Biography • Competition

John M Taladay is co-chair of the antitrust practice of Baker Botts. He is well known for his work in gaining merger approvals, defending criminal cartel investigations, litigating civil antitrust cases and managing complex international competition matters.

In working closely with the US Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice antitrust division, the European Commission and other international agencies, Mr Taladay has extensive experience in gaining merger clearances particularly in the technology, media, telecommunications, consumer products, software and pharmaceutical sectors and traditional industries including the automotive, primary metals, agriculture, food, chemicals and electronics sectors.

Mr Taladay has also counselled US and foreign clients and individuals in dozens of major cartel matters including antitrust grand jury investigations into allegations of price fixing, bid-rigging, market allocation and related offences. He has navigated corporate clients through a range of cartel representation strategies from steadfast defence to leniency application to formal non-prosecution treatment. His litigation work includes acting as lead counsel in numerous civil antitrust class action and other litigation matters involving nearly all aspects of the antitrust laws.

Previously, Mr Taladay served in the antitrust leadership of Howrey, LLP, and as international legal counsel at the Paris headquarters of Vivendi Universal.

Mr Taladay has been extremely active in the development of international competition policy. He serves as the vice chair of the business and industry advisory committee to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development competition committee and has been appointed as a non-governmental adviser to the International Competition Network. In the latter capacity, he has been invited by the US Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice to serve as a faculty member at several international merger workshops aimed at training more than 50 ICN member agencies in the analysis of mergers. He also acts as vice-chair of the international committee of the American Bar Association section of antitrust law and as a member of the International Chamber of Commerce competition committee.