Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, LAW FIRM NEWS: Recent hires, promotions, and recognition for antitrust attorneys, (Jan 20, 2026)

By Jody Coultas, J.D.

Attorney hirings, promotions, and recognitions have been announced by several firms with antitrust practices.

New hires. Ryan Danks, former Director of Civil Enforcement for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, has joined Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP as a partner in its Antitrust and Competition Group in the Washington D.C. office. Danks is the only person in more than a generation who served as a senior career enforcer in both the Antitrust Division’s Civil and Criminal Enforcement Programs. He will be cross-listed in the firm’s Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice.

Fieldfisher announced that it has hired Hendrik Viaene as Partner in Competition. Viaene focuses his practice on European Union and Belgian competition law, regulated markets and regulatory law. Hendrik joins the firm from McDermott Emery and Schulte.

Promotions. Arnold & Porter reported new leadership for its antitrust practice. Partners Michael B. Bernstein and Niels Christian Ersbøll were named global co-chairs and Partner C. Scott Lent was named U.S. chair.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz announced that antitrust attorney Emily Samra has been promoted to partner.

Lawdragon recognitions. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP announced that 36 of its partners had been included in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America guide. Included on this year’s list was Cravath partners Noah Joshua Phillips and Andrew C. Finch. Phillips is the Co-Chair of the Antitrust Practice and previously served as a Commissioner of the FTC. Finch is also a Co-Chair of the Antitrust Practice and previously served in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General.

Twenty-two Freshfields partners have been selected to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America guide for 2026, including antitrust partners Eric Mahr and Jennifer Mellott in the Washington D.C. office.

Forty-two Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP partners have been named to the 2026 Lawdragon “500 Leading Lawyers in America” list, which highlights lawyers who “lead the way for clients, their communities, their firms.” The list included antitrust partners Brianne Kucerik (New York), Michael Moiseyev (Washington, D.C.), and Jeff White (Washington, D.C.). Moiseyev and Kucerik are co-heads of Weil’s Antitrust practice in the United States, and White is co-managing partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.

Legal article awards. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced that Concurrences shortlisted an article written by Paul, Weiss lawyers in its annual Antitrust Writing Awards, recognizing the year’s best writing on competition issues in the legal and economic fields. “What EU ’Killer Acquisition’ Study Means for Pharma Deals” was shortlisted in the mergers category. The article, co-authored by antitrust partners Nicole Kar and Henrik Morch alongside associate Robin Campbell, discusses the Commission’s April 2025 workshop and study on killer acquisitions. Voting for the Readers’ Choice selection is open until March 3. Winners will be announced on March 24.

Two articles authored by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP lawyers have been selected for the 2026 Antitrust Writing Awards by Concurrences and George Washington University Law School Competition Law Center. “Meet the New Boss, Not So Different From the Old Boss? Antitrust in the Trump Era,” written by Lee Greenfield, Perry Lange, Jennifer Milici, Hartmut Schneider, Dom Vote and Jonathan Wright, is nominated for best Business article in the subcategory “General Antitrust.” “Private Enforcement of EU Competition Law: Recent Developments,” written by Frédéric Louis, Cormac O’Daly, Anne Vallery, Édouard Bruc, and Benjamin Roitman, has been nominated for the best Business article in the subcategory “Europe.”

Concurrences, a leading European antitrust publication, has shortlisted three articles written by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati attorneys for its 2026 Antitrust Writing Awards. “Competition Enforcement and the Labor Market: Too Much Too Soon?” was authored by Jeffrey Bank and Jordanne Steiner, along with additional contributors. “European Union: AI Partnerships and DMA Enforcement Top of the Agenda for European Regulators” was authored by Jindrich Kloub, Deirdre Carroll, and Laurine Daïnesi Signoret. “Law in a Time Capsule: Should the 1960s Merger Cases Be Affirmed Today?” was written by Taylor Owings, Miata Eggerly, and Ben Allen, and co-authored with antitrust practitioners from another leading law firm.

Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP took to social media to report that three articles authored by its attorneys were nominated for the Concurrences 2026 Antitrust Writing Awards. The articles recognized include “Antitrust in a Time of Trade War” by John D. Harkrider and Craig D. Minerva, “Reviving a Dormant Criminal Statute in Antitrust Prosecution” by James W. Attridge and Hyung Jo Choi, and “Merger Control Enforcement Through an Administration Change” by Lisl Dunlop, Bradley Justus, Josh Jowdy, and Sandhya Taneja.

Attorneys: Hendrik Viaene (Fieldfisher). Michael B. Bernstein and Niels Christian Ersbøll (Arnold & Porter). Emily Samra (Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz). Noah Joshua Phillips and Andrew C. Finch (Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP). Eric Mahr and Jennifer Mellott (Freshfields). Brianne Kucerik, Michael Moiseyev, and Jeff White (Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP). Nicole Kar, Henrik Morch, Robin Campbell (Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP). Ryan Danks, Lee Greenfield, Perry Lange, Jennifer Milici, Hartmut Schneider, Dom Vote, Jonathan Wright, Frédéric Louis, Cormac O’Daly, Anne Vallery, Édouard Bruc, and Benjamin Roitman (Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP). Jeffrey Bank, Jordanne Steiner, Jindrich Kloub, Deirdre Carroll, Laurine Daïnesi Signoret, Taylor Owings, Miata Eggerly, and Ben Allen (Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati). John D. Harkrider, Craig D. Minerva, James W. Attridge, Hyung Jo Choi, Lisl Dunlop, Bradley Justus, Josh Jowdy, and Sandhya Taneja (Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP).

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