Our Curious Amalgam

The leading LLM developers have publicly called for coordination to set limits on the rate of progress. Do antitrust laws stand in the way? Dave Lawrence, formerly at the U.S. Department of Justice and now an academic, joins Alysha Pannu and Matthew Hall to discuss the application of U.S., Canadian and EU antitrust and competition law. Listen to this episode to learn more about the scope for discussions between the companies to head off "existential risk" from their models.

With special guest:
David Lawrence

Related Links:
Dario Amodei, "We Must Pace the Frontier" (September 2026)
White House Accord on Super Intelligence (September 2026)

Hosted by:
Alysha Pannu, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods

Antitrust enforcement policy, like many aspects of our society, has been undergoing important changes over the past decade. What are the big picture trends driving these changes, and how are they reflected in the way the federal agencies enforce the antitrust laws? Former head of DOJ Antitrust Division Gail Slater (now with White & Case*) joins Lexi Michaud and Sergei Zaslavsky to discuss the impact of the unitary executive theory on antitrust, the states' growing role, AI policy, and other hot-button issues in antitrust enforcement. Listen to this episode for a wide-ranging discussion of antitrust enforcement under the current administration.
*This episode was recorded when Gail held the role of Competition and Technology Policy Chair at American Compass, prior to Gail joining White & Case.
With special guest:
Gail Slater, White & Case

Related Links:
Commonplace, Gail Slater, "The Feds Don't Have an Antitrust Monopoly"
Commonplace, Gail Slater, "Antitrust in the Time(s) of Tariffs" 

Hosted by:
Sergei Zaslavsky, O’Melveny & Myers and Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank

Verisk’s $2.35 billion acquisition of AccuLynx unexpectedly drew FTC scrutiny when Verisk, after announcing its acquisition of AccuLynx, stopped pursuing an enhanced pricing integration with AccuLynx’s competitor ServiceTitan, prompting the FTC to explore a novel “market reset” theory. The Delaware Court of Chancery later held that Verisk could not terminate the deal because its own “willful conduct” was the primary cause of the deal failing to satisfy the HSR closing condition and ordered specific performance. What happened to make this deal go wrong, and what can we learn from it? David Pearl, partner at HSF Kramer, joins Jeny Maier and Brian Auricchio to discuss the FTC's market-reset theory, the distinction between “willful conduct” and “willful breach,” and the implications for drafting merger agreements and assessing antitrust risk.

With special guest:
David Pearl, Partner, HSF Kramer
Related Links:
Delaware Chancery Court Opinion

Hosted by:
Jeny Maier, Axinn and Brian Auricchio, Haug Partners

State-level pre-merger notification requirements are becoming more popular. But what is happening in California? Heather Greenfield, partner at White & Case, joins Jaclyn Phillips and Puja Patel to discuss how California's law fits into an overall notification strategy. Listen to this episode to learn more about what to expect and how to prepare when the law becomes effective on January 1, 2027.

With special guest:
Heather Greenfield, Partner, White & Case

Hosted by:
Jaclyn Phillips, Proskauer Rose and Puja Patel, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

What does competition and litigation risk look like from inside a company operating at the intersection of financial markets, data, technology, and regulation? Kay Lynn Brumbaugh, Head of Litigation, Group Legal at London Stock Exchange Group plc (LSEG), joins Anora Wang and Matthew Hall to share an in-house perspective on managing disputes in a highly regulated global business. Listen to this episode to learn how issues involving data access, market infrastructure, AI, and overlapping regulatory regimes look from inside the client.

With special guest:
Kay Lynn Brumbaugh, Head of Litigation, Group Legal, London Stock Exchange Group plc
Related Links:
LSEG website

Hosted by:
Anora Wang, Quinn Emanuel and Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods