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Freshfields Adds Former DOJ Antitrust Leader as Partner in San Francisco

By  |  December 8, 2025

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has hired Manish Kumar as a partner in its San Francisco office, expanding its capabilities in criminal antitrust and related white-collar defense work, the firm announced Monday.

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    Kumar previously served as deputy assistant attorney general for criminal enforcement in the US Department of Justice’s antitrust division, where he helped shape enforcement strategy and managed criminal antitrust prosecutions, according to the firm’s announcement.

    Before that role in Washington, Kumar spent several years as chief of the division’s San Francisco office, overseeing investigations and cases on the West Coast, the firm said.

    Read more: Freshfields Expands US Presence with High-Profile Hires from Government and Rival Firms

    Freshfields stated that Kumar’s arrival strengthens its US litigation and enforcement bench amid continued focus on antitrust issues by government regulators.

    Source: Bloomberg