Michael Stork
Associate
Michael Stork is an associate in Ropes & Gray’s antitrust practice group. Michael advises clients on issues related to the antitrust review process and represents clients in government investigations conducted by the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Before joining Ropes & Gray, Michael was a staff attorney in the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission. He conducted investigations of mergers and acquisitions to identify and evaluate potential competitive issues in a variety of complex transactions across a range of industries. His work involved investigations at various phases of the antitrust review process, including full-phase investigations that resulted in consent settlement or litigation. In 2021, Michael was awarded the Janet D. Steiger Award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of the FTC’s mission.
Michael began his legal career as an antitrust associate at another global law firm, where his practice involved antitrust counseling during deal negotiations, complying with Second Requests, submitting written advocacy to the federal antitrust agencies, and representing witnesses in investigational hearings before the FTC. Before law school, Michael was a senior analyst at a leading economic consulting firm, where he worked with economists in matters related to antitrust litigation and federal merger review.
Experience
Notable matters from Michael’s time at the FTC include:
- The FTC’s investigation of Fidelity National Financial, Inc.’s $1.2 billion proposed acquisition of Stewart Information Services Corporation. The parties abandoned the deal after the FTC filed an administrative complaint seeking to block the acquisition.
- The FTC’s investigation of Dominion Energy, Inc.’s $1.7 billion planned sale of the Questar Pipeline to Berkshire Hathaway Energy. The parties abandoned the transaction following an investigation by FTC staff.
- The FTC’s investigation of Buckeye Partners, L.P.’s $435 million proposed acquisition of Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. After investigation, the Commission unanimously voted to approve a consent agreement to settle the FTC’s complaint regarding the transaction.
Other representative matters include:
- Represented Cintas Corporation in its purchase of G&K Services. Following an investigation by the FTC, the transaction closed with no divestitures.*
- Represented Rite Aid Corporation in its sale of stores and related assets to Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.*
- Represented Essilor International S.A. in its combination with Luxxotica. The FTC unanimously voted to close its investigation of the proposed combination.*
*Experience prior to joining Ropes & Gray
Publications
- Contributor, American Bar Association, 2019 Annual Review of Antitrust Law Developments
- Co-author, “Recent Gun Jumping Enforcement in the U.S., EU, and China Highlights Nuanced Rules,” The M&A Lawyer (July/August 2018)
Education
- JD, magna cum laude, University of Notre Dame Law School, 2016; Executive Online Editor, Notre Dame Law Review
- BA (Economics), magna cum laude, Boston College, 2010; Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions / Qualifications
Qualifications
- District of Columbia, 2017
- Iowa, 2016