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Concentration Antitrust litigation, competition law, grand jury practice, Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice investigations, merger clearance
Summary Rufus Oliver's practice centers on antitrust law and complex litigation and he is firmwide head of the antitrust section. He has extensive experience in antitrust, class action and other complex litigation and in obtaining U.S. and foreign antitrust clearance of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.
Mr. Oliver has worked on matters involving a wide variety of industries including steel; oil and gas production, processing and refining; natural gas pipelines; offshore drilling and other oilfield services; chemicals; automotive products; electric utilities; airlines; and data processing. He advises clients concerning antitrust issues raised by mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other business transactions and assists clients in obtaining antitrust clearance of mergers and other business combinations.
Following graduation from law school, Mr. Oliver served as a law clerk to the Honorable Homer Thornberry of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Representative Engagements
- Group of major oil and gas producers – representation of plaintiffs in multidistrict private antitrust suits alleging worldwide price fixing and market allocation of marine construction projects
- Major airline – defense in private antitrust litigation alleging predatory pricing of airline transportation services
- Electric utility – representation of the plaintiff in private antitrust litigation claiming attempted monopolization of coal transportation
- Major oil and gas producer – defense in class action cases involving claims of underpayment of crude oil royalties
- Major offshore drilling contractor – defense of a class action alleging conspiracy to depress wages in the offshore drilling industry
- Multiple offshore drilling contractors – obtaining U.S. and foreign antitrust clearances of several mergers of offshore drilling contractors
- Electric utility – handling a Department of Justice investigation of the acquisition of an electric generator
- Various gas producers and gatherers – handling Federal Trade Commission investigations of acquisitions of gas gathering systems
Publications, Speeches and Presentations Recent Publications
- "Antitrust Issues in Patent Licensing," International Licensing and Technology Transfer: Practice and Law, May 2008 (Adam Liberman, ed.; Diana Dietrich and Patrick H. Peters, co-authors)
- "Potential Theories of Liability for Allegedly Manipulative Energy Trading Practices," American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, March 2004
- "Daubert Fundamentals," Advanced Business and Commercial Law 2001, State Bar of Texas, May 2001
- "Coping With Parallel Proceedings in State and Federal Court," State Bar of Texas, Antitrust and Business Litigation Section, May 1998
Recent Speeches and Presentations
- "Current Antitrust Enforcement in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry," Texas Association of Realtors, Austin, February 2008
- "Airline Antitrust: A Survey of the Major Issues," Houston Law Review Symposium on Antitrust and the Airline Industry, Houston, January 2008
- "Evolving Merger Review Standards," Houston Bar Association, M&A and Antitrust Sections, Houston, May 2006
- "The Filed Rate Defense in Energy Trading Cases," Energy Litigation Conference, the Center for American and International Law, Houston, November 2004
- "Successful Legal Defenses in Energy Trading Cases," American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, Washington, D.C., March 2004
- "Antitrust Litigation Update," Texas and Louisiana Associations of Defense Counsel Commercial Litigation Seminar, June 2002
- "Expert Witnesses: Common Problems From a Practitioner's Viewpoint," Advanced Business and Commercial Law 2001, State Bar of Texas Seminar, Houston, May 2001
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