James F. Rill

James Rill is one of America’s foremost antitrust lawyers. Mr. Rill has served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, as well as a Chairman of the ABA’s Antitrust Section. During his tenure as Assistant Attorney General, he negotiated the U.S.-European Union Antitrust Cooperation Agreement of 1991 and issued the first joint FTC and DOJ Horizontal Merger Guidelines in 1992. He was responsible, moreover, for initiating the largest number of merger challenges in over a decade, including challenges to major bank mergers and airline asset transactions. Mr. Rill has most recently provided counsel to the FTC and the DOJ in connection with the current revision of the Horizontal Merger Guidelines. His contribution in that regard has been publicly commended by both FTC Chairman John Leibowitz and DOJ Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney. In 1997, Mr. Rill was appointed by Attorney General Janet Reno and Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein to serve as Co-Chair on the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Competition Policy Advisory Committee, with a mandate to recommend future policy initiatives to the Department of Justice. The recommendations in the Committee’s report, submitted in February 2000, are being pursued in the U.S. and overseas. Foremost among these recommendations was the proposal to create a global competition forum that would serve as a mechanism for government competition authorities throughout the world to meet and confer on antitrust issues. This recommendation served as the stimulus for what became the International Competition Network (ICN). Founded in 2001, the ICN now counts more than 100 nations as members and together with non-governmental advisors, including Mr. Rill, contributes immeasurably to convergence of antitrust law and policy.

• Whirlpool/Maytag-Combined leading firms in the laundry and household appliance industry
• BMG/Sony-Joint venture of top companies in the recorded music business
• PepsiCo, Inc./Quaker Oats. PepsiCo, Inc.-acquisition of The Quaker Oats Company involving a leading sports drink, Gatorade

Recognized as Senior Statesman in Chambers USA, Antitrust, 2011-2023

Recognized as Senior Statesman in Chambers Global, Antitrust, 2011-2018

Listed in Chambers USA, Antitrust, 2003-2010

Named a Washington D.C. Super Lawyer, 2015, 2017 & 2018

Listed in Who's Who Legal: Competition, 2017

Recognized by the United States Department of Justice with the John Sherman Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2012

Recommended in The Legal 500 U.S., 2013-2017