Kirkland Adds Antitrust and Competition Attorney Ian John in New York
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Ian John has joined the New York office as a partner in the Firm’s Antitrust & Competition Practice Group.
Mr. John advises and represents clients before antitrust enforcement authorities on matters relating to mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, including complex cross-border transactions. He joins Kirkland from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
“Ian is an exceptionally talented lawyer who brings a wealth of knowledge of the antitrust enforcement and regulatory landscape with respect to the kinds of complicated transactions that Kirkland regularly helps clients negotiate, structure and execute,” said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee. “The growth of our strategic M&A practice demands that we continue to add top lawyers across the range of areas that are important to helping clients achieve their business objectives, including antitrust and competition. Ian’s a great addition to our already strong antitrust team.”
Mr. John has represented clients from a diverse range of industries. He has appeared before the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Defense, state antitrust authorities, the Canadian Bureau of Competition and the European Commission, representing major corporations in connection with antitrust investigations of consensual and contested mergers and acquisitions.
Representative matters include: Anheuser-Busch InBev in its $21 billion acquisition of the remaining stake of Grupo Modelo it did not already own, including participating on the defense team in related private and public litigation; Archer Daniels Midland Company in its $3.1 billion acquisition of WILD Flavors GmbH (Switzerland); Express Scripts in its $29.1 billion acquisition of Medco Health Solutions, including participating on the litigation defense team in a last-minute private antitrust challenge to the transaction; GTCR in its $390 million acquisition of Fundtech; CF Industries in its $910 million acquisition of a stake in Canadian Fertilizers Limited, owned by Viterra, and in its unsolicited $4.7 billion acquisition of Terra Industries and simultaneous defense of a hostile offer by Agrium; Chevron in its $4.3 billion acquisition of Atlas Energy; and XTO Energy in its $41 billion sale to ExxonMobil.
“Ian has been helping his clients navigate some of the most challenging and complex scenarios before the world’s major antitrust enforcement authorities for nearly 20 years. His depth and breadth of regulatory knowledge will help serve our clients and ensure meaningful resolutions,” said David Fox, a New York
corporate partner and member of Kirkland’s Global Management Executive Committee.
Mr. John is a fellow of the American Bar Association and his representations have been recognized by the Financial Times “US Innovative Lawyers” report. He holds a J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and an A.B. from Bowdoin College.
Kirkland & Ellis is a 1,600-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex antitrust and competition, corporate, restructuring and tax, litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration, and intellectual property matters. The Firm has offices in New York, Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.
