Oral Pottinger

Oral D. Pottinger is a senior associate in the Antitrust & Competition practice at Mayer Brown. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, civil and criminal antitrust investigations, antitrust counseling, antitrust litigation, advertising and consumer protection matters.

Oral is also a member of Mayer Brown’s Electronic Discovery & Information Governance practice and has served as a trusted advisor to corporate clients identifying and implementing effective e-discovery solutions addressing many complex legal matters, including: government investigations, class action discovery, information risk management, defensible disposition, and e-discovery best practices. His experience includes:

• Over a decade of experience in Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR) and foreign clearance of mergers and acquisitions, civil and criminal antitrust investigations and antitrust counseling.
• Management of entire “second request” response and merger advocacy of high-profile mergers, including interrogatories, data specifications, document review and production, depositions, and white papers.
• Development of market knowledge in industries including print and electronic media, technology, energy, consumer goods, chemicals, transportation and distribution, oil services and mining equipment.
• Experience with regard to e-discovery and electronically stored information and the prevailing standards of compliance with the federal rules and recent jurisprudence.
• Extensive experience working with economic, manufacturing, mining, survey and consumer perception experts preparing expert reports submitted to federal district courts, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and FTC.

Education :

• Georgetown University Law Center, JD
• Howard University, BA, magna cum laude

Admissions :

• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• US District Court for the District of Columbia

Activities :

• Member, American Bar Association, Antitrust Section
• Board Member, Hope and a Home

Experience :

• Represented Whirlpool in connection with its $1.7 billion acquisition of Maytag. After an extensive investigation, including a second request, numerous depositions, submission of extensive information demonstrating the large cost savings and other efficiencies created by the transaction, the DOJ closed its investigation without seeking conditions.
• Represented Arch Coal in its landmark antitrust suit defeating the FTC’s federal court challenge to its acquisition of Triton Coal.
• Represented Yellow Roadway, now YRC Worldwide, in its acquisition of USF Corporation and affiliated operating companies. The acquisition cleared after the expiration of the initial HSR waiting period, although many in the industry predicted a longer antitrust review by the enforcement agencies.
• Represented BMG Direct in its acquisition of Columbia House. The acquisition cleared after the expiration of the HSR waiting period.
• Represented Joy Global in its acquisition of the Stamler Division from the Oldenburg Group Incorporated. The acquisition cleared after the expiration of the initial HSR waiting period.
• Represented Varco International in its acquisition by National Oilwell. After a six month investigation the transaction was approved without divestiture.