Paul M. Thompson
Subscribe to Paul M. Thompson's PostsPaul M. Thompson is the Managing Partner of the Washington, DC office and also serves as the Firm’s Pro Bono Litigation Partner. Paul previously served on McDermott’s Executive and Management Committees and, from 2011 to 2015, he also served a previous term as Managing Partner of the Washington, DC office. Read Paul M. Thompson's full bio.
Year in Review: Criminal Enforcement by the DOJ Antitrust Division in 2023
By Nicole Castle, Lisa P. Rumin, Paul M. Thompson and Glenna Siegel on Feb 8, 2024
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments, Mergers & Acquisitions
When it comes to antitrust criminal enforcement, 2023 will be remembered as the year when the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division redefined and tested the outer boundaries of its authority. This report looks back at the key events from the DOJ’s year in criminal antitrust enforcement. Here’s a glimpse of what’s inside: Despite...
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Cartel Corner | July 2023
By Justin P. Murphy, Paul M. Thompson, Stéphane Dionnet, Han Cui, Reese Poncia, Alexandra Lewis, Graham Hyman, Nabil Lakhal, Glenna Siegel and Bailey K. Sanders on Jul 13, 2023
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments, EC Developments, EU Developments, FTC Developments, Monopolization/Abuse of Dominance
In the first half of 2023, antitrust enforcers remained remarkably busy both in the United States (US) and across the European Union (EU). The US Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Antitrust Division (Division) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have continued their aggressive and novel effort to drag antitrust enforcement into the labor markets. The DOJ...
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DOJ Prosecutes Attempted Collusion among Business Competitors for First Time in Decades
By Justin P. Murphy, Andrew Lee and Paul M. Thompson on Nov 1, 2022
Posted In DOJ Developments, Monopolization/Abuse of Dominance
On October 31, 2022, the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division (Division) made good on its intention earlier this year to revitalize efforts surrounding criminal enforcement of Section 2 of the Sherman Act when the president of a paving and asphalt contractor in Montana pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to monopolize the market for...
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DOJ Revamps Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies with Continued Emphasis on Compliance
By Justin P. Murphy, Edward Diskant, Sarah Walters, Julian Andre, Paul M. Thompson, Ben Curtis and Caitlyn Campbell on Sep 19, 2022
Posted In DOJ Developments
At a September 15, 2022, speech at New York University School of Law, US Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa Monaco announced several new policies intended to further the aggressive stance the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken under the Biden administration to corporate criminal enforcement. The DOJ’s landmark new policies are focused on...
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Cartel Corner | August 2022
By Justin P. Murphy, Paul M. Thompson, Han Cui, Alexandra Lewis and Reese Poncia on Aug 31, 2022
Posted In Agriculture, Cartel Enforcement, Consumer Protection/Privacy, DOJ Developments, FTC Developments, Monopolization/Abuse of Dominance
Without question, 2022 has been a remarkably busy time for the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Antitrust Division (Division). Over just a few months, the Division rolled out meaningful revisions to its leniency policy aimed at encouraging prompt reporting of criminal violations, announced that it will (for the first time in nearly 50 years) bring...
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Cartel Corner | March 2022
By Justin P. Murphy, Paul M. Thompson, Han Cui, Joshua W. Eastby, Anthony S. Ferrara, Alexandra Lewis and Reese Poncia on Mar 21, 2022
Posted In Agriculture, Cartel Enforcement, Consumer Protection/Privacy, DOJ Developments, FTC Developments, Healthcare Antitrust, Monopolization/Abuse of Dominance
The US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division (Division) has continued to actively investigate and pursue alleged criminal violations of antitrust laws and collusive activity in government procurement. US Attorney General Merrick Garland noted in a March 2022 speech at the ABA Institute on White Collar Crime that the Division ended last fiscal year “with...
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DOJ Antitrust Division Signals Impending Criminal Monopolization Cases
By Andrew Lee, Katharine M. O'Connor, Justin P. Murphy, Paul M. Thompson and Claire Danberg on Mar 11, 2022
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments, FTC Developments, Monopolization/Abuse of Dominance
WHAT HAPPENED On March 2, 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard Powers revealed that the DOJ intends to investigate and pursue alleged criminal violations against individuals or companies who violate Section 2 of the Sherman Act. For more than 40 years, criminal enforcement of antitrust laws have...
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DOJ to Devote Substantial Resources to Investigating and Prosecuting Corporate Crime, Emphasizing Importance of Effective Compliance Programs
By Julian Andre, Justin P. Murphy, Sarah Walters, Edward Diskant, Paul M. Thompson and Ben Curtis on Mar 9, 2022
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
In March 3, 2022, speeches at the American Bar Association’s Annual National Institute on White Collar Crime (ABA White Collar Institute), US Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland and US Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division (AAG) Kenneth Polite Jr. addressed the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) increased commitment to investigating and prosecuting corporate crime....
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2019 in Review: Overview of Cartel Investigations
By Anthony S. Ferrara, Louise Aberg and Paul M. Thompson on Mar 18, 2020
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments, EC Developments, EU Developments, Private Litigation
The Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) was active in 2019. At the beginning of 2019, the DOJ was preparing for trial in six matters and had 91 pending grand jury investigations. Throughout 2019, the DOJ made public several new investigations, including in the commercial flooring industry, online auctions for surplus government equipment, the insulation...
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The Latest: New DOJ Antitrust Division Policy Makes Compliance Programs More Critical than Ever
By Nicole Castle and Paul M. Thompson on Jul 16, 2019
Posted In Cartel Enforcement, DOJ Developments
What Happened: Last week, the Antitrust Division reported that it has changed its Justice Manual to state that it will consider antitrust compliance at the charging stage in criminal antitrust investigations, instead of waiting for plea negotiation or the sentencing stage. Previously, the Antitrust Division had granted leniency only to the first whistleblower to come...
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