Latham & Watkins announced that Makan Delrahim, former Assistant Attorney General (AAG) in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Antitrust Division (2017-2021), has joined as a partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice, and as a member of the Litigation & Trial Department. He is a resident of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and looks forward to qkexpanding his practice to Southern California. With nearly a decade serving in a variety of senior government positions, including a four-year term on the Presidential and Congressional-appointed Antitrust Modernization Commission, and 15-years of private practice, Delrahim brings a wealth of knowledge and impressive credentials to Latham’s market-leading global Antitrust & Competition Practice.
“We are delighted to add Makan to our elite team. Bringing him on board further bolsters our preeminent global Antitrust & Competition Practice and, along with the arrival of Carles Esteva Mosso in 2021, means we now have recent leading competition enforcers in the US and Europe,” said Amanda Reeves, Global Chair of Latham’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “We’ve worked incredibly hard over the years to further build out a formidable, highly experienced team. Makan brings an enforcer’s perspective and a savvy business acumen to our world-class practice, and his arrival marks yet another important step in the continuing development of our capabilities in the US and around the globe.”
Michael Egge, an antitrust partner in Latham & Watkins’ Washington, D.C. office and member of the firm’s Executive Committee, added: “Makan is among a very small group of leading practitioners in the US with many years of experience on the frontlines advising on complex antitrust matters. In addition to his deep knowledge of competition and regulatory law, his leadership and unmatched capabilities make him a prominent trailblazer on the woerld’s antitrust and business stage. His role on the Antitrust Modernization Commission, a who’s who of the top competition minds in the country, is further testament to his exemplary leadership. His background strongly complements our Antitrust & Competition Practice and cuts across several sectors driving the global economy.”
Latham Chair and Managing Partner Rich Trobman said: “We are strongly committed to serving the evolving needs of our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex and competitive global market. Makan’s distinguished track record, impressive credentials, and extraordinary depth and breadth of experience significantly expands our ability to serve our clients across their myriad legal needs. He will play a key role in further expanding our top-tier practice.”
Prior to his time as AAG of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, Delrahim held numerous government positions. In 1998, he joined the US Senate Judiciary Committee, ultimately rising to Chief Counsel. Later, in his first role at the DOJ, Delrahim served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General (2003-2005), where he served on the Attorney General’s Task Force on Intellectual Property. Earlier in his career, he was in private practice where he advised clients on mergers and acquisitions and international trade litigation before the World Trade Organization. Delrahim has served at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as Chairman of Working Party 3 (WP3), focused on international cooperation and coordination; and as a member of the U.S. intra-governmental Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud.
