Biography • Competition

D Bruce Hoffman, a former deputy director of the FTC's bureau of competition, is the head of Hunton & Williams' competition practice. He has extensive experience with antitrust, competition and consumer protection/FTC matters, including merger review, government investigations and litigation. He is currently representing a major insurance company in the defence of a landmark antitrust lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice and a state attorney general as well as in follow-on private cases. Also, Mr Hoffman recently provided antitrust counselling to the world's largest music company in its purchase of another music company. Additionally, he is currently representing other clients from a range of industries in various aspects of the merger review process and in numerous antitrust litigations and investigations.

Recently, he represented a defendant in a series of putative class action lawsuits alleging price fixing in the markets for cement and concrete in Florida, in which the trial court denied certification of the putative classes. Mr Hoffman also recently served as trial counsel for a high technology firm in an antitrust trial, successfully arguing appeal before the Eighth US Circuit Court of Appeals in the defence of the dismissal of a price-fixing case; represented a national health insurer in defending antitrust claims regarding a purported group boycott; and defended a multinational food company in class action antitrust litigation alleging price fixing.

From 2001 to 2004, Mr Hoffman served at the FTC's Bureau of Competition as associate director and then as deputy director. He oversaw the bureau's antitrust enforcement activities, including merger reviews, litigation, and policy development, and had direct responsibility for two of the bureau's four merger divisions.

Mr Hoffman received a JD from the University of Florida College of Law, where he was Order of the Coif and received the WD McDonald Prize for graduating first in his class. He earned a BA from Penn State University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.