FTC Announces Reorganization of Its Competition Bureau

William J. Baer, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition, has announced a reorganization within the Bureau and the appointment of three new Assistant Directors.

The Bureau's Division formerly known as "Health Care Litigation" is now the "Health Care Services and Products Division." This name change reflects the expanded role of the division to incorporate both merger and anticompetitive practices within the health care industry. The work of the Division will focus on hospital mergers, potential anticompetitive practices among physicians and other medical practitioners, as well as related industries such as drugs and pharmaceuticals.

Effective today, Richard A. Feinstein becomes Assistant Director of the newly reorganized division. Mr. Feinstein comes to the Bureau with a wealth of both health care and antitrust experience in both the private sector and government. He has most recently practiced at the Washington, D.C. firm of McKenna & Cueno where he served as Chairman of the Health Care Department as well as heading the firm's Antitrust Practices Group. Prior to going into private practice, he was a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice where he also served as Acting Deputy Director of the Antitrust Division's Office of Policy Planning and Acting Assistant Chief of the Division's Energy Section. Mr. Feinstein earned his B.A. at Yale University and received his J.D. from Boston College of Law.

A second component of the reorganization involves combining two divisions within the Bureau formerly known as "Non-Merger Litigation I" and "Non-Merger Litigation II" into one division now being called the "Anticompetitive Practices Division." This new division will focus on all areas of non-merger anticompetitive practices, including intellectual property licensing, collusion, price fixing, boycotts and distribution practices.

Veronica Kayne has been appointed Assistant Director of the Anticompetitive Practices Division, with Patrick Roach as her deputy. Ms. Kayne joined the Bureau in 1996 from the law firm of King & Spalding where she practiced antitrust and trade regulation law, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, pricing and distribution practices, as well as intellectual property licensing. She holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.A. from UCLA. She earned her J.D., cum laude, at the Villanova University School of Law where she was a member of the Villanova Law Review, a member of their editorial board, and was Order of the Coif.

Patrick Roach also joined the Bureau in 1996 from the firm of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd where he was a partner specializing in antitrust counseling and litigation. Mr. Roach graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, and earned his J.D. at the Georgetown University Law Center where he was a member of the Law & Policy International Business.

Finally, Mr. Baer has appointed David A. Balto as Assistant Director for the Office of Policy and Evaluation. This office identifies important enforcement initiatives, advises the Bureau on enforcement actions, and drafts testimony and policy papers.

Mr. Balto joined the Bureau in 1992 as part of the Policy and Evaluation Office staff. After spending a year serving as an attorney advisor to the Chairman, he returned to the Office of Policy and Evaluation as Deputy Assistant Director. He was subsequently appointed Acting Assistant Director to replace Willard K. Tom who was promoted to Deputy Director for the Bureau. Mr. Balto started his career as an Honors Law Graduate in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice before moving into private practice with the firm of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. He earned his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. and Masters in Public Administration from Northeastern University. He won the Commission's award for outstanding scholarship in 1995.

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