Two of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) most prominent attorneys recently visited UNC School of Law to launch an innovative antitrust litigation course. Nathan Brenner and Rohan Pai joined students and faculty in Chapel Hill this past spring to preview their groundbreaking program, which strengthens Carolina Law’s position in this increasingly critical legal field.
“This is some of the most exciting and important work going on in the country right now,” Dean Emeritus Martin H. Brinkley ’92 explained to students, drawing from his experience as the sole antitrust lawyer at his former firm. “People who know about areas like this are enormously valuable to law firms because other people don’t, and they’re scared by it.”
The two federal prosecutors bring exceptional credentials to Carolina Law. Nathan Brenner, the FTC’s deputy chief trial counsel, currently spearheads the Meta-Facebook monopolization case and recently led the FTC’s 2023 challenge to Amgen’s $27.8 billion Horizon Therapeutics acquisition. Before joining the FTC, Brenner spent four years at the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and served clerkships with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. His cases have reshaped American business, from the historic AT&T-Time Warner merger to significant health insurance consolidations.
Rohan Pai serves as deputy assistant director of the Mergers IV Division and has been a driving force in the FTC’s Bureau of Competition since joining from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in 2015. He recently helped draft the FTC’s influential 2023 Merger Guidelines while leading challenges to mergers across health care and hospital systems.
Their work spans tech giants, health care systems and fast-food chains — industries where many Carolina Law alumni practice. This breadth demands constant learning and adaptation. “Every day we are trying to become subject matter experts in something new,” Brenner told students. This variety, combined with civil litigation’s rapid pace, creates an unmatched intellectual challenge.
The new course will immerse students in this dynamic field through guest lectures from former FTC commissioners, Department of Justice section chiefs, and top private practitioners. Students will work with actual case materials through in-depth simulations, preparing them for the competitive legal market that Carolina Law graduates enter.
“You can flip between different kinds of lawyering,” Pai explained, “and practice anywhere from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte, whether specializing in merger reviews, criminal investigations, civil litigation, or transactional work.”
This partnership with two of the nation’s leading antitrust enforcers gives Carolina Law students access to expertise that few law schools can offer. As corporations and government agencies compete for antitrust talent, our graduates will enter the field with knowledge and connections that set them apart in this high-demand practice area.
