White & Case LLP - Lawyers

Practice Experience

George Paul is an antitrust lawyer advising clients on a range of international competition issues, including litigation, merger clearances, and criminal defense, often involving multiple competition agencies across the globe. Mr. Paul was recently recognized by Legal 500 USA as a "world-class antitrust lawyer" with "an impressive track record for merger-related antitrust issues."

Criminal

Mr. Paul regularly counsels companies and individuals on criminal antitrust matters before enforcement agencies from around the world, including the US Department of Justice, EU, Australia, Japan, Canada, Korea, New Zealand, and South Africa. He works closely with the Firm’s international offices in defending global clients in criminal antitrust grand jury investigations in the United States and has advised clients facing global cartel investigations.

Mr. Paul was counsel to Stolt-Nielsen in its landmark action against the Department of Justice, which revoked Stolt's amnesty and indicted the company and its senior 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. Mr. Paul also defended Stolt-Nielsen in a case before the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC). The case is believed to be the KFTC’s first litigated international cartel case with live witness testimony. The KFTC action cleared the Stolt Nielsen case without a finding of any violation.

Merger Clearance

Mr. Paul has significant experience in antitrust counseling and litigation arising from US and cross-border mergers and joint ventures. Mr. Paul regularly advises clients on merger control filings for cross-border transactions and coordinates their HSR and international filings efforts. He has handled complex antitrust issues for a variety of companies, in a variety of industries, such as retailing, paper and pulp, mining services, petrochemicals, consumer products and electronics.

He is co-editor of Worldwide Merger Notification Requirements, the competition law treatise, published by Aspen Publishing. The publication surveys more than 217 jurisdictions and is believed to be the most comprehensive catalogue of merger notification and control laws. He also has written extensively on the emergence of competition law in Asia Pacific countries.

Recent merger clearance transactions include:

Grupo Bimbo's $2.5 billion acquisition of the US bakery business of Weston Foods, Inc.
A/S Dampskibsselskabet TORM's $2.2 billion acquisition of rival shipper firm OMI Corporation;
Ahold’s sale of US Foodservice to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., L. P. and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. for $7.1 billion;
Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB's acquisition of US public steel company Ipsco, Inc., for $7.7 billion — signed less than 24 hours after the Ahold transaction.

Litigation

Mr. Paul has represented clients before the competition agencies and as plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts:

US agency merger challenges, include:
- U.S. v. SunGard Data Systems, Inc., 172 F. Supp. 2d 172 (D.D.C. 2001);
- U.S. v. UPM-Kymmene Oyj, 2003-2 Trade Cases P 74, 101; and
- FTC v. Staples, 970 F. Supp. 1066 (D.D.C. 1997).
Represented overseas manufacturers against charges of an alleged global price-fixing cartel. White & Case successfully secured a jury verdict absolving the manufacturers of liability. On appeal, the verdict was upheld by the 4th Circuit, clarifying the reach of the Sherman Act. Dee-K Enterprises, Inc. v. Heveafil Sdn. Bhd., 299 F.3d 281 (4th Cir. 2002).
Represents clients in numerous antitrust class action proceedings:
- In re: TFT-LCD (Flat Panel) Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1827;
- In re: Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1917;
- In re: Air Cargo Shipping Services Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1775; and
- In re: Parcel Tanker Shipping Services Antitrust Litigation.
Represented cable company in MDL class action suits alleging conspiracy and monopolization.
Lead counsel to Great Lake Transportation in merger hearings before Surface Transportation Board and at Department of Justice.
Lead counsel to European manufacturer in criminal investigation by EU and Department of Justice of construction products. Successfully closed investigations without any enforcement actions.

Mr. Paul is a 1992 graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Law and Public Policy and as Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Record. He joined White & Case LLP in 1992.

Bars and Courts
New York State Bar
District of Columbia Bar
US Supreme Court
US Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia and Federal Circuits
US Courts of Appeals for the First, Third, and Fourth Circuits
US Court of International Trade
US District Court for the District of Columbia

Education
JD, Harvard Law School, Associate Editor, Journal of Law & Public Policy, Managing Editor, Harvard Law Record, International Law Society, 1992
BA, Mississippi State University, summa cum laude, 1989

Professional Associations and Memberships
American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section
Competition Committee, Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC)
International Bar Association

Publications and Speeches
Cartels
Panelist, "Immunity/Leniency/Sentencing: Canada's New Immunity Program," Canadian Bar Association National Spring Competition Law Conference, April 29, 2008
"International Cartels: U.S. Litigation Techniques for European Lawyers," Brussels Professional Skills Institute, October 20, 2007
"Asia-Pacific Cartel Enforcement: A Survey of Recent Developments and Relevant Legislation," September 7, 2006

Global Merger Clearance
Worldwide Merger Notification Requirements(with J. Mark Gidley) (December 2008), Aspen Publishing
Co-author, "Worldwide Merger-Control Laws Turn a Corner. . .But Watch Out – You Might Still Be Run Over," The Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor, April 2003 (with J. Mark Gidley)
"GE/Honeywell Merger," Panelist, The University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Economic Law Symposium, April 12, 2002, Philadelphia, PA
"Emerging Issues in International Antitrust," presentation to New Jersey Corporate Counsel Association, December 11, 2001, Livingston, NJ
"South African Thresholds and Fees Amended," 4 ABA International Antitrust Bulletin, vol. 4:2, Summer 2001
"In Mergers, All Global Deals Are Local," Finance Director Europe, at 66, April 2001
"Global Antitrust and Competition Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions", Mergers and Acquisitions Conference, July 14, 1999, New York, NY

Asia Pacific Competition Law
"Asia-Pacific Cartel Enforcement: A Survey of Recent Developments and Relevant Legislation" at the International Cartels Conference hosted by Law Seminars International
Co-author, "Japan: Cartel Regulation," The Asia Pacific Antitrust Review 2004, Global Competition Review, April 2004 (with Jiro Tamura and J. Mark Gidley)
Co-author, "Vietnam: Developments and Overview," The Asia Pacific Antitrust Review 2004, Global Competition Review, April 2004 (with Diep Hoai Nam)
Co-author, "Thai Competition Law," The Asia Pacific Antitrust Review 2004, Global Competition Review, April 2004 (with Kallaya Laohaganniyom)
"Kazakhstan Merger Control Regime Amendments," 4 ABA International Antitrust Bulletin, vol. 4:2, Summer 2001
"The Complexities of Multi-Jurisdictional Merger Filings," International Legal Strategy: Legal Risk Management for Japan Business Executives, Vol. IX-7, July 2000

High Tech Industries
"Antitrust and the Internet: Exclusionary Conduct in High Tech Markets", Arizona State Bar Convention, Tucson, AZ, June 17, 2005
"Antitrust Online – Bottlenecks, Exchanges and Other Issues", Understanding Electronic Contracting 2003, The Impact of Regulation, Practising Law Institute, 2003, New York, NY (with David Bender)
Co-author, "Antitrust Online: B2B Exchanges", The Computer Law Association, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2003 (with David Bender)
"E-Commerce Law: Competition and Antitrust Challenges", National Legal Education Conference, Law Education Institute, January 5, 2002, Steamboat, CO

Other
Co-author, "Yesterday's Deals", Legal Times, December 15, 2003 (with David A. Balto)
"Collaborative Marketing with Competitors: Joint Venture Analysis", PLI Advanced Antitrust Seminar, January/February 2003, San Francisco, CA/New York, NY

Languages
English

Citizenship
United States