Meta Competition Leader Lands at Covington as Big Tech Confronts 'Historic' Antitrust Scrutiny
January 9, 2023, Law.com
Law.com covered Kate Patchen’s arrival as a partner in Covington's Antitrust practice.
On her arrival, Emily Henn said, “Kate has a great, well-earned reputation as a leading light in the antitrust bar. She’ll be a fabulous leader within Covington’s antitrust practice. We’ve already seen great interest from tech company clients and other leading companies that are interested in her expertise gained as a top enforcement official and a director at Meta.”
Kate stated that she has previously worked with attorneys at Covington, and the timing of her joining Covington couldn’t be better given the unprecedented challenges that tech companies face. “I was very targeted in wanting to try out Big Law life at Covington,” Kate said.
Kate explained that increased competition scrutiny stemming from enforcement priorities at the DOJ, Federal Trade Commission and other agencies has created “historic challenges” for tech companies, leading them to seek out unique solutions as well as opportunities to advocate for their positions in an evolving landscape. Kate added that antitrust class action litigation continues to pick up at the same time.
Anne Lee said the practice is busy fielding questions from clients and helping them “find certainty in a world that is increasingly uncertain.”
“We’re helping clients think through everything from revamping corporate compliance programs to how to anticipate more investigations and litigations based on innovative theories, as well as how to get strategically critical deals done in this climate,” Anne said.
As competition scrutiny has increased globally, Covington is well-positioned to help clients in multiple jurisdictions and across regulatory issues, Anne added. “One of the values we offer to our clients is the ability to be that one-stop shop for working through and responding to inquiries from a number of different enforcement agencies around the world. That level of coordination from a single firm can be really helpful,” she said.
Click here to read the full article.
Back
