Freshfields Bolsters Elite US Antitrust Team with Litigators Heather Lamberg and Tina Sessions

Freshfields Bolsters Elite US Antitrust Team with Litigators Heather Lamberg and Tina Sessions

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer made an announcement on June 14 revealing the addition of prominent antitrust litigators Heather Lamberg and Justina Sessions to its team. While Lamberg will be based in Washington DC, Sessions is to operate from Silicon Valley.

With an impressive track record, Lamberg has consistently assisted clients from diverse industries in successfully navigating high-stakes antitrust cases, including criminal cartel investigations, multi-district class actions, and competitor disputes. Sessions, on the other hand, specializes in representing a wide range of clients, from small start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, in crucial business disputes with competitors and regulatory authorities, with a primary focus on the technology sector.

Eric Mahr, Joint Head of Freshfields’ Global Antitrust Litigation Group, termed both Lamberg and Sessions as extremely impressive additions to the team.

“I have had the privilege of serving as co-counsel alongside both Heather and Tina in joint defense groups over the years, and I am confident they will be invaluable to our clients and excellent additions to our team,” Eric Mahr stated.

Lamberg has led teams on bet-your-company antitrust matters during her time both at Winston & Strawn and Shearman & Sterling. Her experience spans a wide variety of antitrust claims – from conspiracy claims of market allocation or price-fixing to monopolisation claims of exclusive dealing, bundling, tying to and unfair competition claims. In addition to private litigation, Lamberg has significant experience defending companies and individuals in criminal price-fixing investigations before the DOJ.

During her tenure at Winston & Strawn and Shearman & Sterling, Lamberg has successfully overseen teams handling critical antitrust cases with significant implications for the companies involved.

Her expertise encompasses a broad range of antitrust claims, including conspiracy allegations related to market allocation and price-fixing, as well as monopolisation claims involving exclusive dealing, bundling, tying, and unfair competition.

Lamberg's proficiency extends beyond private litigation, as she possesses substantial experience in defending companies and individuals facing criminal price-fixing investigations conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Lamberg's representative matters include successfully defending Englewood Hospital in a trial against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding a merger plan with another health system. She also provided defence for Zillow in a case brought by an alleged competitor, involving predatory pricing, unfair competition, and false advertising claims.

She also represented pharmaceutical companies in various antitrust cases, including a recent multidistrict class action alleging an industry-wide conspiracy to allocate markets and fix prices. Additionally, she acted as legal counsel for Japanese auto parts manufacturers in a DOJ investigation on price fixing, along with related private litigation where class certification was successfully defeated.

Lamberg has also represented the North American Soccer League (NASL) in its lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer.

Her exceptional legal expertise has earned her recognition and accolades within the legal community. Her accomplishments include being listed as a "Key Lawyer" in The Legal 500 for Cartel and Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defence. Additionally, she consistently appears in The Best Lawyers in America for her outstanding work in Litigation — Antitrust.

Lamberg's remarkable skills have also been acknowledged by Benchmark Litigation, where she has been honoured as a "Litigation Star," a "National Practice Area Star," and a "District of Columbia Litigation Star" for her exceptional contributions to Antitrust and General Commercial Litigation.

Throughout her tenure at Wilson Sonsini and Keker, Van Nest and Peters, Sessions has gained extensive experience by actively litigating a multitude of antitrust and intellectual property (IP) cases in courts and agencies throughout the United States.

Sessions has a notable track record of handling representative matters, which include defending a major technology platform in several monopolisation cases brought by enforcers, private plaintiffs, and putative classes. She also played a significant role in the trial and appellate teams that secured a landmark victory in a closely watched case for a major semiconductor company in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Additionally, Sessions represented a major semiconductor company in a consumer class action related to patent licensing practices and successfully obtained a Ninth Circuit reversal of the class certification decision on interlocutory review. She has also provided defence for Google and Lucasfilm in a lawsuit alleging agreements to refrain from poaching each other's employees.

Sessions has garnered significant recognition for her outstanding legal prowess. She has been honoured as one of the "Top 40 Under 40" by the Daily Journal and included in Lawdragon's prestigious list of the 500 Leading Litigators in America. Furthermore, Sessions has been recognised as one of the "Top Antitrust Lawyers" by the Daily Journal, acknowledged in Global Competition Review's Women in Antitrust, listed as a "Rising Star" by Law360, and featured in Benchmark Litigation's esteemed "Hot List."

According to Thomas Janssens, Global Head of the Firm's Antitrust Practice, the increasing prominence of antitrust enforcement in the United States remains a significant concern for their clients.

“With their combined backgrounds in big defense and class action cases, Heather and Tina are invaluable additions to our already unmatched team of litigators. Clients navigating the evolving antitrust landscape turn to Freshfields for unrivaled knowledge and experience in merger control and antitrust litigation in the US,” Janssens said.

Freshfields is a global leader in competition law, with 50-plus partners and 300-plus lawyers worldwide. The firm excels in mergers, cartel investigations, and antitrust litigation. It has secured the top position in Global Competition Review's Global Elite rankings for five consecutive years, specifically recognised for its merger control and antitrust litigation practices. Freshfields' US antitrust team includes esteemed former lead trial attorneys and senior officials from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.