W. Robert Majure

Bob Majure coheads Cornerstone Research’s merger investigations practice in Washington, DC. Dr. Majure has wide-ranging expertise in competition analysis in mergers and joint ventures, antitrust issues of firm conduct, regulatory proceedings, and appellate filings. His experience spans many industries, including agriculture, energy, health insurance, high tech, industrial equipment, media, professional services, telecommunications, and transportation.

Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) has recommended Dr. Majure as a leader among consulting experts and competition economists.

Merger review

Dr. Majure has extensive merger review experience consulting to government agencies, merging parties, and third parties in high-profile matters, some of which proceeded to litigation. His work on behalf of the government includes leading roles in the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) successful challenges to JetBlue/Spirit and to the American Airlines/JetBlue Airways Northeast Alliance.

He has also had leading roles working with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), including In the Matter of Edgewell Personal Care Company and Harry’s Inc. and In the Matter of Aveanna Healthcare LLC and Maxim Healthcare Services.

In Canadian Pacific Railway/Kansas City Southern, counsel for Canadian Pacific Railway retained Dr. Majure to analyze competitive effects in its $31 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern and to testify before the Surface Transportation Board. The decision to approve the merger cited Dr. Majure’s analysis of horizontal and vertical competition issues.

Competition

Dr. Majure has supported multiple high-profile clients, including those in the live events, payments, professional sports, and technology industries, during government investigations alleging anticompetitive conduct. In these confidential matters, he provided analysis to the relevant agencies, resulting in positive client outcomes. Dr. Majure has also served as an expert witness, preparing expert reports and testifying in deposition on behalf of private clients. In proceedings before the Copyright Royalty Board, he testified on behalf of Major League Baseball (MLB) regarding the allocation of royalties paid by cable and satellite providers for distant-signal broadcasts.

Regulatory experience

Before joining Cornerstone Research, Dr. Majure served as Director of Economics for the DOJ’s Antitrust Division. In that role, he worked closely with the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economic Analysis and other members of the Antitrust Division front office, monitoring merger enforcement and litigation matters, allegations of anticompetitive horizontal conduct, and monopolization. Dr. Majure received awards for senior executive civil service, culminating in Presidential recognition.

An expert in industrial organization economics, Dr. Majure worked on every merger challenge brought by the Antitrust Division during his nine years as Director, including Aetna/Humana, Anthem/Cigna, AT&T/T-Mobile, AT&T/Time Warner, GE/Electrolux, and USAir/American. He was also instrumental in major merger settlements, notably Anheuser-Busch InBev/SABMiller, Bayer/Monsanto, Comcast/NBCU, CVS/Aetna, and Dow/DuPont.

As part of the DOJ’s non-merger enforcement, Dr. Majure supervised numerous investigations of business practices, as well as several challenges, such as American Express, Apple, and Carolinas Healthcare System.

Dr. Majure’s career at the DOJ spanned nearly twenty-five years and several key roles. In addition to supporting the Antitrust Division’s enforcement and policy activities across all of its areas of interest, he frequently coordinated practices and policies with senior representatives of other domestic and international enforcement agencies, such as the FTC and the Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP). He was also actively involved in multinational competition policy efforts through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Competition Network (ICN).

Previously, Dr. Majure served as a Section Chief and as an Assistant Section Chief in the Antitrust Division’s Economic Analysis Group (EAG). In these capacities, he led the economic team supporting the Division’s enforcement and policy activities. He submitted testimony on competitive effects in Union Pacific/Southern Pacific Railroad and on the suitability of remedy in U.S. v. SBC Communications Inc. and AT&T Corp. and U.S. v. Verizon Communications Inc. and MCI Inc. He also served on the committee that drafted the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines.