Ferris, Former DOJ Antitrust Division
Official and FCC Advisor, Will Co-Lead the Antitrust Practice with
Maureen Ohlhausen, Former FTC Acting Chair and Commissioner
Ferris and McDonald’s Return Follows the
Addition of Ohlhausen and Taylor Owings in Early 2024 as Wilson
Sonsini Continues to Expand Its Leading Antitrust Practice
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of
legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises
worldwide, is pleased to announce that Jamillia Ferris and
Matthew McDonald have rejoined the firm as partners. Both
will be based in the Washington, D.C., office. Ferris will be one
of two co-leaders of Wilson Sonsini’s antitrust and competition
practice, along with former FTC Acting Chair and Commissioner
Maureen Ohlhausen, who joined the firm in January 2024.
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Jamillia Ferris, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
(Photo: Business Wire)
Ferris and McDonald were most recently at Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer, where Ferris was a partner and head of the U.S.
antitrust, competition, and trade practice. McDonald was counsel in
Freshfields’ U.S. antitrust, competition, and trade practice.
“We are pleased to welcome back Jamillia and Matt at a time of
heightened regulatory scrutiny of mergers and other transactions,
and their return reflects our successful and ongoing efforts to
continue expanding our antitrust practice to meet client needs,”
said Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini. “We
know it’s important to our clients to have a team that includes
former agency officials with sophisticated experience across key
regulatory areas. With Jamillia and Matt’s return, plus the
addition of Maureen Ohlhausen and Taylor Owings earlier in the
year, we’ve greatly fortified that distinctive strength.”
Wilson Sonsini’s antitrust and competition practice consists of
more than 60 attorneys, several of whom are former agency officials
with extensive regulatory and enforcement experience. That includes
practice co-leaders Ferris and Ohlhausen, as well as Brent
Snyder, who, among other prior roles, was the highest-ranking
criminal antitrust enforcement attorney at the U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ), based on his work as Deputy Assistant Attorney
General for Criminal Enforcement. In addition, he served as the
DOJ’s Acting Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust during the
transition between the Obama and Trump administrations. Snyder
currently heads Wilson Sonsini’s Regulatory Department, which
includes the firm’s antitrust practice.
Ferris’ successful practice focuses on representing
industry-leading companies before the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) and DOJ in merger matters and civil conduct investigations.
She has advised clients on the antitrust aspects of major matters,
including eBay in its acquisition of TCGPlayer, Coupa in its
acquisition by Thoma Bravo, Credit Karma in its acquisition by
Intuit, Bungie in its sale to Sony, Zynga in its sale to Take Two,
Lumentum in its acquisitions of NeoPhotonics and Oclaro, DeepMap in
its sale to Nvidia, and Mandiant in its acquisition by Google,
among others.
From 2010-2013, Ferris served in the DOJ’s Antitrust Division as
Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and counsel to the Assistant
Attorney General. As the Division’s Chief of Staff, she had
oversight responsibility for civil and criminal enforcement
matters, as well as budget and personnel issues. During this time,
she also served as the Acting Assistant Attorney General on
numerous enforcement matters.
In 2014, Ferris was appointed as a Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) senior advisor to lead the review of AT&T’s
acquisition of DIRECTV and served on the steering committee
overseeing the FCC’s review of Comcast’s proposed acquisition of
Time Warner Cable.
“Jamillia and Matt’s return couldn’t be better timed,
particularly given the surge in enforcement actions, the wide range
of impacted industries, and the government’s expanded oversight and
heightened stance on antitrust matters overall,” said Maureen
Ohlhausen, partner and co-leader of Wilson Sonsini’s antitrust
and competition practice. “I’ve had the privilege of knowing and
collaborating with Jamillia for several years, and look forward to
working with her to co-lead our antitrust practice. I join everyone
else in welcoming her and Matt back to Wilson Sonsini.”
Ferris earned her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University
Law Center in 2003. She received a B.A. from the George Washington
University Elliott School of International Affairs in 1996. She is
admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
McDonald represents industry-leading companies before the FTC
and DOJ in merger matters and civil conduct investigations, while
also providing antitrust counseling throughout the due diligence
and deal negotiation process. With a focus on technology, aerospace
and defense, telecommunications, retail and consumer goods, and
distribution, he brings significant experience across various
industries. Additionally, he advises on competitor collaborations
and vertical relationships.
Earlier in his career, McDonald served as an attorney at the
FTC’s Mergers IV Division, where he guided the FTC in antitrust
merger investigations and litigation. Among other assignments, he
was instrumental to the trial team in the FTC’s successful
challenge to the merger of Sysco and US Foods.
McDonald earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was
a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and received other academic awards. He
received a B.A. in economics from the University of Virginia.
“Matt and I are thrilled to be back at Wilson Sonsini and have
the opportunity to work alongside many former colleagues, as well
as those who’ve joined more recently,” said Ferris. “The firm’s
longstanding reputation and position in the technology and life
sciences industries are unparalleled. Its clients include both
brand names and innovative companies that entrust the firm with
their most sophisticated matters. I’m excited to play a pivotal
role in driving the practice forward.”
The return of Ferris and McDonald follows the addition of two
other antitrust partners earlier this year. In January, Wilson
Sonsini announced that Maureen Ohlhausen, former FTC Acting
Chair and Commissioner, joined as a partner in the Washington,
D.C., office, while Taylor Owings, previously Chief of Staff
in the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, joined as a partner in the New
York office.
About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal
disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced
by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises.
The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing
and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete
sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage
governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual
property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions;
represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on
antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon
Valley, Wilson Sonsini has more than 1,000 attorneys and 19 offices
in 17 technology, business, and regulatory markets across the
United States, China, and Europe. For more information, please
visit www.wsgr.com.
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Kimberly Brooks Wilson Sonsini +1 212.453.2881
kbrooks@wsgr.com