J. Brent Justus
Virginia
McGuireWoods LLP
Gateway Plaza
800 East Canal Street
Richmond, VA 23219-3916
Tel: +1 804 775 1018
Email:
bjustus@mcguirewoods.com
Web:
www.mcguirewoods.com
Brent operates a broad antitrust practice, with a particular focus on cartel defense, litigation, and merger clearances. He served as the co-chair of the Cartel and Criminal Practice Committee of the ABA’s Antitrust Section and currently serves as the co-chair of the Section’s Trial Practice Committee. He is also an editor of the three-volume State Antitrust Practice and Statutes (Fifth) published by the ABA Antitrust Section, serves on the Board of the Business Law Section of the Virginia State Bar, and is a past chair of the Antitrust Section of the Virginia State Bar.
Litigation: Brent has litigated matters in federal courts throughout the United States and has handled cases under virtually every aspect of the antitrust laws including monopolization, price fixing, horizontal and vertical conspiracies including no-poach, boycotts, and price discrimination, as well as a number of state antitrust and unfair competition statutes.
Cartel Investigations: Brent has successfully represented both corporate clients and individuals located throughout the world in connection with global criminal antitrust cartel investigations. His practice has included representation of clients before the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau, and the European Commission Directorate General for Competition.
Merger Control: Brent has worked extensively on merger investigations involving both domestic and European companies and coordinates the preparation of both Hart-Scott-Rodino and international premerger clearance filings.
Brent is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and for multiple years has been selected by Global Competition Review for inclusion in International Who’s Who of Competition Lawyers. Brent was also recognized six times as a Rising Star in Virginia for antitrust litigation by Super Lawyers.
Education
- Harvard Law School, JD, magna cum laude, 2000
- The College of William & Mary, BS, Government and Chemistry, summa cum laude, 1997
- Served as lead counsel in defense of major transportation and logistics provider in nationwide class action alleging a no-poach conspiracy for truck drivers.
- Represented leading petroleum exploration and production company in defense of class action alleging global conspiracy to reduce oil output and inflate gasoline prices.
- Represented leading rail transportation company as plaintiff in monopolization lawsuit challenging denial of access to key terminal facilities.
- Representation of industry-leading manufacturer in global cartel investigation involving simultaneous government investigations in Europe, Canada and the United States.
- Coordinated the successful merger clearance of two global manufacturers, handling simultaneous investigations by authorities in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
- Representation of large multinational corporation in the establishment and maintenance of antitrust compliance and audit programs across multiple business units.
- Representation of major food company in antitrust litigation brought by competitor asserting both conspiracy and monopolization claims.
- Regular representation of both buyers and sellers regarding the antitrust implications of major corporate transactions, including Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notification and investigations in the United States and the coordination of pre-merger notification filings in other jurisdictions around the world.
- Frequent advisor to merger arbitrage funds regarding the timing and likelihood of government antitrust challenges to announced merger transactions.
McGuireWoods’ global team of antitrust and competition lawyers excels at finding creative, practical ways for clients to compete aggressively while minimizing risks. Recognized individually and as a practice by Chambers, U.S. News-Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and Global Competition Review, our lawyers strategically guide clients through antitrust and competition challenges. We handle civil antitrust disputes, criminal cartel investigations and transactions clearance, and counsel on business and compliance issues and international competition laws.
We serve clients as business counselors, trial lawyers and agency professionals throughout the world in virtually every significant area of antitrust and competition law, including:
- Antitrust counseling, audits and compliance programs
- Antitrust litigation, government investigations and class actions
- Grand jury investigations and criminal prosecutions
- International cartel investigations
- Merger and acquisition clearance
- European competition law
Our team includes a past chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law, and many of our lawyers currently hold leadership positions with the organization. Global industry and legal publications and media outlets such as Corporate Briefing, Law360,Journal de droit européen, and L’observateur de Bruxelles seek us out for insight on antitrust and competition-related legislative, regulatory and judicial developments.
McGuireWoods is a full-service firm providing legal and public affairs solutions to corporate, individual and nonprofit clients worldwide for more than 200 years collectively. Our commitment to excellence in everything we do gives our clients a competitive edge in everything they do.
Our law firm, over its 189-year history, has earned the loyalty of our many longstanding clients with deep understanding of their businesses, and broad skills in corporate transactions, high-stakes disputes, and complex regulatory and compliance matters. Our wholly-owned affiliate, McGuireWoods Consulting, now in its 25th year, provides a unique — and uniquely potent — combination of state and federal government relations prowess, buttressed by world-class infrastructure, economic development, and advocacy expertise.
Working together from 24 offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia, McGuireWoods and McGuireWoods Consulting share a dedication to diverse perspectives, impeccable service, and innovative delivery of practical, business-minded solutions.