Bona Law Adds US DOJ Antitrust Division Veteran as Partner
July 27, 2022
Dylan Carson, a leading trial lawyer on some of the largest and most complex merger and non-merger litigations and investigations at the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, has joined antitrust boutique Bona Law, in their New York and San Diego offices.
Carson joins Bona Law from Faegre Drinker, where he was a partner in the firm’s global antitrust group. Before that he served for five years as a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Earlier, Carson was a partner at national trial firm Tucker Ellis, where he worked with now Bona Law partner Pat Pascarella to build a global antitrust practice. Following a federal district court clerkship, Carson started his career at global antitrust firms Howrey and Kaye Scholer.
As a government enforcer, Carson was a key trial lawyer at the Antitrust Division on numerous high-stakes merger trials. Those trials included the U.S. v. AT&T-Time Warner $100 billion media merger, the U.S. v. Aetna-Humana $37 billion Medicare Advantage merger, and the U.S. v. Sabre-Farelogix travel technology merger. Short of trial, Carson was involved in several high-profile merger litigations, including the U.S. v. T-Mobile-Sprint $26 billion wireless merger, the U.S. v. Visa-Plaid $5 billion fintech merger, and the Geisinger-Evangelical partial acquisition of a competing hospital. Carson’s major antitrust conduct matters at DOJ included the Google search monopolization case (United States v. Google), and the Los Angeles Dodgers information-sharing case (United States v. DirecTV & AT&T).
Carson’s private practice work includes defending the baby food merger trial (FTC v. Heinz), the gas pump merger litigation (U.S. v. Franklin Electric-United Dominion), as well as criminal and civil work in the DRAM and CRT price-fixing prosecutions and follow-on litigation. Beyond government enforcement matters, Carson has led large teams on Section 1 and Section 2 matters, including helping secure a defense verdict for AT&T in the trial of a tying case (RLH v. SBC).
“I am excited and fortunate to join such an exceptionally gifted group of antitrust practitioners with spectacular experience and a collaborative ethos,” said Carson.
“Dylan’s enforcement agency expertise and stand-up courtroom trial skills at DOJ and in private practice really adds to the breadth and depth of antitrust problem-solving we can bring to clients of all size,” said Bona Law CEO Jarod Bona.