Joanne C. Lewers

Transaction Counsel

Joanne has extensive experience in obtaining antitrust clearance for transactions in a variety of industries. She regularly appears before the FTC and U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) to advocate for clients as they seek regulatory approval of their deals.

Representative Experience

• A beverage company’s acquisition of a provider of water and home & office delivery services
• A beverage company’s divestiture of its traditional beverage manufacturing business
• An electrical and digital building infrastructures company’s acquisitions of a data center solutions company and a specialty architectural lighting company
• A healthcare solutions company’s acquisition of a specialty pharmaceutical company
• A private equity firm’s divestiture of a transportation equipment company
• A private equity firm’s divestiture of a manufacturer of protective products for automobiles
• A computer hardware and software firm in various acquisitions of technology and service providers
• A scientific equipment manufacturer’s acquisition of a high-performance measurement instruments manufacturer

Litigation

Joanne’s antitrust litigation work focuses on defending clients in state and federal courts against price-fixing, conspiracy and monopolization claims. She has also defended companies against allegations of violating consumer protection and state false claims acts.

Representative Experience

• A pharmaceutical company in a class action alleging a price-fixing conspiracy involving blood reagents
• A pharmaceutical company in various consumer protection and state false claims act cases brought by state attorneys general
• A pharmaceutical company in California state court case alleging pharmaceutical manufacturers engaged in conspiracy to fix prices of prescription drugs
• A healthcare provider in a Sherman Act Section 2 case alleging monopolization claims in the provision of ambulance services.

Counseling

Joanne regularly counsels clients to help them ensure compliance with state and federal antitrust laws. She routinely provides antitrust guidance to clients who seek advice about pricing and distribution issues.

Representative Experience

• Antitrust compliance training for industry consortia and trade associations
• Advice on pricing and distribution issues for manufacturers and retailers
• Advice on governance changes for consortium of higher education institutions
• Advice for accreditation council on proposed changes to education model standards

Government Experience

Prior to joining the firm, Joanne was an attorney for the FTC where she investigated mergers and acquisitions by companies in a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, technology and industrial equipment. While at the FTC, she also served as an Assistant to the Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition.