Bernard (Barry) A. Nigro Jr.

Chair of our Global Antitrust and Competition Department, Bernard (“Barry”) A. Nigro Jr. has served at both federal antitrust enforcement agencies and participated in hundreds of competition matters.

Barry serves clients in a range of industries, including commodities and consumer products, agriculture, transportation, retail, technology hardware and software, online markets and platforms, social media, financial services, healthcare, media, communications, supermarkets, casinos and gaming, defense, chemicals, energy, and professional services. 

Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business recognizes Barry as a leading individual in Antitrust, quoting a client who notes that “he is a skilled and knowledgeable antitrust lawyer with a very practical approach.” Another Chambers source says Barry “is really pragmatic and good with clients. He knows how to marry business and antitrust.”

Barry is also recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” by Legal 500 in Antitrust: Merger Control, where clients describe him as “the rare combination of DOJ and FTC expertise that is invaluable to clients who need to understand the agencies’ latest thinking” and note that “his decades of experience generally, and recent experience as the number-two lawyer in the Antitrust Division, make him a knowledgeable and skilled counselor on a broad array of government enforcement matters.” Other clients tell Legal 500 that Barry is “fabulous” and “figures out quickly what’s important and focuses energies there.” Clients also report that “[n]o one compares to Barry Nigro in terms of goodwill” and note his “years of experience make his counsel and perspective, particularly seeing what is coming down the road, exceptional.” They also have said that he “understands our business and our objectives and provides solutions to achieve them.” Barry is also recognized as a “Global Leader” by Who’s Who Legal: Competition.

Barry recently rejoined Fried Frank from the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division, where from 2019 to 2020 he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, the number-two official responsible for all civil and criminal antitrust enforcement and litigation in the United States. 

As Deputy Assistant Attorney General from 2017 to 2019, Barry played a critical role in advancing antitrust enforcement priorities and numerous policy developments, including implementing the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, the 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines issued in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission, and the modernization of the Department’s Merger Remedies Manual and merger review process.

Barry received a commendation for Superior Service from the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission in recognition of his work as Deputy Director for the FTC Bureau of Competition, where he managed merger and anticompetitive practices investigations and litigation.

Work highlights:

• Bayer’s $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto, Sprint Corporation’s $26 billion merger with T-Mobile US, Inc.*
• Sprint Corporation’s $26 billion merger with T-Mobile US, Inc.*
• BB&T Corporation’s merger of equals with SunTrust Banks, Inc.*
• CVS Health’s $69 billion acquisition of Aetna*
• The indictment and prosecution in US v. Christopher Lischewski, the deferred prosecution agreement resolving the felony charge against Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute LLC*
• Several HSR and order compliance enforcement actions, including the unprecedented Order enforcement action against Live Nation Entertainment*

*while at the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division