Mark Chicu focuses on antitrust and competition matters, including analysis of mergers and allegedly anticompetitive conduct. He supports attorneys and experts in all phases of high-stakes litigation and regulatory matters, including pre-deal risk assessment, investigations, discovery, depositions, and through trial. With extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, Dr. Chicu’s work leverages a detailed understanding of antitrust economics, relevant regulatory and legal settings, and sophisticated econometric models and data analysis.
Dr. Chicu served as an Acting Assistant Chief in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where he worked for nearly five years before joining Cornerstone Research. His work at the DOJ included testifying as an economic expert on behalf of the United States in deposition and at trial in U.S. v. Booz Allen Hamilton Holdings Corp, et al. Dr. Chicu also supervised the economics teams in DOJ’s successful litigation to block the JetBlue/Spirit merger and in DOJ’s conduct-related case against Agri Stats, Inc. He took a prominent role in other high-profile DOJ merger and conduct-related litigations, including U.S. v. Visa Inc. and Plaid Inc.; U.S. v. United States Sugar Corporation, et al.; and U.S. and Plaintiff States v. UnitedHealth Group Inc., and Amedisys, Inc.
In addition, Dr. Chicu has managed or helped lead over twenty-five investigations, analyzing proposed mergers and conduct in a range of industries, including agricultural products, airlines, business software, construction, consumer packaged goods, defense contracting, logistics, oilfield services, professional sports, telecommunications, television and movie studios, and video streaming.
Dr. Chicu’s research has analyzed strategic firm interactions in pricing and investment, both independently and in the context of collusion, coordination, and pay-for-delay agreements. He has published articles in leading economics journals, including the International Journal of Industrial Organization, the Review of Industrial Organization, Economics Letters, and the Journal of Sports Economics. He also coauthored a chapter in The Antitrust Revolution: Economics, Competition, and Policy, a reference book that examines the role of economic analysis in antitrust case decisions and policy.
Before joining the DOJ, Dr. Chicu worked for seven years at another leading litigation consulting firm.
Former DOJ Antitrust Division Leader Dr. Mark Chicu Joins Cornerstone Research as Senior Advisor, Enhancing Firm’s Competition Practice