Leah Brannon is member of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Leah Brannon’s practice focuses on antitrust matters, including litigation, merger review, and government investigations.
Her work has involved cases in both federal and state courts, and she has advised clients in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, state antitrust authorities and the European Commission. Leah joined the firm in 2003 and became a partner in 2008.
Leah has helped to secure critical wins for clients in numerous cases, including monopolization and conspiracy litigation. She has also helped clients obtain global merger clearance in complex transactions and has guided clients through government conduct investigations.
She is also active in the firm’s pro bono practice. Her work for the firm’s pro bono clients includes filing an amicus brief on behalf of the Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project in a case that led to a significant victory in the D.C. Court of Appeals for victims of sexual assault.
EXPERIENCE:
Antitrust Litigation
- Keurig in monopolization litigation brought by competitors and purported class action plaintiffs, including successfully defending against a preliminary injunction seeking to block the launch of Keurig’s 2.0 coffee brewer. Successfully defended this victory on appeal, including arguing the case before the Second Circuit, which affirmed the decision below.
- Teladoc in winning a landmark preliminary injunction against the Texas Medical Board, in a case challenging the board’s actions to restrict competition.
Merger Review
- Google in numerous transactions, including its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, its subsequent $2.91 billion sale of Motorola Mobility’s mobile devices business to Lenovo, its sale of the Motorola Home business to Arris, and its acquisitions of Admeld, AdMob, DoubleClick, and YouTube.
- The Coca-Cola Company in numerous acquisitions, including its $2.15 billion acquisition of a 16.7 percent equity stake in Monster Beverage Corporation and its $1.2 billion acquisition of a 10 percent equity stake in Keurig Green Mountain, and its previous $12.3 billion acquisition of the North American bottling operations of Coca-Cola Enterprises.
Non-Merger Investigations
- W.L. Gore & Associates in obtaining the closure (with no action taken) of an FTC investigation into whether Gore’s business practices restricted competition in waterproof and breathable fabrics in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.
- Google in connection with the Department of Justice’s investigation into alleged bilateral “no cold calling” agreements, resulting in a consent decree under which the company admitted no wrongdoing.
ACTIVITIES:
- Council Member, Section of Antitrust Law, American Bar Association, 2017-present
- Senior Editor, Antitrust Law Journal, American Bar Association, 2016-2017
- Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, 2000
- Teaching Fellow, Harvard University, 1998-1999
- Fulbright Scholar (Egypt), 1996-1997
CLERKSHIPS:
- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court of the United States, 2002-2003
- Chief Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 2000-2001
EDUCATION:
- Harvard Law School, J.D., 1999
- University of Virginia, B.A., 1995
BAR ADMISSIONS:
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
Cost
Rate : $$$