George L. Paul

George Paul is a distinguished antitrust lawyer who provides guidance to clients on a broad spectrum of international competition matters, specializing in merger clearances, cartel defense, and litigation.

In the ever-evolving regulatory environment, George has been instrumental in numerous high-profile cases, consistently providing strategic counsel that has been pivotal in obtaining clearance for large, intricate mergers.

His process for solving clients' issues has been publicly praised: "George is … known for his pragmatic approach and sophisticated capability to grasp and maneuver through the regulatory process" (Chambers USA).

George's expertise spans a variety of industries, including:

• retail, where he represented Albertsons in its merger with Kroger;
• healthcare, advising Elevance Health, Smith's Medical, and US Renal Care in several transactions; and
• technology, where he represented Meta in its investment in India's Jio Platforms.

George is recognized by Chambers and is on Legal 500's esteemed list of Leading Lawyers, which highlighted his expertise: "George Paul is an exceptional antitrust legal strategist, skillfully blending his comprehensive understanding of complex antitrust issues with practical and astute advice to represent and advocate for his clients against regulatory bodies and opposing counsel. His 'depth of experience, ability to simplify complex matters, and business-focused and concise approach' have earned him the reputation of being 'an in-house lawyer's dream.'"

His involvement in groundbreaking transactions has been recognized with Deal of the Year awards by several prestigious publications, including the Financial Times, the American Lawyer Legal Awards, The Deal, and M&A Advisor.

Administrative/Trial Litigation, Anticompetitive Practices/Consumer Protection

George regularly represents clients before competition authorities globally and in both federal and state courts within the United States. He has engaged in numerous merger challenges initiated by US agencies and has adeptly defended clients in non-merger inquiries concerning monopolization, platform practices, purported market allocation, and consumer protection matters.

Cartels

George routinely advises both companies and individuals on criminal antitrust issues before enforcement agencies globally, including the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the European Union, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. He served as counsel for Stolt-Nielsen in its precedent-setting lawsuit against the DOJ, which had rescinded Stolt's amnesty and indicted both the company and its senior executives. This case marked the first instance of a court upholding an antitrust amnesty agreement.