AnnM.
O'BrienShe / Her / Hers

PartnerCo-Leader, Antitrust and Competition Practice Group
LINKEDIN
Ann O'Brien

Overview

Ann O'Brien advises corporations and individuals facing criminal and civil antitrust investigations and litigation. A former antitrust prosecutor and leader at the U.S. Department of Justice for nearly 20 years, Ann brings her experience and valuable agency insights to her clients. Ann is co-leader of the Antitrust and Competition practice group. 

During her government service, Ann was involved in virtually every major criminal enforcement and policy decision made by DOJ’s Antitrust Division. In private practice, Ann has successfully defended clients in novel and high-stakes antitrust investigations and litigation, including some of the nation’s first antitrust no-poach, criminal monopolization and AI facilitated collusion matters. She also has comprehensive knowledge of antitrust enforcement in other countries and has developed strong relationships with both U.S. and foreign antitrust enforcers and regulators. 

Recognized by Chambers USA for antitrust and cartels, Ann uses her experience to strategically guide clients facing international, domestic and multi-agency antitrust and competition exposure and parallel litigation as few lawyers can. 

Clients appreciate Ann’s responsive, solution-oriented approach, bringing a strategic focus to antitrust investigations and litigation and identifying key issues early in order to open pathways to resolution. 

Ann has substantial experience leading every aspect of domestic and international antitrust and white-collar investigations and prosecutions, including litigating federal criminal jury trials. 

She also provides clients with cutting-edge compliance counseling and training that can help deter or quickly detect antitrust exposure, informed by what is most important to the DOJ, FTC, and the courts. 

Outside the office, Ann is an avid Notre Dame fan. Go Irish! 

Experience

Criminal Antitrust Investigations

  • Representing global engineering and technology solutions company Cyient in criminal antitrust investigation alleging novel “no-poach” agreements between an aerospace provider and its outsource engineering services providers to restrict the hiring and recruiting of engineers and skilled laborers working on aerospace projects. The U.S. Department of Justice’s third criminal criminal no-poach trial against six aerospace industry executives and managers, including a Cyient executive, for their alleged participation in the conspiracy resulted in an unprecedented judicial acquittal in April 2023. The criminal investigation closed without additional corporate or individual charges.
  • Representing a health system in a non-public criminal antitrust investigation, successfully navigating client through novel unilateral criminal monopolization investigation.
  • Representing a non-profit institute and public university in a non-public criminal antitrust bid-rigging investigation conducted by the Antitrust Division led-Procurement Collusion Strike Force.
  • Represented a corporate subject of one of the first criminal no-poach and wage-fixing prosecutions. 
  • Representing an individual healthcare executive in an Antitrust Division criminal price-fixing and obstruction investigation, resulting in no charges for client. 
  • Representing a Fortune 100 multinational communications and technology company in a non-public criminal antitrust investigation of an alleged hub-and-spoke price-fixing cartel, resulting in no charges for client or its executives. 
  • Representing Fortune 500 energy company through Antitrust Division Leniency Policy marker process in matter presenting complex legal and factual issues. 
  • Representing individual petroleum company executive in non-public criminal antitrust investigation market-allocation, resulting in no charges for client.  
  • Representing an individual digital advertising executive in an Antitrust Division criminal no-poach investigation, resulting in no charges for client. 

FCPA

  • Worked on a parallel DOJ Criminal and Antitrust Division and FCPA and antitrust investigation reaching a first-of-its-kind corporate resolution binding both the Antitrust and Criminal Division and resulting in $579 million in criminal fines and disgorgement – the second-largest FCPA fine paid by a U.S. company at that time. 

Litigation

  • Defending Realty One Group, Inc. against antitrust claims relating to alleged conspiracy to fix buyer broker commissions on residential real estate transactions. 
  • Defending Essex Property Trust (NYSE: ESS) against antitrust claims relating to alleged conspiracy to fix rental rates for multifamily apartment units using industry software and algorithm provided by RealPage. In re RealPage, Inc. Rental Software Antitrust Litigation (No. II), Case No. 23-3071 (M.D. Tenn.)
  • Defending Cyient, Inc. against antitrust claims brought by a putative class of aerospace engineers alleging a “no-poach” conspiracy between employers not to hire from each other. Borozny et al. v. Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Pratt & Whitney Division, et al., Case No 3:21-cv-01657 (D. Conn.).
  • Defending Hartford HealthCare Corporation against monopolization claims brought by competitor Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in federal court, and also against related class action brought by a putative class of individuals enrolled in commercial health plans. Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Inc. v. Hartford Healthcare Corporation, Case No. 3:22-cv-00050-AVC (D. Conn.) and John Brown et al. v. Hartford HealthCare Corp., Case No. HHD-CV22-6152239-S (Superior Court of the Judicial District of Hartford).
  • Representing a fitness platform third-party in FTC v. Meta, DOJ Apple investigation and In re Google Play Antitrust Litigation civil antitrust lawsuits. 
  • Representing corporate advertiser third-party subpoena recipient in S. v. Google and State of Colorado et al. v. Google civil antitrust lawsuits. 
  • Representing an advertising platform third-party CID recipient in Texas attorney general antitrust investigation of Google. 

Civil Competition and Consumer Protection Investigations

  • Representing a professional sports team as a third-party in the Ticketmast/LiveNation antitrust decree violation investigation.
  • Representing a beverage retailer in FTC Robinson-Patman Act investigation regarding discriminatory practices or engaged in other unfair methods of competition in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.
  • Representing an AI-powered app developer and platform in FTC consumer protection investigation of novel AI as a means or instrumentality to write fake reviews in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.
  • Worked on international extraditions involving antitrust defendants and foreign assistance requests pursuant Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLAT) and International Antitrust Enforcement Assistance Act (IAEAA).
  • Providing antitrust compliance advice and training for multiple global companies. 
Credentials
Education

J.D., Northeastern University School of Law, 1999 

B.A., Government and International Studies, University of Notre Dame, 1996 

Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court 

U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit 

U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut 

U.S. District Court, District of Columbia 

U.S. District Court, District of Maryland 

Maryland 

District of Columbia 

Honors

Litigation Star, Competition/Antitrust, Benchmark Litigation, 2026

Leading Global Antitrust and Competition Lawyer, Lawdragon, 2026

Leading Lawyer, Antitrust and Antitrust: Cartels, Chambers USA, 2025

Leading Lawyer, Antitrust: Cartels, Chambers Global, 2026

Global Competition Review’s "Women in Antitrust 2025” list, which recognizes women around the world for their accomplishments in the antitrust field

Top Author, JD Supra Readers' Choice Awards, 2024

Global Competition Review’s "Women in Antitrust 2021” list, which recognizes 138 women around the world for their accomplishments in the antitrust field

Recommended in Litigation: Civil litigation/class actions, The Legal 500 United States, 2021, 2023-2024

U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division

  • Assistant Attorney General Award, 2006, 2015
  • Special Achievement Award, 2009

Counsel of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency: Award for Excellence, 2013

U.S. General Services Administration OIG: Special Recognition Award, 2012

Chambers USA 2025_ Ann O'Brien
JD Supra Top Author 2024
Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer 2024
Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer 2025
Memberships
  • ABA Antitrust Section, Vice Chair of the Cartel and Criminal Practice Committee, 2025 to 2026
  • Vice Chair, Women’s White Collar Defense Association Global Programs Committee
  • ABA Antitrust Section, International Cartel Task Force, 2024 to 2025
  • CYO Youth Basketball Coach (2018) 
  • Justice Department Child Development Center, Just Us Kids 
    • Vice President (2016 to 2017) 
    • Board Member (2015 to 2016) 
  • Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Parish and School 
    • Giving Tree Holiday Gift Giving Program: Coordinator (2014 to 2016) 
    • School Advisory Board, Strategic Planning Extracurricular Committee: Member (2015 to 2018) 
Thought Leadership

Having established herself as a thought leader in the antitrust community, Ann regularly speaks and writes on a broad-range of antitrust topics, including serving as co-editor of Competition Policy International’s Cartel column and editing the ABA’s Antitrust Cartel Leniency and Sentencing Handbook. 

"Understanding the Legal Landscape: Antitrust Considerations," 2024 WHLC Women in Healthcare Leadership Summit, October 24, 2024

"Law Firm Leadership Panel and Networking Reception," Georgetown Antitrust & Competition Law Association, February 28, 2024

"Prepare For NLRB Collaboration With Antitrust Agencies," Law360, August 2022

"Not Guilty: Juries Acquit in First Criminal Antitrust No-Poaching and Wage-Fixing Trials," Today's General Counsel, May 2022

"Antitrust Division Wins First Round in No-Poach Case, but There Is Lots More to Watch," American Health Law Association, April 2022

Client Testimonials
“Ann O'Brien was instrumental in bringing up the legal strategy for the case. She has great client relationship skills. She is empathetic and intuitive. She is a very effective collaborator. Ann previously worked at the DOJ. …She is extremely impressive. She knows the ins and outs of the DOJ, both as lead prosecutor and from various management positions she held. She has a wealth of experience and tremendous credibility not just with the DOJ, but also with those outside of the US. She has really translated it into practice with sound advice. She is good at anticipating the DOJ's moves. She has very good relationships with the DOJ. She is viewed as a fighter; she is able to vigorously represent clients." – Antitrust client, Chambers USA, 2024

“Ann O’Brien is incredibly smart, considerate and supportive, keeping me informed and answering my questions. She understood that being from another country, I needed more explanations than people familiar with the US justice system.” – Antitrust client, Legal 500 US, 2024

“Ann O’Brien did a fantastic job.” – Antitrust client, Legal 500 US, 2024

“Sheppard’s cartel defense practice has defended multinationals in some of the largest U.S. civil antitrust cartel proceedings in the nation’s litigation history. With the addition earlier this year of former DOJ Antitrust Division’s Ann O’Brien, D.C. attorneys have a laser focus on the criminal component of U.S. antitrust law.” – Antitrust client, Legal 500 US, 2024

“[Sheppard’s] ability to handle complex and sophisticated [antitrust] matters is very strong…The addition of Ann O'Brien to the Sheppard team has given Sheppard the ability to handle complex [matters]. Their service levels and responsiveness are very strong. Ann O'Brien is always on top of the matter and is proactive in her approach. Their ability to deliver to budget and provide overall value for money is very strong." – Antitrust client, Chambers USA, 2024

“Ann O'Brien's client service and general level of service, level of sophistication and commercial vision are all very strong. I loved working with Ann. I trusted her and felt she had my best interests at heart at all times. She was sensitive to my concerns and personal situation, and was caring and professional throughout. I am lucky to have had her as my lawyer.” – Antitrust client, Chambers USA, 2024

“Ann O'Brien is an expert in criminal antitrust matters. That is her real specialty. She spent many years in the DOJ and she can really flex the hardest in investigations work. Aside from the DOJ expert investigations process, she is not afraid to fight. I think because of that and her confidence in her knowledge of DOJ investigations, practice and laws, she was able to really fight and defend.” – Antitrust client, Chambers USA, 2024

“Ann O'Brien's client service and general level of service, level of sophistication and commercial vision are all very strong. Ann is a leading antitrust practitioner in the areas of criminal and parallel proceedings. Her experience of almost 20 years at the DOJ provides valuable insight and is of great assistance from a strategic standpoint. The addition of Ann O'Brien to the Sheppard team has given Sheppard the ability to handle complex [specific matters]. This adds to the prior expertise in [specific area] matters. Ann O'Brien is always on top of the matter and is proactive in her approach.” – Antitrust client, Chambers USA, 2024

*Nothing on this site predicts or guarantees future results.
“Ann O'Brien is a leading antitrust practitioner in the areas of criminal and parallel proceedings. Her experience of almost 20 years at the DOJ provides valuable insight and is of great assistance from a strategic standpoint. Ann is always on top of the matter and is proactive in her approach.”
Antitrust client, Chambers USA, 2024