Craig Minerva: Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

Contact

TEL 202.469.3511

Craig Minerva, a former lead attorney with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), counsels clients on all aspects of civil antitrust matters with a focus on leading high-stakes, multinational transaction reviews.

Craig advises clients across a range of industries, including technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, media, entertainment, transportation, and consumer products. He has deep experience in leading complex antitrust matters relating to litigation, investigations, and multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions. Craig leverages his background in economics and his enforcement experience to anticipate potential business challenges and devises creative legal solutions to achieve clients’ goals.

Prior to joining Axinn, Craig led teams at DOJ to investigate high-profile transactions and prevent anticompetitive outcomes, including the Disney/Fox, Visa/Plaid, Quad Graphics/LSC Communications, and Chicago Tribune/Chicago Sun-Times mergers. He received both the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the Assistant Attorney General Award for his achievements in these areas. Prior to his government service, he worked at a global law firm, which included a detail in London, where he advised on European and UK competition law matters and represented clients before the European Commission.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section, Economics Committee, Vice Chair (2023-present)
American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section, Section Influence Task Force (2022-2023)
American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section, Media and Technology Committee, Vice Chair, ICARUS newsletter co-editor (2019 – 2022)
American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section, Books and Treatises Committee, Vice Chair (2016 – 2019)

Experience

Private Practice

Represented VMware Inc. in its $69 billion acquisition by Broadcom Inc.
Represented Elite Roofing Supply in its acquisition by Gulfeagle Supply.
Representing a pharmaceutical company in a confidential Federal Trade Commission investigation.
Represented Thermo Fisher Scientific in numerous matters, including its $3.1 billion acquisition of Olink, its $12.5 billion tender offer for QIAGEN N.V., and its approximately $1.85 billion acquisition of PeproTech Inc.
Represented Choice Hotels in its proposed acquisition of Wyndham Hotels.
Represented Dundee Partners in its strategic partnership with Universal Music Group to acquire KKR’s majority interest in Chord Music Partners, valued at $1.85 billion.
Represented Sagard Holdings, Fairfax Financial Holdings, and Peak Achievement Athletics Inc. in the DOJ review and clearance of Rawlings Sporting Goods’ acquisition of Easton Diamond Sports.
Represented D.G. Yuengling & Son in its joint venture with Molson Coors Beverage Company to expand west.
Counseled a leading digital platform as it considered strategic M&A options.
Advised a leading digital platform on policies and product development to minimize antitrust risk.
Represented Novartis in the sale of its animal health division to Eli Lilly.
Represented United Airlines in its proposed acquisition of take-off and landing slots from Delta at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Represented Boehringer Ingelheim before the European Commission in its acquisition of Sanofi’s animal health division.
Represented a leading U.S. technology company before the DOJ’s Antitrust Division regarding standard essential patent issues.
Represented Continental Airlines in In re Transpacific Passenger Air Transportation Antitrust Litigationand helped secure voluntary dismissal.
Represented classes of dairy farmers alleging antitrust violations in Allen, et al. vs. DFA et alin the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and In re Southeastern Milk Antitrust Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Government

Led the initial investigation of Visa’s proposed acquisition of Plaid, which (following Craig’s move to Axinn) the parties abandoned post-complaint.
Led the investigation of the proposed merger of Quad/Graphics Inc. and LSC Communications Inc., the two largest commercial printers in the U.S., resulting in the parties abandoning the deal post-complaint.
Led the investigation of Disney’s acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox, resulting in a consent decree requiring divestiture of all the target’s regional sports networks.

*Includes matters handled prior to joining Axinn