Ian R. Conner

ian.conner@lw.com

+1.202.637.1042

"Brings experience at the FTC and has notable expertise regarding healthcare sector matters."

Legal 500 US 2025

'"Very good at what he does and is easy to work with."

Legal 500 US 2025

Thought Leader – Competition

Who's Who Legal 2025

"A prominent lawyer who is highly sought after by clients in a diverse range of sectors, including pharmaceutical, technology, oil and gas and transport."

Who's Who Legal 2022

Profile

Ian Conner — former Director of the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Competition and Trial Attorney at the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice — advises leading multinational companies and private equity firms on complex antitrust and competition matters.

Ian draws on two decades of experience, as both a high-ranking enforcer and an elite private practitioner, to guide clients through their most nuanced matters, with a particular focus on:

Merger control
Government investigations
Class actions
Third-party representation before antitrust agencies

He leverages his comprehensive understanding of agency operations, acute business sense, and thorough knowledge of case law to develop innovative legal strategies that help clients achieve success in their highest-stakes matters.

Ian headed antitrust enforcement at the FTC as Director of the Bureau of Competition from 2019 to 2021, and served as Deputy Director from 2017 to 2019. As Director, Ian led a staff of nearly 300 at the FTC’s Bureau of Competition through the most active enforcement year since 2000. He oversaw the creation of the agency’s Technology Enforcement Division and the release of the 2020 iteration of the vertical merger guidelines with the DOJ, as well as initiated a proposed rulemaking and re-examination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. As a testament to Ian's leadership as Director, the Bureau of Competition ranked 3rd out of 411 agency components in the annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government survey.

Ian began his career as a Trial Attorney in the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, which he joined through the Attorney General’s Honors Program. He also served as a Special Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he first-chaired trials in federal court.

A recognized industry leader, he has held various leadership positions within the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section, including as Co-Chair of the Fall Forum (2023–2024), Vice Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Committee (2017–2019), Vice Chair of the Civil Practice and Procedure Committee (2014–2017), and Founder and Co-Chair (2010–2012) and Chair (2012–2014) of the Agriculture and Food Committee. Ian was named as one of the top lateral hires of 2021 when he joined Latham.

Experience

Ian’s experience includes representing:

Merger Clearance

GTCR and Biocoat in their successful defense to FTC’s suit challenging the acquisition of Surmodics by Biocoat
Omnicom in its settlement with the FTC clearing its US$13.5 billion acquisition of Interplublic
AbbVie:
- In its US$10.1 billion acquisition of Immunogen
- In its US$1.925 billion licensing agreement with IGI Therapeutics SA
Carlyle:
- In its US$7.7 billion acquisition of BASF’s coatings business
- In its US$3.8 billion acquisition of Baxter’s dialysis business, Vantive
Crossover Health, a healthcare provider, in its sale Premise Health
CyberArk, an identity security company, in its US$25 billion sale to Palo Alto Networks and its US$1.54 billion acquisition of Venafi
KKR:
- In its investment in Ontic
- In its investment in XOi
- In its acquisition of Marmic Fire
- In its acquisition of Level Access and eSSENTIAL Accessibility
Savvy, a leading video game group, in two international acquisitions of a leading esports company and an interactive, mobile-first video game company
Cerner, a provider of digital information systems for the healthcare industry, in obtaining global merger clearances for its US$28.3 billion sale to Oracle
Paper Excellence in its US$3 acquisition of Domtar and its US$2.7 billion acquisition of Resolute Forest Products
Intuit in its US$12 billion acquisition of MailChimp
LifePoint Health and Apollo Global Management portfolio company in acquiring Kindred Healthcare
ANI Pharmaceuticals in the antitrust aspects of its US$210 million acquisition of Novitium Pharma, a privately held pharmaceutical company
Teva Pharmaceuticals in its US$40.5 billion acquisition of Allergan’s generics business, which received the 2017 Global Competition Review award for Merger Control Matter of the Year – Americas*

Antitrust Conduct Investigations

Gateway Resources in its settlement of FTC claims regarding noncompete clauses in employment contracts
A pharmaceutical company in connection with the FTC’s investigation of pharmacy benefits managers; no claims were brought by the FTC against the client
A food products company in connection with a Robinson-Patman Act investigation by the FTC; no claims were brought by the FTC against the client
Abbott Laboratories in an FTC investigation into collusion in the infant formula space; no claims were brought against the client
O-I Glass in an investigation and settlement of the use of noncompete clauses in employment contracts

Litigation

Deere & Company in ongoing litigation against the FTC in the Northern District of Illinois
Walmart, a leading global retailer, in litigation brought by the FTC in the Northern District of Illinois
A third party in a US Department of Justice challenge to the JetBlue/Spirit merger
American Airlines in litigation with the US Department of Justice regarding an airline joint venture

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham

Qualifications

Bar Qualification

District of Columbia
Virginia

Education

JD, William & Mary Law School, 2003
Law Review: Thomas Jefferson Prize for most outstanding note in the Bill of Rights Journal volume
BA in Public Policy, Washington & Lee University, 2000