Deidre Johnson focuses her practice on antitrust. As head of the firm's Premerger Notification practice, she counsels clients on their obligations under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and foreign premerger regimes and has successfully guided numerous clients through the premerger process, responding to informal inquiries and second requests as necessary. She routinely represents buyers, shareholders and sellers in financial and strategic acquisitions of all types from leveraged buy-outs, stock acquisitions, joint venture formations, and public takeovers to licensing transactions and co-development/co-promotion agreements.

Deidre has prepared several hundred HSR filings and routinely coordinates merger clearances in multiple jurisdictions including the European Union and its member states, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Turkey, Russia, South Africa and South Korea, among others. Her clients include multi-national corporations, private equity, venture capital and hedge funds, mutual funds and investment advisors; she also counsels executive officers and directors in HSR Act compliance in connection with the grant and exercise of stock and stock options. She also advises clients with respect to permissible pre-clearance and pre-closing activities, including information exchanges.

Deidre frequently speaks on premerger matters, including most recently What Sponsors Need to Know About the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Rule Changes (July 2011) in conjunction with the Premerger Notification Office of the Federal Trade Commission.