Fiona A. Schaeffer

Primary Focus & Experience

Fiona Schaeffer is an international antitrust lawyer with over 25 years of experience practicing on both sides of the Atlantic. Clients entrust Ms. Schaeffer with the defense of “bet-the-company” criminal and civil cases as well as their most complex transactions. She counsels clients in a variety of industries, with a particular depth of experience in healthcare, financial services, energy, media and communications.

Ms. Schaeffer regularly represents clients in FTC and DOJ investigations and follow on class actions in the US and internationally. She also counsels clients on optimizing intellectual property rights and licensing, distribution and marketing practices without creating unnecessary legal risks. Ms. Schaeffer also has expertise in emerging issues in antitrust, including the implications of using AI models and the antitrust implications of ESG initiatives, including competitor collaborations intended to promote sustainability. She has worked with clients to develop and implement strategies to mitigate risks while achieving their business objectives.    

Ms. Schaeffer began her legal career in the UK, and has appeared before courts and regulators throughout the EU as well as other significant antitrust enforcement agencies around the world.

Recognition & Accomplishments

Ms. Schaeffer is the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law, former Chair of the Antitrust & Trade Regulation Committee of the New York City Bar Association and member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Antitrust Section.

She is consistently recognized as a leading antitrust lawyer by Chambers, The Legal 500, Global Competition Review and Benchmark Litigation, among others. Clients have observed that she "combines incredible substantive knowledge of the antitrust field with a pragmatic and commercial approach to problem solving" (Chambers USA). In 2022, 2023, and 2024, Ms. Schaeffer was recognized in Lawdragon's 500 Leading Litigators in America Guide. In 2019, she was selected for W@’s inaugural “40 in their 40s” list of Notable Women Competition Professionals in the Americas. In 2020, Ms. Schaeffer was shortlisted for Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards for “Best in Antitrust/Competition” and won in the same category in 2017.  In 2016, she was recognized as one of the leading Women in Antitrust globally by the Global Competition Review. Ms. Schaeffer was also previously selected by her peers as one of the top 40 competition lawyers under 40 globally in Global Competition Review. In 2023, Ms. Schaeffer was recognized in WWL: Thought Leaders Competition 2024.