Biography: Competition

Gary R Spratling is a partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and co-chair of the firm's antitrust and trade regulation practice group. Mr Spratling's practice focuses on international antitrust issues and draws upon his years of experience as a US government official working on policy and enforcement with antitrust authorities worldwide. Mr Spratling's global expertise regarding the anti-cartel enforcement practices of every major competition enforcement authority, and the development of integrated international strategies in response thereto, has guided numerous successful representations of organisations and individuals facing exposure in multiple jurisdictions.

Before entering private practice, Mr Spratling was a US Department of Justice prosecutor for 28 years, serving most recently as the deputy assistant attorney general responsible for investigating and prosecuting international cartels and other criminal violations of US antitrust laws. He was the highest ranking career lawyer in the antitrust division. In addition to receiving nearly every major award given by the Department of Justice, Mr Spratling is a two-time recipient of the Presidential Rank Award (President Bush and President Clinton) – the highest honour conferred on federal government executives – and was the recipient of the Antitrust Lawyer of the Year Award from the State Bar of California.

Mr Spratling has worked extensively with foreign antitrust authorities on policy issues and enforcement practices. He organised and led the first international workshop on cartel enforcement attended by officials from nearly 30 countries and the EU. He continues to consult with competition authorities worldwide.

Mr Spratling has represented a large number of companies and individuals in connection with US and foreign cartel investigations and litigation. At last count, he had represented parties in more than 35 international cartel matters and in scores of leniency applications in nearly 20 countries on five continents, including Chunghwa Picture Tubes in the multi-jurisdictional LCD and CRT investigations, and Micron Technology in the DRAM and SRAM antitrust investigations and litigation. In 2011 alone, Mr Spratling represented clients in investigations by 22 separate enforcement authorities in 17 different jurisdictions, on five continents.

Mr Spratling is co-chair of the American Bar Association section of antitrust law's international cartel task force and has served as a member of the ABA section of antitrust law's governing council, co-chair of its criminal practice and procedure committee, and a member of the International Bar Association and its leniency working group.

Mr Spratling is invited to speak every year at numerous conferences and programmes around the world, variously sponsored by the ABA, IBA, other bar associations, government organisations, competition enforcement agencies, and business forums, variously in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. Mr Spratling has co-chaired the ABA/IBA international cartel workshop all nine times it has been presented, including the 2012 international cartel workshop in Vancouver.

Mr Spratling is recognised by his peers all over the world as the go-to attorney for international cartel matters. In just the last two years, he has been conferred such peer distinction globally (Global Competition Review's Cartel Lawyer of the Year), nationally (Law360's 10 Most Admired Attorneys), and locally (Best Lawyer's San Francisco Litigation – Antitrust Lawyer of the Year).