Rick has represented clients across a broad range of industries, including healthcare, technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, manufacturing, consumer products, and entertainment. His practice spans antitrust litigation (including class actions), merger clearance, government investigations, counseling, and competition issues at the intersection of intellectual property and antitrust.

Before joining Axinn, Rick spent more than 30 years at the FTC, where he served as both a trial lawyer and manager in many of the agency's most significant merger and conduct matters. As lead counsel and senior advisor, he helped shape enforcement involving mergers, monopolization, standard-setting, intellectual property, healthcare, and competition policy. Rick served in key roles (e.g., lead counsel, manager) in both federal and administrative trials and investigations involving some of the most important FTC merger and non-merger cases of the past thirty-plus years. For example, Rick successfully served as lead trial attorney in North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners, a case that the Supreme Court affirmed. In addition, Rick had principal roles in Toys “R” Us, Three Tenors, Heinz, Rambus, Abbott Labs, Unocal, Intel, Dell, and Whole Foods. That experience gives clients valuable insight into how antitrust agencies evaluate investigations, litigation, and remedies.

Since joining Axinn, Rick has successfully represented clients in significant antitrust litigation, merger reviews, and counseling engagements. His work includes defending the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Sherman Act litigation and advising on numerous healthcare transactions, representing manufacturers in nationwide price-fixing and information exchange class actions, defending companies in standard-setting and competitor litigation, counseling clients on complex antitrust compliance issues, and advising trade associations on competition-related regulatory matters.

Rick is widely recognized for his contributions to antitrust law. He received the FTC's Brandeis Award for Outstanding Litigator and the FTC's Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his leadership and litigation accomplishments. Rick was recently included by Lawdragon in its “500 Leading Antitrust & Global Competition Lawyers” and its “500 Leading Dealmakers in America.” In addition, The National Law Journal selected Rick for its inaugural list of Antitrust Trailblazers.