About David J. Gonen

David Gonen represents companies in antitrust investigations by federal and state authorities, as well as in private antitrust litigation. He counsels clients on antitrust issues ranging from pricing to exclusive dealing to competitor collaborations. He also advises institutional investors regarding antitrust risk arbitrage and assists state attorneys general with antitrust reviews. David has deep experience in pharmaceuticals and life sciences, and his matters have spanned a wide variety of other industries, including digital platforms, aerospace/defense, data center solutions, medical devices, prescription eyewear and veterinary services, among others.

A strategic antitrust advocate

David's extensive antitrust experience includes 12 years at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). As a lead attorney in the FTC's Mergers I Division, David built cutting-edge legal cases against monopolist acquisitions of nascent competitors. In one such case, the FTC challenged a pharmaceutical company's acquisition of a pipeline Infantile Spasms drug, resulting in a settlement requiring a sublicense and $100 million in disgorgement — the largest equitable monetary relief ever secured by the government in a merger case. David played a pivotal role in the FTC's Illumina/Grail trial and appeal, in which the agency challenged a DNA sequencing platform provider's acquisition of a cancer screening test developer. The case culminated in a landmark Fifth Circuit ruling marking the government's first successful vertical merger challenge in decades. David also made significant contributions to the 2023 Merger Guidelines. He received the Paul Rand Dixon Award for his exceptional contributions to the FTC's merger enforcement program.

Prior to the FTC, David handled a broad range of antitrust and intellectual property litigation and counseling matters as an associate at Katten. He received Katten's Pro Bono Service Award for his work on a successful federal civil rights jury trial.

In law school, David served as an executive articles editor for the Chicago-Kent Law Review and was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society. He graduated with High Honors.

Before law school, David was a Senior Research Technologist in the Laboratory of Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, where he conducted molecular genetics research and coauthored numerous publications.

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Practice Focus

  • Antitrust and competition
  • Government merger investigations and litigation
  • Private antitrust litigation
  • Antitrust counseling

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Practices
Industries
Education
  • Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, JD
  • The University of Iowa, BA
Bar Admissions
  • District of Columbia
Court Admissions
  • US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • US District Court, District of Columbia