US: Former Visa counsel joins Bass, Berry & Sims

Bass, Berry & Sims has announced that Michael G. Dashefsky has joined the firm as a partner and co-chair of its Antitrust & Trade Practices Group. Prior to joining the firm, Dashefsky served as Visa’s Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Global Litigation and Competition. He also held positions at both federal antitrust enforcement agencies, including roles leading investigations and litigation for the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Competition. Dashefsky’s addition marks the expansion of the firm’s Antitrust & Trade Practices Group into its Washington, DC office, where he will practice.

“Mike adds significant experience and depth to the firm’s antitrust practice with more than two decades handling antitrust matters and a truly unique perspective from his background of litigating cases in federal enforcement, in-house and outside counsel roles,” said John Kelly, managing partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. “He both bolsters and complements our team with a shared commitment to client service and advocacy, and importantly, his comprehensive outlook and legal approach affords our clients with a stellar advantage.”

At Visa, Dashefsky managed significant global antitrust litigation, regulatory inquiries, and investigations before domestic and international antitrust enforcement agencies, such as the DOJ, FTC, European Commission, Canada’s Competition Bureau, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. In this role, he managed extensive competition-related, global litigation, including several multi-billion dollar private damages claims. He also managed the competition and litigation-related components of the company’s commercial and strategic transactions, including an acquisition worth more than US$20 billion.

Dashefsky served as a trial attorney at the Antitrust Division of the DOJ for 10 years, where he represented the United States as lead counsel through all phases and types of antitrust investigations and litigation, including mergers and acquisitions, non-merger matters, and enforcement proceedings. For much of his time at the DOJ, Dashefsky served as a lead payments lawyer, which gave him significant experience and knowledge in the payments and financial services industries.