class action filed by Canadian merchants alleging price fixing and other competition claims in the payments and financial services industries; secured very favorable settlement for the company.
Government Experience
- Served as lead DOJ counsel in significant antitrust investigation and litigation against several financial services corporations, challenging certain anti-steering rules as restricting competition and affecting over $50 billion in commerce.
- Served as lead DOJ trial counsel in successful antitrust action concerning certain practices and fee requirements established by a financial services company.
- Served as lead DOJ counsel in securing consent decree violation against luxury watch manufacturer.
- Served as DOJ counsel in successful antitrust investigation of a multinational corporation’s $2 billion acquisition of a manufacturer of high-technology medical equipment.
- Served as lead counsel for the FTC in its antitrust investigation of a $9 billion acquisition among leading computer hardware manufacturers, which at the time was the largest acquisition in the computer hardware industry.
- Served as counsel for the FTC in its antitrust investigation and challenge of a multinational chemical company’s $11.6 billion acquisition of a competing manufacturer, which at the time was the largest acquisition in the chemical industry; secured consent decree before permitting acquisition to proceed.
- Served as counsel for the FTC in its antitrust investigation of a $33 billion proposed merger among leading manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries; companies abandoned the deal as a result of the FTC’s investigation.
- Served as counsel for the FTC in its antitrust investigation of a $775 million proposed acquisition among leading computer parts manufacturers; companies abandoned the deal as a result of the FTC’s investigation.
- Served as counsel for the FTC in its antitrust enforcement action against leading, multinational automotive and truck parts manufacturers in relation to their consummated merger; secured resolution that required the companies to pay more than $5 million for failing to give federal antitrust enforcers advance notice of the transaction and also mandated divestiture to prevent antitrust harm.
- Served as counsel for the FTC in its antitrust investigation and challenge to a $400 million acquisition that combined leading developers of computer software used in the semiconductor industry; secured consent decree before permitting acquisition to proceed.
- Served as counsel for the FTC in its antitrust investigation of a merger between two leading manufacturers of particle beam equipment used in the semiconductor industry.