Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that David J. Laing has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner, where he will be a member of the Antitrust Group. With his tenures at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and prior firm, Laing has more than 20 years experience practicing antitrust law with a focus on governmental clearance of mergers and other transactions, as well as criminal and civil investigations. Laing is a former trial attorney in the DOJ Antitrust Division, Litigation I Section, and he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in multiple districts. During his time in government and private practice, Laing has participated in more than 40 grand jury investigations and in more than 150 merger review investigations. He joins Crowell & Moring from Baker & McKenzie.
Laing is the second antitrust partner to arrive at Crowell & Moring in a matter of weeks, following antitrust litigator John S. Gibson, who joined the firm’s Southern California team in April 2012 from Winston & Strawn. These newest additions boost Crowell & Moring’s Antitrust Group to 66 lawyers in what continues to be a high-profile practice and growth area for the firm.
“David is a first-rate antitrust lawyer with strong deal experience plus DOJ criminal prosecutor credentials that strengthen our practice’s capability of handling price-fixing grand juries. His skill set has attracted an international client base and will be highly valued by companies we represent in the current environment of enhanced antitrust scrutiny,” said Wm. Randolph Smith, co-chair of Crowell & Moring’s Antitrust Group.
A seasoned first-chair antitrust deal practitioner, Laing has extensive experience in all aspects of U.S. and international merger filings and clearances. He also handles federal and state government investigations, both civil and criminal. Additionally, his practice includes a substantial focus on antitrust civil litigation that follows government investigations and related areas of litigation and regulation. He also has experience dealing with the Packers & Stockyards Act and distributor termination litigation.
In the white collar defense area, Laing has prosecuted and defended companies for violations of federal antitrust and other statutes, including false claims, false statements, obstruction, and foreign corrupt practices. He also has substantial experience representing foreign companies with matters before the
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Laing’s representative clients are in a broad range of industries including agriculture, defense contracting, waste, generic pharmaceutical, and petroleum chemicals.
“Crowell & Moring is an antitrust powerhouse with a premier track record helping clients navigate government investigations that have garnered international headline news. I have worked across the table with several Crowell attorneys for many years, while in government and in private practice, and have always been impressed with the quality of their work. I am excited to join a firm so highly regarded for a commitment to client service and a spirit of teamwork,” said Laing.
Laing received his J.D., with honors, from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was a Keenan Scholar, and a B.A., with highest distinction, from the University of Virginia. Laing was a judicial fellow associate in the chambers of Chief Justice Warren Burger, Supreme Court of the United States.
