Chair's Column

• Publication year: 2014

CHAIR'S COLUMN

Kenneth R. O'Rourke

O'Melveny & Myers LLP

Los Angeles, CA

California is an exciting place to practice competition law. The heart of the country's high-tech (Silicon Valley), entertainment (Hollywood), wine (Napa/Sonoma), and agriculture (Central Valley) industries are located here. California is the country's gateway to Asia and the Pacific Rim, has the country's largest seaport complex (Long Beach/Los Angeles), and would be considered among the top ten largest economies in the world if California were counted as a country. California may be known as the state that pioneered freeways, but it's the digital highway and the cross-roads of intellectual property and antitrust law that put California on the legal map today.

This is also home to the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division Northern California field office (San Francisco), the country's clear leader in investigating and prosecuting international price fixing cartels. These prosecutions in turn lead to an avalanche of complex civil litigation and private enforcement proceedings often filed in California courts. Indeed, our state attracts more antitrust class actions than any other state. We also have an active FTC regional office and most everyone would agree we have the number one state attorney general office for leading multi-state antitrust enforcement proceedings. Did I mention our terrific beaches, weather and national parks. . .

Seriously, we have it all. And at the very top of the professional chart is our strong and collegial Bar in which many of the nation's leading antitrust enforcers, in-house counsel and private practitioners actively participate. This is the main reason I'm so excited to take the helm of the California State Bar Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section for 2013-14. It's a great group, and we have exciting plans for the year as we carry out our Section's mission, to promote and teach antitrust and unfair competition laws while enhancing professionalism.

How does the Section do this? In several ways:

Journal of Competition. You have in your hand—or at your fingertips if you are reading this column on line—our latest edition. Competition is published twice a year with informative articles on antitrust and unfair competition law developments, policy points of view, and useful information such as antitrust trial tips and practice pointers. The current edition is outstanding. More about this edition in a moment.
Webinars. Every month or two our Section

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