Antitrust & Competition: Mergers

Compass Lexecon is ideally placed to handle large, multi-jurisdictional deals. We can mobilize a global team across our offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America, led by experts with deep local-level expertise, including former officials of major regulatory bodies.

Our experts have evaluated thousands of mergers across virtually every industry for merging parties, third parties, and government agencies. That experience ensures we bring an in-depth understanding of the economic, policy, and industry-specific issues that matter, and means we can tailor the strategy and analysis to the needs of a deal, regardless of its size, industry, or circumstances.

Our economists lead in both the academic understanding of mergers and competition, and how to apply that understanding in the real world to inform better decisions and merger policy. They have framed merger review standards at regulatory bodies, evaluated horizontal and vertical mergers around the globe, and provided compelling analysis in all major jurisdictions and regulatory regimes.

Our economists advise on the competition issues at each stage of a transaction, offering insight and guidance across five primary areas:

1. Economic Analysis: We assess the implications that a transaction may have for competition and consumers. This requires a rigorous understanding of how competition works in the relevant industry – identifying the competitive forces and processes that determine prices, quality, and innovation. We use that insight, to identify and articulate the impact that the transaction would have on the market, drawing on the appropriate empirical analyses, such as:
   1. pricing studies 
   2. customer switching analyses
   3. bidding studies
   4. empirical assessments of how closely a product competes 
   5. merger simulations 
   6. analyses of entry and expansion
   7. efficiency studies
2. Antitrust Risk Assessment: we can assess antitrust risk for Boards of Directors and executives before a deal is finalized, to help them make informed business decisions.
3. Regulator Engagement: Our team presents clear and compelling analyses to the relevant regulators – or in court proceedings, if necessary. Leveraging our vast experience, we convey complex economic concepts in powerful and persuasive ways.
4. Regulatory Compliance: Our experts assist counsel in responding to information requests from the relevant government agencies, supporting them with data preparation and production; and
5. Remedies Design: when necessary, we help our clients design remedies that will safeguard competition, and present to the relevant authorities analyses of the impact those proposed remedies are likely to have on competition and consumers.

Our strategic insight and unparalleled analytic support ensure that our clients are equipped to tackle any aspect of the merger and acquisition process with confidence and clarity.