Katten Recruits Veteran Federal Trade Commission Attorney

(WASHINGTON, DC) Katten announced today that Federal Trade Commission (FTC) attorney David Gonen has rejoined the firm as a partner in the Washington, DC, Commercial Litigation practice, building on Katten's sizeable roster of attorneys with federal government experience.

"David brings valuable insight to our clients in helping them navigate the legal risks amid heightened scrutiny involving antitrust matters," said Commercial Litigation practice Chair Becky Lindahl. "His experience working for a government enforcer on the most cutting-edge recent antitrust issues enhances our capabilities in advising on practical strategies to help manage antitrust concerns arising from complex transactions."

Gonen spent the last 12 years as a lead attorney in the FTC's Mergers I Division, which covers pharmaceuticals and a wide range of other industries. Gonen led investigations that resulted in groundbreaking FTC actions against monopolist acquisitions of nascent competitors. He played a pivotal role in the FTC's Illumina/Grail administrative trial, which culminated in a landmark Fifth Circuit ruling marking the government's first successful vertical merger challenge in decades.

Gonen made significant contributions to the 2023 Merger Guidelines and the recently revised Premerger Notification Form. During his FTC tenure, he also completed a litigation detail with the Mergers II Division and a policy detail with the Office of Policy Planning and traveled abroad to represent the agency at conferences with international competition authority counterparts. He received several FTC honors, including multiple Janet D. Steiger Awards and the prestigious Paul Rand Dixon Award for his exceptional contributions to the FTC's merger enforcement program.

At Katten, he will work closely with the firm's corporate, health care and intellectual property practices, joining a strong bench of attorneys to advise clients when antitrust issues present.

"David's background will be hugely beneficial to our private equity and other clients as we help them navigate an ever-shifting regulatory landscape for M&A transactions in health care and many other industries," said Kimberly Smith, the global chair of Katten's Corporate department.

Before working at the FTC, Gonen was an associate for seven years at Katten. He handled a broad range of antitrust and intellectual property litigation and counseling matters. He also received the firm's Pro Bono Service Award for his work on a successful federal civil rights jury trial.