Danielle E. Karst is an associate in the Firm's Litigation and Antitrust/Competition Groups.  Ms. Karst’s practice includes complex commercial litigation, class action litigation, antitrust and securities litigation.  She has particular experience representing clients in a wide range of government criminal and civil investigations.

Most recently, Ms. Karst represented Stolt-Nielsen, an international parcel tanker shipping company in numerous government antitrust investigations worldwide, including the United States, European Union, Korea and Canada.  Ms. Karst was part of the trial team in U.S. v. Stolt-Nielsen that won the dismissal of an indictment against Stolt-Nielsen and several of its executives.  After a three-week criminal trial, the court held that the company's amnesty agreement must be upheld and dismissed the indictment.  United States v. Stolt-Nielsen S.A., 524 F. Supp. 2d 609 (E.D. Pa. 2007).  The case is the first time a court has enforced an antitrust amnesty agreement.  Ms. Karst also defended Stolt-Nielsen in a case before the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC).  The KFTC action cleared the Stolt- Nielsen case without a finding of any violation.  

Ms. Karst has extensive litigation experience, including interviewing witnesses during fact-finding missions, preparing witnesses for depositions and trials, taking depositions and examining witnesses at trial, and coordinating discovery in complex cases. 

Other significant experience includes:

• Represented Upsher-Smith Laboratories in defense against the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust claims based on a patent infringement settlement that permitted the introduction of a generic pharmaceutical product;
• Represented a foreign paper manufacturer in a preliminary injunction hearing brought by the US Department of Justice under US antitrust laws seeking to block the client’s acquisition of a US company; and
• Represented a corporation in a criminal investigation of Medicare and Medicaid fraud.  The representation resulted in a successful civil settlement.

In addition to her regular caseload, Ms. Karst’s pro bono work includes representation of foster parents in contested adoption cases in the DC Superior Court.

Prior to joining the Firm, Ms. Karst served as a legislative aide to a Member of the US Congress.