Lee Van Voorhis helps clients achieve their business goals while minimizing antitrust risk. Lee is known for his ability to simplify and explain complex issues and for developing practical solutions. Lee has more than 25 years of experience representing clients before federal antitrust agencies in the US, as well as national competition agencies in the European Union and the United Kingdom. He has successfully defended clients’ transactions from government challenges and represented them in litigation and arbitration proceedings. He has particular experience representing organizations in the technology, retail and consumer products, healthcare, and media sectors.
Lee also has extensive experience shepherding transactions through merger clearance and helping clients conduct business efficiently while mitigating the risk of violating antitrust and competition laws. In particular, he has advised clients on structuring business relationships and counseling their employees on a wide range of antitrust and competition issues.
Prior to joining Womble, Lee was a partner in the Washington, DC, office of an international law firm, where he served as co-chair of the global Antitrust and Competition Law practice and a member of the Corporate and Private Equity practices.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Successfully defended Phoebe Putney Health System, Inc. and Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Inc. in federal district court, the subsequent appeal and the ensuing proceeding in the FTC administrative court.
- Secured antitrust clearance for Reuters in its US $17.2 billion combination with the Thomson Corporation.
- Successfully defended a manufacturing client against Department of Justice charges of antitrust violations in alleged non-solicitation and no poach agreements.
- Conducted multiple confidential internal antitrust investigations and advised on whether to approach DOJ for leniency.
- Advised Cox Communications in its acquisition of Segra.
- Represented Avaya in its acquisition of Nortel’s enterprise solutions business for US $900 million and obtained unconditional antitrust clearance for the transaction in multiple jurisdictions worldwide.
- Counseled Lorillard in winning four arbitration proceedings with the Settling States. Three of the victories were from an arbitrator who is a Nobel Laureate economist.
- Represented nine associations that filed an amicus brief in the Fourth Circuit opposing the Federal Trade Commission’s challenge to status of the North Carolina Dental Board. Also filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court.
- Obtained unconditional merger clearance for Cardtronics in its US $160 million acquisition of competitor Welch ATM.
- Represented Getty Images Inc. in its USD96 million acquisition of Jupiterimages Corporation, a subsidiary of Jupitermedia Corporation, and before US regulators in its successful acquisition of Wire Images.
- Counseled radiology services provider Virtual Radiologic in its acquisition of publicly traded NightHawk Radiology Holdings, a remote interpreter of MRI, X-ray, and other diagnostic images serving approximately 30 percent of US hospitals.
- Counseled Keystone Foods in the USD1.26 billion sale of Keystone to Marfrig Alimentos, Latin America’s second-largest beef producer, making Marfrig a leading supplier to the McDonald’s Corporation, Campbell’s, Subway, ConAgra, Yum Brands, and Chipotle.
- Successfully represented Envirocare in its merger with Duratek to become EnergySolutions and obtained clearance with no remedy for combination of two leading providers of low-level radioactive waste disposal.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- American Bar Association
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Practical Law The Journal, Advisory Board Member
Thought Leadership
Publications
- WBD Client Alert: DOJ and FTC Propose New Merger Guidelines to Expand Merger Challenges, July 19, 2023
- WBD Client Alert: FTC Non-Compete Ban: Don’t Panic! (But Be Prudent and Prepare), February 2, 2023
- Co-Author, WBD Client Alert: DOJ Strike Force Nabs Another Government Contractor, January 19, 2023
- Co-Author, WBD Client Alert: Private Equity Transactions Face Increased Antitrust Scrutiny, January 9, 2023
- Co-Author, WBD Client Alert: Federal Trade Commission Signals Dramatic Shift in Antitrust Enforcement, November 11, 2022
- Co-Author, Client Alert: FTC Reverses Quarter-Century of Enforcement Policy, October 26, 2021
- Co-Author, Client Alert: What's Ahead in Antitrust: Biden Administration Enforcement Priorities, October 6, 2021
- Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Fundamentals Guide, March 23, 2021
- Co-Author, Client Alert: Senate Democrats Propose Dramatic Changes to Antitrust Law in New Omnibus Reform Bill, February 5, 2021
- Co-Author, Client Alert: DOJ Announces Its First No-Poach Criminal Prosecution, January 12, 2021
- Co-Author, Client Alert: Qualcomm Wins Ninth Circuit Appeal, Vacating Worldwide Injunction on Its Patent Licensing Practices, August 12, 2020
- “How Cannabis Cos. Can Address Enhanced Antitrust Scrutiny,” Law360, July 8, 2020
- Co-Author, Client Alert: FTC Files Administrative Complaint to Unwind Minority Investment Without Simultaneous
- Consent Decree—In re Altria Group, Inc. and JUUL Labs, Inc., April 9, 2020
- Co-Author, The Consumer Welfare Standard on Shaky Ground?, May 8, 2019
- Client Alert: Co-Author, Increased Scrutiny for Vertical Mergers on the Horizon, May 7, 2019
- "Two Important Developments from United States v. AT&T," Antitrust Law Update, July 6, 2018
Speaking Engagements
- Moderator, Antitrust Hot Spots for Business Lawyers: Help Your Clients Stay In-Bounds, September 8, 2023
- Panelist, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP’s First Annual Health Care Fraud Symposium, March 14, 2023
- “The Feds Strike Back: The Interagency Procurement Strike Force Ramps Up Efforts Against Government Contracts Collusion, Price-Fixing,” Association of Corporate Counsel’s National Capital Region Chapter, March 15, 2023
- “Class Action Litigation 2017,” Practising Law Institute, June 21, 2017
Podcast
- Line of Defense: How Recent Supreme Court Decisions Pave Way for Federal Agency Constitutionality Challenges in Federal District Court, May 8, 2023
Honors & Awards
- Law360 “MVP” Award, Competition Law, 2012
- Finalist for the Global Competition Review’s Merger Control Matter of the Year Award – Americas (FTC v. Phoebe Putney Hospital)
