During a panel discussion about antitrust enforcement trends, a corporate attorney and a government lawyer agreed on most key points. But when it came to companies reaching timing agreements with the government, they went to opposite corners and came out swinging.
“I’m a big opponent of timing agreements,” said Harry Robins, a partner in the antitrust practice of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in New York, during the Tuesday event. The agreements delay the proposed merger and grant the government extra time to investigate a deal. “It’s an example of very smart and able government lawyers trying to stretch the limits of what the law intended,” Robins added.
