Antitrust Litigation Lawyers Worldwide.

An antitrust litigator specializes in protecting fair competition by fighting against monopolies, price-fixing, and unfair business practices. They represent either the plaintiffs (consumers or competitors) suing for damages or the companies defending against these massive allegations. Their job involves translating complex economic data into a compelling legal narrative to prove that a company’s actions harmed the entire market, not just a single competitor. Given that antitrust cases often involve terabytes of data, they manage massive discovery teams to find the “smoking gun” emails that prove a conspiracy existed.

Filing starts with finding a “Lead Plaintiff” who adequately represents the group and filing a complaint in federal court. The hardest hurdle is winning “Class Certification,” where you must prove to a judge that the price-fixing conspiracy impacted all members in a similar way. You generally need a lawyer to hire economic experts who can show that prices were artificially inflated across the board. In the US, successful price-fixing settlements often reach into the billions, as seen in the recent auto parts and generic drug litigation waves.

Yes, but they will first assess if the refusal was “unilateral” or a conspiracy. Under the US “Colgate Doctrine,” a business generally has the right to choose its partners unilaterally. However, a lawyer can help you sue if you can prove the refusal was the result of an illegal agreement between the supplier and your competitors to boycott you. If the supplier is a monopolist, a lawyer can also argue that refusing to deal with you is an exclusionary act designed to illegally maintain their monopoly power.

Antitrust cases are among the slowest in the legal system, often taking 3 to 5 years or more to reach a verdict. This is due to the sheer volume of economic evidence and the “Discovery” phase, where lawyers review millions of documents to prove a conspiracy. Appeals can add another 2 years. Because of this expense and delay, over 90% of private antitrust lawsuits in the US are settled before they ever reach a trial jury.

Criminal antitrust cases are prosecuted solely by the government (like the US DOJ) and focus on “hard-core” cartels; the penalty is prison time (up to 10 years) and massive criminal fines (up to $100 million). Civil cases are filed by private companies or consumers seeking money; no one goes to jail, but the financial payout is often higher due to treble damages. Often, a criminal guilty plea triggers a wave of civil lawsuits, as the criminal conviction serves as undeniable proof of the conspiracy for the civil plaintiffs.

Absolutely, because your speed in hiring counsel determines if you go to prison or walk free. The DOJ operates a “Leniency Program” where the first conspirator to confess and cooperate gets full immunity from criminal prosecution. A lawyer negotiates this amnesty deal. If you are second in the door, you face jail time. A lawyer ensures you don’t accidentally incriminate yourself during the initial interview and guides you on how to preserve documents to avoid obstruction of justice charges.

Yes, but proving “monopolization” requires more than just showing a company is big. A lawyer works with economists to define the “Relevant Market” and prove the competitor has “Monopoly Power” (typically over 70% market share). Crucially, they must prove the competitor engaged in “Exclusionary Conduct”—like predatory pricing or exclusive dealing contracts—rather than just having a better product. US courts are hesitant to punish success, so a lawyer must demonstrate that the competitor’s actions harmed the competitive process itself, not just your bottom line.