When regulators challenge a merger, or an antitrust investigation threatens a company’s most important business, the stakes could hardly be higher. Julia York, a partner in Skadden’s Antitrust/Competition Group, has spearheaded these regulatory battles for more than 20 years, handling the type of cases she envisaged as a student at Columbia University School of Law. “I loved that [antitrust] was a confluence of law, business and economics,” she says.
York started her career in 2001 as an antitrust associate at Shearman & Sterling, where her mentors included premier antitrust litigator Steve Sunshine, now a colleague at Skadden. In 2005, she moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and worked in the international arbitration group at another Big Law firm. But the return to the United States brought her back to antitrust law when she joined Skadden at its Washington, D.C., office in October 2007.
In her practice, York has advised clients in such industries as pharmaceuticals, life sciences, technology, gaming, telecommunications, and media and entertainment. And her international work continues: She has also collaborated with Skadden attorneys around the world in representing global companies facing antitrust challenges in the U.S. “I’d hope my clients view me as a strategic thinker with strong instincts and good judgment,” she says.
In one notable case, York represented a drug maker in litigation that advanced to the U.S. Supreme Court and changed the landscape of pharmaceutical antitrust enforcement. She also helped one blue-chip technology company defeat a consumer class action alleging anti-competitive behavior in the search business and advised another on government antitrust matters and private litigation involving a multi-billion-dollar acquisition.
York is honored in our flagship guide, the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, as well as in our guides to the Leading Litigators in America and the Leading Global Antitrust & Competition Lawyers. She spoke to Lawdragon recently about her career helping companies navigate some of the most complex antitrust issues.
Lawdragon: Can you describe the mix of work you do within your practice?
Julia York: My practice is a mix of complex antitrust litigation, strategic antitrust counseling, as well as representing clients in investigations by the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. I usually represent corporate defendants facing regulatory scrutiny or private antitrust claims, often in high-profile, bet-the-company matters. I’ve done a lot of work in pharmaceuticals, life sciences and the technology industry. I am also our D.C. office’s pro bono partner and have handled numerous pro bono matters advocating for civil rights and more recently veterans’ rights cases as well.
LD: How did you first become interested in developing this type of practice?
JY: I knew in law school that antitrust was the field for me. Antitrust sits at the intersection of law, business and economics, requiring a deep understanding of the relevant industry and its competitive dynamics. I was also drawn in by the fact that antitrust law has really developed through common law meaning that you have to synthesize arguments across fact patterns and explain why a court’s decision in one market applies analogously to another market, which could be in a totally unrelated industry.
Early in my career, I did a lot of transactional antitrust work, which encompassed the antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions. However, my practice changed fairly early on in my career after I moved to Switzerland with my husband when he got a job in Geneva with the U.S. government. While I was in Geneva, my practice focused on international arbitration and then, when we were planning our return to the U.S., I realized how much I missed antitrust. At the time, the economy was also in a recession, so it seemed like a natural shift to apply the skills I had developed in my arbitration works towards a more litigation focused practiced.
Antitrust sits at the intersection of law, business and economics, requiring a deep understanding of the relevant industry and its competitive dynamics.
LD: What would you say is the most interesting matter you’ve handled?
JY: I’ve worked on so many interesting matters, it’s hard to pick just one! But I’ll give a few examples. Early on in my career, I worked from the ground floor of a pharmaceutical antitrust case involving reverse-payment settlements. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. My role was writing briefs and working on strategy for a case that made front-page news and eventually shaped federal antitrust law. It was incredibly exciting.
More recently, I was part of the defense teams in two high-profile, fully litigated merger challenges. We represented a major wireless telecommunications company in a state AG challenge to the acquisition of our client by another major wireless carrier. We also represented a leading video game publisher in the FTC’s challenge to the acquisition of our client by a global technology company. Both cases went to trial, and we were victorious in each.
Another interesting development came in a merger litigation last year where we represented a major business travel management services provider in its effort to acquire another business travel management company. The DOJ challenged the transaction in the final days of the Biden administration, and the challenge continued when the new administration took over. But after nearly seven months of vigorous litigation, the DOJ dropped its case without demanding a settlement or remedy just six weeks before trial. This was an essentially unprecedented outcome.
LD: Was there any early experience or mentor who helped shape the course of your professional life?
JY: I’ve worked with Steve Sunshine for more than 20 years, starting back in 2001 at a previous firm. Steve taught me how to be a true partner to clients. He stressed the importance of understanding client goals so you are better equipped to help fulfill them, across both deal work and litigation matters. Dave Wales is another mentor whom I’ve also known for two decades. Dave now leads our global Antitrust/Competition group and has always brought a pragmatic approach, grounded in his extensive government experience, to our work together.
Both mentors have helped me become a fierce advocate for my clients, which is how I hope my clients see me. More than that, I’d hope my clients view me as a strategic thinker with strong instincts and good judgment. When I’m quarterbacking our team, I’m always trying to come up with practical and business-minded solutions.
LD: Are there any trends you are seeing in your practice?
JY: One major trend is the growing independent activity of state attorneys general. While state AGs have always played a role in enforcement, in recent years they’ve shown an increased willingness to litigate independently, particularly where federal agencies have settled or declined to act. One merger I worked on between two wireless telecommunications giants in 2020 was an early example of this trend. It will be important for companies to consider both state-level and federal-level enforcement risks in planning their business strategies.
AI is also a growing focus area. Regulators are closely monitoring companies developing large language models and the calls for safety protocols as new models are developed. They’re also paying increased attention to the strategic relationships between tech platforms and AI startups.
When I’m quarterbacking our team, I’m always trying to come up with practical and business-minded solutions.
LD: What pro bono or public interest work have you done?
JY: Pro bono work is a deeply rewarding aspect of my career. I have focused a lot on authoring amicus briefs for appellate courts on a variety of issues. I’ve also represented veterans in their fight for government benefits. This not only allows me to help those in need but also make use of my passion for deep research and writing, which I don’t get to do as much these days compared to my earlier career as an associate. It’s nice to be in the trenches.
LD: If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you be doing?
JY: I could see myself in academia, which runs in my family. My sister is a professor of medicine, and my brother is a professor of musicology. I would likely teach and do research in antitrust law – which seems like a natural fit! – or alternatively in German Studies or European literature, subjects that can allow me to engage in the deep thinking I love to do now.
My parents are from Germany, and I grew up in a bilingual household with a strong interest in history, the arts, and music, so European literature and history are part of my fiber. From Greek civilization to the Enlightenment thinkers to the end of the Cold War and fall of the Berlin Wall – there is so much to unpack! Being in academia would also allow me to flex those lateral thinking muscles that I have as an antitrust lawyer.
If for some reason I chose to work with my hands, I would probably be a florist. I love creating beautiful arrangements – my favorite flowers are peonies, ranunculus and camellias. Arranging flowers just brings me so much joy, and I think a beautiful bouquet always brings joy to others as well.
