Antitrust Investigation Summary
Decision-ready antitrust investigation brief with evidence-linked chronology, legal theories, and business risk assessment.
Quick Start
Gather before drafting:
- Regulatory process documents (CIDs, subpoenas, Second Requests, notices)
- Internal investigation materials (interview memos, forensic reviews, privilege logs)
- Market data (shares, competitors, pricing, entry barriers)
- Public sources (press, filings, complaints, consent decrees)
- Current status (deadlines, productions, negotiations)
Workflow
1. Build Key-Facts Table
Populate and resolve gaps before drafting.
| Field |
Detail |
| Investigating Authority |
Agency, division, lead office, contact(s) |
| Matter Type |
Conduct, merger, or industry sweep |
| Alleged Conduct |
Price-fixing, monopolization, exclusive dealing, etc. |
| Market Definition |
Product and geographic market as asserted |
| Statutory Hooks |
Sherman §1/§2, Clayton §7, FTC Act §5, state/foreign provisions |
| Initiation Trigger |
Complaint, market study, HSR, dawn raid, etc. |
| First Notice Date |
Date and instrument |
| Procedural Posture |
Inquiry, formal investigation, litigation, appeal |
| Key Deadlines |
Production dates, meetings, milestones |
| Exposure Signals |
Penalties, remedies sought, damages claims |
| Remediation |
Compliance changes, business changes |
2. Draft Summary
Use this template. Cite every factual assertion with [source: <id>].
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED & WORK PRODUCT
CONFIDENTIAL — ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION SUMMARY
**Executive Overview**
Agency:
Matter Type:
Alleged Conduct:
Market:
Current Status:
Immediate Decisions/Actions:
**Chronology**
| Date | Event | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
**Allegations & Legal Theories**
| Theory | Conduct | Market Definition | Statutes | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
**Market & Industry Context**
- Market structure and shares:
- Key competitors:
- Barriers to entry:
- Industry dynamics or consolidation:
**Procedural Status**
- Steps completed:
- Outstanding requests:
- Upcoming milestones:
**Company Response**
- Cooperation posture:
- Privilege/objections asserted:
- Internal investigation steps:
- Remedial measures:
**Outcomes / Scenarios**
- If closed: disposition and conditions.
- If ongoing: likely outcomes and timelines.
**Risk Assessment**
| Risk Category | Exposure | Drivers | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
**Compliance Actions**
- Immediate controls:
- Medium-term enhancements:
- Training or policy updates:
3. Multi-Jurisdiction Matters
If multiple authorities are involved, create one subsection per authority and a consolidated risk section.
Pitfalls
- Allegations vs. facts: Separate clearly; never speculate.
- Missing data: Flag with
[VERIFY], especially for uncertain statutes or foreign-law citations.
- Exact references: Use precise dates, agency names, and instrument titles — do not paraphrase.
- Inferences: Label explicitly and cite the underlying source.
- Merger matters: State the asserted theory of harm and any divestiture or behavioral remedy signals.
- Parallel proceedings: Include state AGs, EC, CMA, or other competition authorities as separate subsections.
- Privilege headers: Maintain
ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED & WORK PRODUCT on every output.
1---2name: investigation-summary3description: Produces structured antitrust investigation summaries for executives and counsel. Triggers on FTC/DOJ probes, state AG investigations, foreign competition authority inquiries, merger investigations, CIDs, subpoenas, or dawn-raid responses.4---5
6# Antitrust Investigation Summary
7
8Decision-ready antitrust investigation brief with evidence-linked chronology, legal theories, and business risk assessment.
9
10## Quick Start
11
12Gather before drafting:
13- Regulatory process documents (CIDs, subpoenas, Second Requests, notices)
14- Internal investigation materials (interview memos, forensic reviews, privilege logs)
15- Market data (shares, competitors, pricing, entry barriers)
16- Public sources (press, filings, complaints, consent decrees)
17- Current status (deadlines, productions, negotiations)
18
19## Workflow
20
21### 1. Build Key-Facts Table
22
23Populate and resolve gaps before drafting.
24
25| Field | Detail |
26|---|---|
27| Investigating Authority | Agency, division, lead office, contact(s) |
28| Matter Type | Conduct, merger, or industry sweep |
29| Alleged Conduct | Price-fixing, monopolization, exclusive dealing, etc. |
30| Market Definition | Product and geographic market as asserted |
31| Statutory Hooks | Sherman §1/§2, Clayton §7, FTC Act §5, state/foreign provisions |
32| Initiation Trigger | Complaint, market study, HSR, dawn raid, etc. |
33| First Notice Date | Date and instrument |
34| Procedural Posture | Inquiry, formal investigation, litigation, appeal |
35| Key Deadlines | Production dates, meetings, milestones |
36| Exposure Signals | Penalties, remedies sought, damages claims |
37| Remediation | Compliance changes, business changes |
38
39### 2. Draft Summary
40
41Use this template. Cite every factual assertion with `[source: <id>]`.
42
43```
44ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED & WORK PRODUCT
45CONFIDENTIAL — ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION SUMMARY
46
47**Executive Overview**
48Agency:
49Matter Type:
50Alleged Conduct:
51Market:
52Current Status:
53Immediate Decisions/Actions:
54
55**Chronology**
56| Date | Event | Source | Notes |
57|---|---|---|---|
58
59**Allegations & Legal Theories**
60| Theory | Conduct | Market Definition | Statutes | Evidence |
61|---|---|---|---|---|
62
63**Market & Industry Context**
64- Market structure and shares:
65- Key competitors:
66- Barriers to entry:
67- Industry dynamics or consolidation:
68
69**Procedural Status**
70- Steps completed:
71- Outstanding requests:
72- Upcoming milestones:
73
74**Company Response**
75- Cooperation posture:
76- Privilege/objections asserted:
77- Internal investigation steps:
78- Remedial measures:
79
80**Outcomes / Scenarios**
81- If closed: disposition and conditions.
82- If ongoing: likely outcomes and timelines.
83
84**Risk Assessment**
85| Risk Category | Exposure | Drivers | Mitigation |
86|---|---|---|---|
87
88**Compliance Actions**
89- Immediate controls:
90- Medium-term enhancements:
91- Training or policy updates:
92```
93
94### 3. Multi-Jurisdiction Matters
95
96If multiple authorities are involved, create one subsection per authority and a consolidated risk section.
97
98## Pitfalls
99
100- **Allegations vs. facts**: Separate clearly; never speculate.
101- **Missing data**: Flag with `[VERIFY]`, especially for uncertain statutes or foreign-law citations.
102- **Exact references**: Use precise dates, agency names, and instrument titles — do not paraphrase.
103- **Inferences**: Label explicitly and cite the underlying source.
104- **Merger matters**: State the asserted theory of harm and any divestiture or behavioral remedy signals.
105- **Parallel proceedings**: Include state AGs, EC, CMA, or other competition authorities as separate subsections.
106- **Privilege headers**: Maintain `ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGED & WORK PRODUCT` on every output.
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