Axinn is pleased to announce that trial lawyer Denise Plunkett joined the firm’s Antitrust Group as partner in New York on January 1. Denise has served as lead trial counsel in well over a dozen jury trials and brings more than 25 years of experience handling high-profile antitrust matters and other high-stakes commercial disputes to the firm.
“We are pleased to start the New Year on such a positive note with Denise’s arrival,” said John Harkrider, Co-Chair of Axinn’s Antitrust Group and a founding partner of the firm. “Her successful record with high-stakes antitrust litigations, and complex trial experience, will be significant assets to our team.”
Plunkett joins the firm from Ballard Spahr LLP, where she was a Co-Managing Partner of the New York office, head of the Payments Industry Group, and leader of the firm’s women’s initiative. Notably, Plunkett has a successful history of representing Mastercard in some of its most significant antitrust and commercial cases, including challenges to its currency conversion and chargeback practices, and a recent federal jury trial win concerning the termination of a Mastercard membership. She also has advised players in the pharmaceutical industry in multi-billion dollar antitrust and commercialization disputes and license agreement negotiations.
“Axinn is highly-regarded among the antitrust community, and I’m looking forward to joining such a talented team of lawyers,” stated Plunkett. “The courtroom experience I’ve gained over the course of my career aligns with Axinn’s reputation as a litigation force, making the firm the perfect place for an exciting new chapter.”
“I’m delighted to welcome another powerhouse trial lawyer to the firm,” added Axinn Antitrust Group partner and member of the firm’s executive committee Rachel Adcox. “With her impressive antitrust experience and leadership roles relating to women’s initiatives, Denise has all of the qualities we look for in Axinn partners.”
Plunkett is the sixth woman to join Axinn’s Antitrust partnership over the past three years, which includes Lisl Dunlop, Jeny Maier, Leslie Overton, Tiffany Rider, and Koren Wong-Ervin.
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