Bruce retired from Mintz in 2026. He was Chair of the firm's Antitrust Practice.
viewpoints
Is Antitrust ESG's Achilles Heel ? House Republicans Think So.
December 13, 2022 | Blog | By Bruce Sokler, Jacob Hupart, Tinny Song, Payton Thornton
Prior to the recent midterm elections, we wrote about five Senate Republicans who issued a warning letter to major U.S. law firms regarding the potential antitrust implications of Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) investing and activities. The letter advises that ESG activities may be viewed as “climate cartels” and present antitrust risk when firms engage in ESG group initiatives. With the midterm election results, those Senate Republicans will likely not be able to follow through on this line of investigation. However, House Republicans have taken up the issue, and they will have the ability to conduct antitrust scrutiny of ESG initiatives.
A Dose of Steroids: Chair Khan's FTC Releases Expansive Policy Statement on Unfair Methods of Competition
November 14, 2022 | Blog | By Bruce Sokler, Payton Thornton
On the Board: DOJ Gets First Win in Criminal No-Poach Prosecution
October 31, 2022 | Blog | By Bruce Sokler, Tinny Song, Payton Thornton
Last week, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (“DOJ”) announced that health care staffing company VDA OC LLC pleaded guilty to criminal antitrust charges for engaging in a “no-poach” conspiracy relating to hiring arrangements for school nurses.
DOJ Makes Good on Promise to Review Interlocking Directorates
October 21, 2022 | Blog | By Bruce Sokler, Robert Kidwell, Payton Thornton
In Divided 3-2 Vote, Federal Trade Commission Authorizes Three Omnibus Compulsory Process Resolutions
August 30, 2022 | Blog | By Evelyn French, Bruce Sokler
FTC Policy Paper Supports Agency’s Long-Held Position in Opposition to COPAs
August 18, 2022 | Alert | By Bruce Sokler, Farrah Short
Read about an FTC policy paper highlighting the pitfalls of Certificates of Public Advantage (“COPAs”) laws, which are state-specific regulatory regimes that allow hospitals to form monopolies that are not subject to federal antitrust litigation.
"Fowl" Play: DOJ Files Lawsuit and Proposed Consent Decrees with Poultry Processors over Wage Suppression Conspiracy
August 2, 2022 | Blog | By Bruce Sokler, Tinny Song
5th Circuit Confirms Avanci SEP Pool is Safe: No Antitrust Issue with Avanci’s Pool
July 6, 2022 | Blog | By Daniel Weinger, Michael Renaud, Bruce Sokler, James Thomson
Avanci’s pool retains its 5th Circuit win, in a slightly different way, after an unusual turn of events where the panel rescinded its prior opinion and issued a new one. The new opinion affirms the district court’s ruling that Continental failed to state a claim under the Sherman Act (antitrust laws) thereby dismissing the case. The original opinion found that Continental lacked standing to pursue its claims because it was not a third party beneficiary of the standard setting organization contract. Although the new ruling leaves some questions unanswered in the long-running dispute between a would-be implementer (Continental) and holders of standard essential patents (SEPs), the opinion rejects applying the antitrust laws in the SEP/FRAND context.
Vet Clinic FTC Settlement Puts Private Equity On Notice
June 17, 2022 | Blog | By Bruce Sokler, Tinny Song
The FTC Democratic majority imposes prior approval and prior notice provisions (as well as divestitures) for private equity firm’s acquisition of veterinary services clinics, while expressing skepticism regarding private equity roll-up business model.
FTC Chair Khan Gives a Look Behind the Curtain of United States Merger Reform
May 10, 2022 | Alert | By Bruce Sokler
This alert covers FTC Chair Lina Khan’s remarks at the 2022 International Competition Network Conference in Berlin, which focused on the merger guideline revision being undertaken by the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice.
News & Press
Five Mintz Attorneys Recognized as ‘Top Authors’ by JD Supra
February 24, 2026
Mintz is pleased to announce that five Attorneys have been named ‘Top Authors’ in their respective fields by JD Supra in its 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. This annual award recognizes top authors and firms for their thought leadership in key topics and reaching high levels of visibility and engagement.
173 Mintz Attorneys Across 53 Practice Areas Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2026
August 28, 2025
173 Mintz attorneys across 53 practice areas have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Five Mintz attorneys received 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 61 firm attorneys were included in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
JD Supra has recognized ten Mintz attorneys in its 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards. The awards recognize attorneys and firms whose articles on the JD Supra platform were most read by C-suite executives, in-house counsel, media, and other professionals during 2024.
How DOJ's Visa Debit Monopolization Suit May Unfold
October 28, 2024
An article written by Member Bruce Sokler and Associate Payton Thornton was recently published by Law360 about the Department of Justice’s Visa debit monopolization suit and how it might unfold.
Thirteen Mintz attorneys named to Lawdragon’s 2025 “Leading Litigators in America” list
September 12, 2024
Thirteen Mintz attorneys have been named to Lawdragon’s 2025 “Leading Litigators in America.” The list honors the “best litigators the US has to offer – in antitrust, intellectual property, white collar and investigations, securities and corporate governance litigation, and a vast array of class actions, product liability and other complex civil litigation,” according to the publication.
The Best Lawyers in America 2025 Recognizes 184 Mintz Attorneys across 56 Practice Areas
August 15, 2024
187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.
FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling
June 3, 2024
The Capitol Forum Interviews Mintz's Bruce Sokler
April 22, 2024
Senator's Hold on FTC Nominee Robs Agency of Political Diversity, Regulatory Attorneys Say
January 29, 2024
Antitrust Co-Chair Bruce Sokler shared his insights with the National Law Journal on Andrew Ferguson and Melissa Holyoak’s nominations to the Federal Trade Comission. Bruce acknowledged that both Ferguson and Holyoak have state-level experience, which could be a “useful perspective” on the commission.
Are the Google, Amazon Suits This Generation's Microsoft?
November 26, 2023
Antitrust Co-chair Bruce Sokler was quoted in a National Law Journal article discussing the US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust cases against Google and Amazon, drawing parallels to the Microsoft case of 2001. Bruce noted that like the Microsoft case, the DOJ and FTC have each singled out a dominant entity in the market, Google and Amazon.
Antitrust Co-chair Bruce Sokler spoke to the National Law Journal on the influential role of the European Union in establishing regulatory standards across various domains, prompting US regulators to address issues such as artificial intelligence.
FTC-DOJ's Proposed Merger Guidelines Gain Health Care's Scorn, Agriculture's Praise
September 19, 2023
Antitrust Co-chair Bruce Sokler spoke to The National Law Journal on the closure of the comment period for the Federal Trade Commission and US Department of Justice’s proposed merger guidelines. Responses were received from several industry groups, including heath care.
Thirteen Mintz Members Named To Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators List
September 11, 2023
Mintz is pleased to announce that thirtneen Members have been named to Lawdragon's 500 Leading Litigators in America list, which honors the nation’s most elite courtroom advocates.
FTC, DOJ Guidelines Could Hinder Health Care Industry Mergers, Antitrust Lawyers Say
August 17, 2023
Antitrust Co-chairs, Bruce Sokler and Joseph Miller, were quoted in The National Law Journal in an article analyzing The Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Justice Department’s proposed merger guidelines.
FTC Pharma Merger Digest May Offer Policy Clues
June 15, 2023
Law360 published an article jointly authored by Antitrust Co-chairs, Bruce Sokler and Joseph Miller, alongside Member Robert Kidwell examining the FTC's summary of the June 2022 joint workshop with the Antitrust Division of the US Justice Department titled "The Future of Pharmaceuticals: Examining the Analysis of Pharmaceutical Mergers."
NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mintz is pleased to announce that Therese Doherty, Stephen J. Gulotta, Jr., and Bruce Sokler, have been named by corporate counsel to BTI Consulting Group’s Client Service All-Stars 2023, an elite list of client service leaders among law firms nationwide.
WASHINGTON, DC – Mintz is pleased to announce the inclusion of five Members to the 2023 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers list.
Twelve Mintz Members have been named to the inaugural Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America list, which honors the nation’s most elite courtroom advocates.
