The “extremely pragmatic” Rebecca Farrington “provides good market context and communications in a way that clients can easily navigate.” Rebecca was recognized as “Best in Antitrust/Competition” by Euromoney LMG Americas for 2019, “Retail, Consumer, Food & Beverage Dealmaker of the Year” by The Deal – Best of the Middle Market Awards for 2020, and is nationally ranked as one of nine “Leading Lawyers” by Legal 500 US for 2021. Rebecca’s practice focuses on government merger and non-merger investigations, private antitrust litigation, and counseling on antitrust issues.
Rebecca has developed a significant track record defending proposed and consummated mergers before the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice. Clients she has assisted have operated in a broad spectrum of industries, including healthcare, food products, aviation, petroleum, coal, broadcasting, gaming, software, hardware, industrial products, energy and retail sales. She has secured numerous high-profile merger clearances, such as:
- Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, in its US$69 billion acquisition of SABIC, the fourth-largest petrochemical company in the world;
- Newmont Mining Corporation in its US$10 billion acquisition of Goldcorp Inc.;
- DIC Corporation and its US subsidiary Sun Chemical in its acquisition of BASF’s global pigments business;
- Baxter International in US and Japan clearances for its US$350 million acquisition of the Seprafilm adhesion barrier device business from Sanofi S.A.;
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in its acquisition of CTP-656, a development-stage asset intended for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, from Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc.;
Special purpose acquisition companies are big news, breaking records and captivating markets and media alike. Rebecca is on the forefront of this wave, having provided antitrust advice on dozens of SPAC transactions.
Rebecca has also successfully defended non-merger investigations, including investigations of alleged market allocation and violations of Section 8 of the Clayton Act, and has advocated for government intervention on behalf of parties adversely impacted by proposed mergers, or by anticompetitive conduct. In addition to her work in government investigations, Rebecca’s clients benefit from her extensive experience advising on issues relating to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act), including proposed transactions’ global premerger notification requirements. Her work in this area has also involved negotiating antitrust provisions in transaction agreements, developing client HSR Act training programs and compliance procedures, and representing clients in “failure to file” situations.
A significant portion of Rebecca’s practice is devoted to advising clients on critical antitrust risk issues relating to business initiatives such as joint ventures, pricing and distribution strategies, information and data-sharing and trade association and industry-wide collaborative efforts.
Rebecca received her BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She serves as the chair of the White & Case Washington Office Women’s Network, and her recent pro bono activities include leading a team to advise Oxfam International on a variety of international human rights issues.
