Katherine Rocco is an antitrust and competition partner in Kirkland’s New York office. Kate’s practice includes antitrust litigation, merger clearance and cartel investigations. Kate has managed complex litigations through trial and appeal and secured regulatory clearances for multi-billion dollar, cross-border transactions. Kate has been recognized as an antitrust “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers in 2014–2019, as well as a “Next Generation Lawyer” by The Legal 500 U.S. in 2017–2020 for her antitrust work in merger control, and in 2017 for her antitrust work in the areas of cartels and civil litigation.
Experience
Representative Matters
Since joining Kirkland, Katherine’s representative matters have included:
Advising Avaya Holdings Corp. on antitrust matters in connection with its strategic partnership with RingCentral, Inc.
Defending Akorn and Hi-Tech Pharmacal against allegations of price-fixing
Advising Akzo Nobel on antitrust matters in connection with its successful defense of an unsolicited $28B takeover attempt by PPG Industries
Advising Alarm.com on antitrust matters in connection with its acquisition of iConnect
Advising Ares and National Veterinary Associates on antitrust matters in connection with the sale of NVA to JAB and Compassion First
Advising Blackstone and Alight on antitrust matters in connection with their acquisition of Hodges and Mace
Advising Cambrex Corporation on antitrust matters in connection with its $2.4B agreement to be acquired by Permira
Advising Equity One on antitrust matters in connection with its $15.6B merger with Regency Centers Corporation
Advising Francisco Partners and its portfolio company RedSail Technologies, LLC in its acquisition of PioneerRx, LLC
Advising Francisco Partners on antitrust matters in connection with its $3.4B acquisition of Verifone and associated strategic transactions
Representing a hedge fund client in connection with a confidential DOJ investigation relating to allegations of price fixing
Defending Hitachi against allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets
Advising Huntsman Corporation on antitrust matters in connection with its $2.1B sale of its chemical intermediates and surfactants businesses to Indorama Ventures
Advising KKR on antitrust matters in connection with its acquisition of Optiv, Inc.
Advising Marriott Vacations Worldwide on antitrust matters in connection with its $4.7B acquisition of ILG
Advising Nine West on antitrust matters
Advising Olympus Advisors LLC and AmSpec on antitrust and other matters
Advising Olympus Advisors LLC on antitrust matters in connection with its sale of The Ritedose Corporation to Humanwell Healthcare and AGIC Capital
Advising Olympus Partners and Liqui-Box on antitrust matters in connection with the $585M acquisition of DS Smith’s plastics division
Advising Pamplona Capital and nThrive on antitrust matters in connection with the acquisition of Adreima
Advising Pamplona Capital Management on antitrust matters in connection with its $5B acquisition of PAREXEL International
Advising private equity clients, including Blackstone, Cerberus Capital, Madison Dearborn Partners, New Mountain Capital, Silver Lake Partners and Sycamore Partners, on antitrust matters in connection with confidential transactions
Advising Starwood Capital Group and Mammoth Resorts on antitrust matters in connection with the sale of Mammoth Resorts to Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners LLC
Advising The Carlyle Group on antitrust matters in connection with its acquisition of Arctic Glacier
Advising The Orchard, a film, TV and music distribution company, on antitrust and other matters
Advising VWR Corp. on antitrust matters in connection with its $6.4B sale to Avantor
Prior to joining Kirkland, Katherine’s representative matters included:
Defending American Express against Sherman Act claims brought by the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general
Defending American Express at trial and on appeal against allegations of price-fixing
Advising British American Tobacco on antitrust matters in connection with Reynolds’ acquisition of Lorrilard
Advising Life Technologies on antitrust matters in connection with its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific
Defending NCR Corporation in multiple litigations, including against the federal government and in private cost recovery actions under CERCLA at trial, on appeal and in arbitration
Defending Qualcomm in antitrust matters, licensing disputes and regulatory investigations in the U.S. and abroad
Advising Qualcomm on antitrust matters in connection with confidential transactions
Advising Reed Elsevier on antitrust matters and a confidential investigation
Advising Scientific Games Corporation on antitrust issues in connection with its acquisition of Bally Technologies, Inc.
Advising Unilever on antitrust matters in connection with its acquisition of Talenti
Advising Unilever on antitrust matters in connection with its sale of SlimFast
Clerk & Government Experience
InternHonorable Shira A. ScheindlinUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York2008
InternThe White House2002
Prior Experience
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, 2009–2016
Warner Music Group, Law Clerk, 2007–2009
More
Thought Leadership
Seminars
Speaker, Pleading an Antitrust Case: How Much is Enough?, FJC/ABA Antitrust Judicial Law and Economics Institute for Judges (2017)
Speaker, Prepping an Economic Expert for Trial, Fordham Competition Law Institute, Economics Workshop (2016)
Recognition
Recognized in Global Competition Review’s GCR 100 (New York), 2021
Fulbright Scholarship, 2005–2006
Memberships & Affiliations
Member of the Board, The Legal Aid Society’s New Leadership Program
Civil Rights Committee, The New York City Bar Association
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
2010New York
Education
Fordham University School of LawJ.D.magna cum laude2009
Editor, Fordham Law Review
Order of the Coif
Wilkinson Scholar
The George Washington UniversityB.A., Economics & International Affairsmagna cum laude2005