Live Updates – ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting 2025, Washington, D.C.

The Antitrust and Competition Team at BakerHostetler has put together some brief summaries and insights from the sessions at this week’s ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. Take a look at what you’ve missed!

State Antitrust Enforcement Gaining Momentum
During a panel moderated by BakerHostetler’s Julian Perlman, state officials emphasized that antitrust enforcement remains active, even as the federal landscape evolves. They expressed a continued commitment to pursuing enforcement actions and offered several recent examples to demonstrate this point.

The panelists highlighted the labor market as a key focus area. They explained that state attorneys general continue to prioritize labor market issues, including ongoing opposition to noncompetition clauses—even with uncertainty surrounding the FTC’s proposed rule. For example, Pennsylvania recently enacted legislation prohibiting non-compete agreements in the healthcare sector, with limited exceptions. The discussion also noted that states are taking the lead in challenging no-poach agreements and are factoring labor market impacts into merger reviews.

Insights from DOJ DAAGs on Agency Direction
Another panel featuring former DOJ Antitrust Division leaders focused on how enforcement might evolve under the new administration. The panelists predicted that while certain priorities—such as scrutiny of Big Tech, labor markets, the pharmaceutical industry, and agriculture—are likely to continue, the administration may also introduce new focus areas. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues were highlighted as a potential emerging priority…

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