Morgan Lewis Releases Annual Global Cartel Enforcement Report

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morgan Lewis has issued its annual Global Cartel Enforcement Report, a comprehensive analysis of global cartel enforcement and civil litigation conducted by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and competition agencies across the globe. The report, produced by Morgan Lewis's Antitrust group, examines trends in compliance programs and corporate criminal liability.

Issuing $3.8 billion in fines for fiscal year 2015, the DOJ has set a record arising from cartel activity—more than twice the previous high and more than three times greater than fines issued in 2014. The report offers an in-depth look at cartel activity occurring in specific industry sectors, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, transportation, and electronics, among others.

The report also examines the increased role of compliance programs in countries such as the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, and Canada, as well as an uptick in the coordination of international probes. An emphasis by the DOJ on individual targets in complex white-collar investigations and renewed efforts of its Antitrust Division to extradite foreign-based targets are among the trends highlighted.

To learn more, read the full Global Cartel Enforcement Report.

Morgan Lewis's antitrust lawyers act as US, European, and global coordinating counsel for multinational corporations in international cartel investigations, guiding clients through the critical stages of the US cartel litigation process, from initial investigation through final resolution. The team handles multijurisdictional cartel investigations and civil litigation, and defends the world's largest corporations in high-stakes treble damages class actions involving allegations of price-fixing and other misconduct. Clients rely on Morgan Lewis to help establish compliance programs to prevent or detect potential cartel conduct that could result in substantial criminal liability.

Lawyers on the firm's leading Antitrust team include a number of former senior enforcement officials, including an assistant chief, senior trial attorney, and chief of staff with the DOJ's Antitrust Division, a US attorney for the District of Delaware, and a White House counsel.

About Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Founded in 1873, Morgan Lewis offers more than 2,000 lawyers, patent agents, benefits advisers, regulatory scientists, and other specialists—in 28 offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm provides comprehensive litigation, corporate, transactional, regulatory, intellectual property, and labor and employment legal services to clients of all sizes—from globally established industry leaders to just-conceived start-ups. For more information about Morgan Lewis or its practices, please visit us online at www.morganlewis.com.