Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Scott A. Sher, a nationally preeminent antitrust lawyer, has joined the firm as a partner, resident in the Washington, D.C. office. Sher will advise clients on antitrust issues that arise in the M&A process and on antitrust investigations and competition issues.
“We are thrilled to welcome Scott, one of the world’s most respected antitrust advisors, to our partnership,” said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. “Scott’s unmatched experience with merger control matters and his stellar reputation among regulators and peers will add enormous value to the Antitrust Group and our clients.”
“Scott is among the smartest and most commercial antitrust advisors I have ever worked with, and all of us look forward to having him as our partner,” said Corporate Department Chair Scott A. Barshay. “Antitrust issues are a principal focus for both strategic and private equity M&A in the current environment, and Scott’s experience and talent in positioning transactions for a successful closing will greatly benefit our clients.”
Described as a “true star of the antitrust bar” by Global Competition Review, and ranked Band 1 for Antitrust by Chambers USA in Washington, D.C., Sher has represented companies in transactions totaling more than $1 trillion, including many of the highest-profile deals in the technology, life sciences and retail markets. He has deep experience advocating before the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and numerous global competition authorities.
Some of Sher’s notable representations include Google in connection with its acquisitions of ITA, Waze and DoubleClick; Trulia in connection with its acquisition by Zillow; Careem in connection with its acquisition by Uber; Sun Microsystems in connection with its acquisition by Oracle; Brocade in connection with its acquisition of McDATA; Vivint Solar in connection with its acquisition by Sunrun; and Qualcomm in connection with its acquisitions of Arriver and NUVIA.
Sher’s work with companies across industries with different go-to-market strategies gives him an unparalleled understanding of how antitrust laws impact his clients’ distribution, pricing and licensing policies, enabling him to help clients efficiently achieve their business objectives while steering them clear of potential liability.
“I am thrilled to join Paul, Weiss, the go-to advisor to public companies and private equity firms in their most transformational transactions,” said Sher. “There is no better platform anywhere for my practice, and I am eagerly looking forward to working with my new partners and serving our clients together.”
Sher served as a law clerk to both the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Charles A. Legge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He earned a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a B.A. in urban history from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. He previously led the antitrust practice at another major firm.
