Department of Justice Antitrust Heavyweight Joins Cooley

Washington, DC – September 7, 2022 – Kathy O’Neill, former senior director of investigations and litigation at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division – the division’s highest career civil enforcement position – has joined Cooley’s Washington, DC, office as a partner in the antitrust & competition practice group. 

In her role at the DOJ, O’Neill oversaw every civil investigation and litigation initiated by the Antitrust Division, helped to pioneer a robust approach to antitrust enforcement pursuing cutting‐edge legal theories, and played a key role in developing agency enforcement policy.

Before joining the Antitrust Division, O’Neill served as assistant attorney general to the New York attorney general and as an attorney adviser at the Federal Communications Commission. O’Neill joins Cooley with more than two decades of government experience. 

“The antitrust enforcement environment is red-hot in the US and across the globe, with high tech and life sciences directly in the crosshairs,” said Jacqueline Grise, chair of Cooley’s antitrust & competition practice group. “Cooley provides highly sophisticated antitrust services to advance the success of our clients’ most imperative business strategies, and with the addition of Kathy, we expand our ability to take on any antitrust challenge on behalf of our innovative client base.” 

As O’Neill concludes an impressive 20+ year government career, rising to the top ranks in the Antitrust Division, Grise emphasized, “We are thrilled that Kathy chose to join forces with us to provide powerful, strategic advice to guide our clients through an increasingly complex antitrust paradigm. Kathy’s investigation and litigation experience in industries, ranging from high tech to airlines, communications, entertainment, energy, agriculture and more, will allow us to enhance our services for clients across the Cooley platform.”

O’Neill is the latest addition to Cooley’s antitrust team following the recent additions of partners Ethan Glass in Washington, DC, Caroline Hobson in London and Jonas Koponen in Brussels. The strategic addition of O’Neill reflects Cooley’s deep and continued investment in supporting clients’ business objectives. 

“I am excited to join such a high-caliber group that works so seamlessly to bring clients the highest level of business-focused antitrust advice and representation – especially in this period of heightened antitrust enforcement,” O’Neill said. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to serve Cooley’s impressive roster of clients and to enhance Cooley’s capabilities as a destination antitrust and competition practice that meets clients’ every need, from merger review to anti-competitive conduct investigations and litigation.”

Cooley’s antitrust & competition practice group is recognized as a top-tier antitrust practice by The Legal 500, Global Competition Review and Chambers USA. The team handles all aspects of antitrust and competition law matters – including counseling, M&A, government investigations and litigation – for organizations ranging from emerging companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Cooley’s highly experienced antitrust team regularly steers clients through the regulatory review process of bet-the-company transactions, government investigations and high-stakes litigation, with a focus on the high tech and life sciences industries, while bringing a global perspective to craft the most efficient and effective strategy for each client. The firm provides practical and timely representation that enables clients to manage antitrust risk while accomplishing their business objectives.

Kathy O’Neill is admitted to practice in New York and Pennsylvania only; she is not admitted to practice in Washington, DC, but will be supervised by active members of the Washington, DC, Bar.

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