Michael B. Bernstein

About Michael B. Bernstein

I lead Arnold & Porter’s U.S. Antitrust/Competition practice group. I am a Chambers-ranked practitioner and trusted advisor to major corporations, private equity firms, and boards of directors. I have extensive experience obtaining antitrust clearance for mergers, acquisitions, and other business combinations from federal, state, and foreign competition authorities and been lead counsel in numerous matters for GE, BP, Kroger, Boston Scientific, and AMC Entertainment, among others. I also handle government investigations and civil litigation, and counsel clients on the antitrust implications of business practices.I have been recognized for my work by The Legal 50•••15–2024) and am listed on Lexology’s Global Elite Thought Leaders 2024 for Client Choice – Competition, as well as Chambers, which notes that I am \"highly regarded for [my] handling of antitrust concerns related to a variety of transactions\" and \"demonstrates significant talent in his representation of high-profile clients in mergers, civil litigation and government investigations.\" Clients describe me as— \"Responsive, knowledgeable and practical. His legal advice balances commercial interests and legal risks.\"(Chambers USA)— \"Always looking for the best solution for the company, taking esoteric antitrust law and making it understandable\"(Chambers USA)— \"Gets right to the issue,\"\"very practical and able to dig into complex matters\"(Chambers USA)— \"Tremendously responsive and practical\" and \"an adept negotiator\" with a \"really good sense of humor\"(Acritas)— \"Excellent at negotiating with the regulatory authorities\" and \"roll[s] up his sleeves\"(Chambers USA)— \"An antitrust specialist\" that \"always goes above and beyond\"(Chambers USA)— \"Really knows his stuff\" with \"lots of merger review experience\"(Chambers USA).I maintain an active pro bono practice, where I represented the Sikh Foundation of Virginia, Hindu American Foundation and Rajdhani Mandir, as amici curiae in Sainani v. Belmont Glen Homeowners Assoc, 831 S.E.2d 662 (Va. 2019), challenging discriminatory homeowners association regulation of holiday light displays by a Hindu family that observes Hindu, Sikh and Sindhi religious festivals.I also serve on the firm\'s Hiring Committee, and am past co-chair of the firm\'s New Associate and Summer Associate committees.**Admitted in DC and IL. Not providing legal advice on this site and nothing herein should be construed to create an attorney-client relationship

Experience

1. Global Co-chair Antitrust Competition

   Arnold & Porter

   Jan 2026 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   Lead worldwide antitrust counsel for Boston Scientific- Acquisition of AMS urology portfolio from Endo for $1.6 billion - Acquisition of Symetis, Swiss structural heart company for $435 million - Acquisition of Bayer\'s interventional business for $415 million - Acquisition of Bard’s electrophysiology business for $275 millionLead worldwide antitrust counsel for GE in its $1.775 billion acquisition of Milestone AviationLead antitrust counsel for Kroger- Acquisition of Harris Teeter for $2.5 billion - Acquisition of Roundy\'s for $800 millionLead counsel for AMC Entertainment- Acquisition of Carmike for $1.1 billion - DOJ\'s investigation of movie exhibitors for potential anticompetitve conduct - Acquisition of Starplex for $172 million - DOJ’s action to enjoin NCM/Screenvision Lead antitrust counsel for BP- Sale of its Carson, California refinery and related logistics and marketing assets to Tesoro for $2.4 billion - Acquisition of Clean Energy’s upstream renewable natural gas business for $155 millionLead worldwide antitrust counsel for Saudi Basic Industries Corporation in its $640 million JV with SK Global Chemicals for the manufacture of high-performance polyethylene products.Sony and Sony/ATV Music Publishing in its $2.2 billion purchase of EMI’s music publishing businessIntel in its $7.68 billion acquisition of McAfeeAltria in its acquisition of USTUnilever in the sale of its Lawry\'s & Adolph\'s branded productsTobacco company in successfully obtaining dismissal of antitrust and constitutional claims concerning the nationwide tobacco settlement agreement. Vibo Corp. v. Conway, 594 F. Supp. 2d 758 (W.D. Ky. 2009)Oriented strand board manufacturer in a civil price fixing matter brought by direct and indirect purchasers.

Education

• Colby College

  B.A., Government

  1994 — 1998

• American University Washington College of Law

  Doctor of Law (J.D.)

  2001 — 2004

Skills

• Agile Methodologies
• Erp
• Successfactors
• Mysql
• Microsoft Excel
• Project Management
• Data Analysis
• Html
• Leadership
• Management
• Java
• Microsoft Office
• Javascript
• Drupal
• Wordpress
• Final Cut Pro
• Illustrator
• Web Design
• Swot Analysis
• Uml
• Systems Analysis
• Sdlc
• Editing
• Social Networking
• Testing
• Php
• Powerpoint
• Microsoft Word
• Sql
• Pivot Tables
• Active Directory
• Photoshop
• Social Media
• Service Desk
• User Experience
• Customer Service
• Css
• Sap
• Visio
• Microsoft Project