Richard Parker

Primary Focus & Experience

Mr. Parker is a leading antitrust lawyer who has successfully represented clients before both enforcement agencies and the courts.

As an experienced antitrust trial and regulatory lawyer, Mr. Parker has been involved in many major antitrust representations, including merger clearance cases, cartel matters, class actions, and government civil investigations. He has extensive experience representing clients in matters before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division.

From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Parker served as the Senior Deputy Director and then as Director of the Bureau of Competition at the FTC. 

Representative Engagements

• Represented Deutsche Telekom in its successful defense of a challenge by 16 states to the Sprint- T Mobile merger*
• Represented Tronox in resolving FTC challenges to its acquisition of National Titanium Dioxide*
• Represented US Airways in the DOJ investigation and litigation that ultimately allowed the airline’s merger with American Airlines to become the largest airline in the world*
• Represented Sysco in federal court defending the FTC challenge to its proposed merger with US Foods*
• Represented Triton Coal in a successful defense of its merger with Arch Coal in a trial against the FTC in federal district court*
• Represented Mitchell Corporation in court in defense of an FTC challenge to its merger with CCC Holdings*
• Represented Alaska Airlines in achieving DOJ approval of its merger with Virgin America*
• Currently defending Smithfield Foods in an MDL proceeding alleging antitrust claims in the food industry*
• Currently representing American Airlines in an MDL proceeding alleging antitrust claims in the airline industry*
• Represented companies and individuals in criminal antitrust investigations in food, chemicals, air travel, consumer goods, and industrial products industries*
• Represented Honeywell International in MDL proceedings involving alleged price fixing in the auto parts industry*
• Represented Agrium in MDL proceedings involving alleged price fixing in the potash industry*
• Represented Asiana Airlines, Inc. in two MDL actions involving direct and indirect purchaser classes of air passengers and air cargo services*
• Represented DeGussa A.G. in class actions alleging price fixing in the carbon black and hydrogen peroxide industries*
• Represented Honeywell International in class actions involving alleged monopolization of the sale of certain thermostats and alleged price fixing of auto parts*
• Represented ExxonMobil in class actions involving alleged sharing of salary information*
• Represented Capital One in treble damage litigation involving the interchange fee*
• Represented Hertz in a class action litigation alleging price fixing in California*
• Represented eBay in class actions alleging monopolization and illegal tying*
• Represented United Airlines in antitrust class actions involving computer reservation systems*
• Represented Quest Diagnostics and Unilab in obtaining FTC approval of their merger*
• Represented Avant! in obtaining approval of its merger with Synopsys before the FTC*
• Represented Univision in connection with DOJ review of its merger with Hispanic Broadcast Corporation*
• Represented Honeywell before the FTC in the sale of its friction materials business to Federal Mogul*
• Represented CIGNA in the Insurance Antitrust Litigation, involving a multiplicity of suits by state attorneys general and private plaintiffs alleging violation of the antitrust laws*
• Represented Lockheed Corporation in its merger with Martin Marietta, and in its acquisition of the Fort Worth Division of General Dynamics*
• Represented Fresenius A.G. in its acquisition of the dialysis business of National Medical Care, Inc.*

*Representation occurred prior to Mr. Parker’s association with Milbank.

Recent Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Is it Bad to Be Big? An Antitrust Update on Monopoly Law and Enforcement,” Gibson Dunn Webcast (May 2019)
• Panelist, “Up the Creek Without a Presumption,” American Bar Association, Antitrust Section Spring Meeting, Washington, DC. (April 2019)
• Panelist, “Recent Trends in Antitrust Litigation,” American Bar Association, Antitrust Section, Webcast (February 2019)
• Moderator, “Views from the Federal Bench,” American Bar Association Fall Forum, Washington, DC. (November 2018)
• Panelist, “Mergers: Defining and Litigating Relevant Markets,” American Bar Association Antitrust Section Spring Meeting, Washington, DC (April 2018)
• Panelist, “Recent Trends in Economic Analysis of Mergers as Presented in Litigation,” Hal White Antitrust Conference (June 2016)

Recognition & Accomplishments

Mr. Parker received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the UCLA School of Law, where he served as the Comment Editor of UCLA Law Review. He is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia. His experience in high-profile merger trials has earned him high honors, including being recognized by Chambers USA as a first tier ranked “Leading Lawyer” in Antitrust, and included on Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America” list. Mr. Parker is also recognized by Legal 500 for antitrust.

In 2021, he was named East Coast Antitrust Litigator of the Year by Benchmark Litigation. Who’s Who Legal named Mr. Parker to their “Thought Leaders: Global Elite” list for Competition every year since 2018. He has been recognized by the Legal Times, Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon, and by Super Lawyers Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Washington, DC Lawyers.” 

In 2020, The Am Law Litigation Daily named him Litigator of the Week for successfully persuading a federal judge to approve the $26 billion T-Mobile and Sprint merger.

In 2014, Mr. Parker was named by Global Competition Review as “Litigator of the Week” and as a finalist for “Lawyer of the Year” for his work as lead trial counsel to US Airways in its merger with American Airlines. According to GCR, the merger was named “Matter of the Year” “on account of the shrewd, pre-emptive lawyering required to outmaneuver lawsuits from a host of antitrust enforcers.”