John Fedele

John J. Fedele

Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

John Fedele is a member of Baker McKenzie's antitrust practice and is located in its Washington, DC office. While he has a broad range of antitrust experience, he most frequently represents clients before the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in investigations of proposed mergers and acquisitions, and routinely analyzes and manages filing obligations under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act and foreign competition regimes.

John is a member of the Washington D.C. office’s Diversity Advisory Committee, serves as a contact in the Firm’s PointONE program designed to allow employees to raise workplace concerns in a safe space, and maintains an active pro bono practice. He also is a member of Baker McKenzie’s Global Merger Control Task Force.

Practice Focus

John focuses his practice on a wide range of antitrust matters. In addition to representing clients in investigations of mergers and acquisitions before the FTC and DOJ, John provides antitrust counsel to companies on a variety of commercial activity including distribution agreements, joint venture arrangements, and supply agreements, as well as works with companies to evaluate their antitrust compliance programs. His representations span a broad range of industries including, among others, automotive, agriculture, oil & gas, chemicals, finance, healthcare, medical devices and waste.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised Sika AG on its approximately USD 6 billion acquisition of MBCC Group.

  • Advised Brunswick Corporation on its acquisition of Navico, including leading the competition aspects of the transaction in the U.S. and globally.

  • Advised Zen-Noh Grain Corporation on its acquisition of a portfolio of grain origination elevators from Bunge North America, Inc., the review of the transaction by the DOJ Antitrust Division, and the divestiture of certain assets to a DOJ approved buyer following the negotiation of a consent decree with the DOJ.

  • Advised the Safran Group on the international and U.S. competition and regulatory aspects of its sale of Morpho Detection to Smiths Detection, a division of Smiths Group. The transaction received significant scrutiny from the Antitrust Division and was a finalist for the Global Competition Review's 2018 Merger Control Matter of the Year (Americas).

  • Advised CLARCOR Inc., a major manufacturer of filtration products, on the U.S. antitrust aspects of its USD 4.3 billion sale to Parker Hannifin Corporation.

  • Advised Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KgaA, one of the largest suppliers of outpatient dialysis services in the United States, in the Federal Trade Commission's investigation of its acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc. The transaction was valued at approximately USD 2.1 billion and involved over 100 distinct geographic markets.

  • Advised Gardner Denver, Inc., a worldwide compressor manufacturer, in its USD 3.9 billion sale to Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (KKR), a global investment firm.

  • Advised One Equity Partners on its acquisition, and later sale, of Sonneborn, Inc., including the coordination of premerger notifications in multiple jurisdictions.

  • Advised Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. on its acquisition of seventeen brands from GlaxoSmithKline, including the coordination of premerger notifications in multiple jurisdictions.

  • Advised Stericycle, Inc. in the Antitrust Division's investigations of its acquisitions of its largest domestic competitors, Healthcare Waste Solutions and Medserve, Inc.

  • Advised Labinal, Inc., a company of the Safran Group, on its acquisition of Harvard Custom Manufacturing, Inc., a manufacturer of electrical wiring systems for commercial and military aerospace applications, and performed all merger-control analyses.

Professional Honors

  • Who’s Who Legal 2020 ranks him as a "Future Leader of Competition," noting his "business acumen, practicality, calmness, responsiveness, skill and knowledge."

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Bar Association, Antitrust Section - Food and Agriculture Committee Vice-Chair
  • American Health Lawyer's Association - Member

Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia~United States (2010)
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California~United States (2008)
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit~United States (2007)
  • District of Columbia~United States (2007)
  • New York~United States (2004)
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York~United States (2004)

Education

  • New York University School of Law (J.D., cum laude) (2003)
  • Harvard University (B.A. Social Studies, magna cum laude) (2000)

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish

Co-author, Keynote Interview: PE must pay attention to antitrust action, Private Equity International, May 2023

Co-author, "Working with Multiple Competition Agencies in a Merger Review," chapter of the International Investigations and Merger Reviews - A Handbook for Antitrust Counsel, ABA 2022

Co-author, "United States: President Biden issues Executive Order to promote Vigorous Antitrust Enforcement in Key Markets," Baker McKenzie InsightPlus, 12 July 2021

Co-author, "Think Again—Allocating Antitrust Risk in a Climate of Protracted Investigations," CPI Antitrust Chronicle, May 2016

Author, International Activities chapter of the Corporate Legal Compliance Handbook, Wolters Kluwer, 2016

Moderator, ABA Antitrust Section's Monthly Antitrust Update for In-house Counsel, September 2014