Kirkland & Ellis Expands Antitrust Practice with Hires of Norman Armstrong, Jr., and Daniel Zach
Kirkland & Ellis announced today that leading antitrust attorneys Norman Armstrong, Jr., and Daniel Zach have joined the Firm as partners. The lawyers join Kirkland’s antitrust and competition practice, which is among the most active for merger control and complex antitrust litigation matters.
“Norm and Dan are very talented and highly respected attorneys with many years of distinguished service at the Federal Trade Commission as well as in private practice,” said Jon A. Ballis, chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “They will significantly enhance our already excellent antitrust offering, which provides holistic support to our private equity and corporate clients on their most significant transactions and antitrust litigation.”
Both Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Zach focus on antitrust and competition matters involving complex transactions, government investigations and litigation, including matters before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, and federal and state courts.
“We are thrilled to welcome Norm and Dan, both exceptional attorneys who will strengthen our already strong antitrust team,” said Matt Reilly, antitrust partner at Kirkland. “They have been involved with cutting-edge merger reviews as well as antitrust litigation and bolster our 110-lawyer team of top antitrust attorneys across the U.S. and Europe, helping us meet the demands of our large and growing transactional practice.”
Kirkland ranked number one for M&A deal value in the Dealogic and London Stock Exchange Group year-end league tables, with the Firm advising on 644 transactions worth more than $400 billion globally in 2023 — amounting to 13% market share. The Firm handled 19% of all Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notifications filed in 2023, more than any other law firm.
Mr. Armstrong is a former deputy director of the FTC Bureau of Competition. He served in the role from 2008-2014 and oversaw three divisions and the regional offices that investigated anticompetitive transactions and conduct across industries such as healthcare, technology, pharmaceuticals, retail, consumer goods, energy and entertainment. Prior to that, Mr. Armstrong served as deputy assistant director of the Mergers IV Division and co-led some of the commission’s most high-profile litigation matters. He first joined the FTC as a staff attorney in 1995. Since 2014, Mr. Armstrong has been a partner with King & Spalding and was co-chair of the firm’s antitrust practice group. He is recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, Global Competition Review and other industry publications. Law360 named him a 2022 Competition MVP.
“Kirkland has the largest deal flow of any law firm in the world, which provides immense opportunity to help clients navigate the evolving antitrust regulatory environment,” said Mr. Armstrong. “The team is also highly collaborative and collegial and that was important for me in making this move.”
Mr. Zach is a former assistant director of the FTC’s Mergers I Division and has extensive experience handling high-profile merger investigations and litigations. At the FTC, he oversaw review of mergers in industries including pharmaceuticals, life sciences, medical devices, energy and technology, and led multiple major litigation matters. Mr. Zach joined the FTC in 2006 and spent 15 years at the agency, where he earned several honors. He was most recently a partner of Cravath, Swaine & Moore and has been recognized as a leading attorney by The Legal 500 U.S., Benchmark Litigation and other publications. In private practice , Mr. Zach has represented clients in industries such as pharmaceuticals and healthcare, financial services, retail, energy, technology and industrials.
“I’m excited to join Kirkland’s outstanding team of antitrust attorneys on the most dynamic transactional platform in the world,” said Mr. Zach.
Kirkland’s antitrust and competition group advises on all aspects of competition law, including the mergers and acquisitions regulatory clearance process, consumer protection matters, and antitrust litigation and government investigations.
