Axinn Adds Three Seasoned Antitrust Litigators, Reinforcing Trial Bench and West Coast Presence

Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP announced today that Daniel Matheson, Katrina Rouse, and Jimmy Moore have joined its Antitrust practice as partners. Matheson arrives from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), while Rouse and Moore join from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division. Rouse will join Axinn’s San Francisco office; Matheson and Moore will join the firm’s Washington, DC office. The additions strengthen Axinn's trial bench and West Coast practice as the firm continues to attract top antitrust talent.

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“Axinn continues to invest in top-tier talent and trial capabilities as we deepen our commitment to clients and their most complex challenges,” said Jeny Maier, managing partner of Axinn. “The addition of Dan, Katrina, and Jimmy reflects our strategic growth across high-stakes markets and reinforces our position as the premier antitrust practice in the country.”

Matheson served as Chief Trial Counsel at the FTC’s Bureau of Competition. A first-chair antitrust trial lawyer, he supervised and participated in all litigations conducted by the FTC's Litigation Group and advised leadership on case strategy and enforcement priorities. Matheson served as lead trial counsel in the FTC's landmark litigation against Meta Platforms, challenging the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. He also tried successful merger challenges and anticompetitive conduct cases for the FTC.

Rouse served as Chief of the Defense, Industrials and Aerospace Section, in addition to serving as Deputy Director of Civil Enforcement at the DOJ. She brings a decade of senior DOJ leadership experience, having shaped civil enforcement strategy and led merger and conduct investigations, monopolization matters, and enforcement actions across the healthcare, defense, industrials, and technology sectors.

“Dan's first-chair trial experience in several of the FTC's most significant tech merger and monopolization cases and Katrina's senior DOJ leadership across defense and aerospace position this group to win for clients navigating today's heightened enforcement environment,” said Mike Keeley, chair of Axinn's Antitrust practice.

“Katrina and Dan’s additions are particularly significant as we continue building our West Coast presence,” said Daniel Bitton, who heads Axinn’s West Coast practice. “Their deep expertise in the technology and defense sectors, along with their merger litigation and trial experience, make them critical additions for our clients across the region.”

Moore most recently served as a Trial Attorney at the DOJ, litigating merger challenges and conduct cases, including the Division's successful challenge to JetBlue's proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines. He oversaw case strategy, trial work, and the management of large investigative teams.

“Jimmy's trial work on some of the DOJ's mostprominent airline and merger challenges reinforces Axinn's reputation as a go-to firm for clients who need seasoned litigators in the courtroom,” said Keeley. “Along with Dan and Katrina, this group represents exactly the talent we need to deliver results for clients at trial.”

Matheson, Rouse, and Moore join recent hires Jacklin Chou Lem and Mary Helen Wimberly as Antitrust partners, strengthening a partner group with depth of experience across trials, investigations, and merger enforcement.

About Axinn

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