Winston Taylor announced that David Dahlquist, former Deputy Director of Litigation for the United States Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, has returned to the firm in Chicago and Washington, D.C. as a litigation partner and Co-Chair of the Antitrust & Competition Practice.
During his four years at the DOJ, David helped to oversee the historic trial docket of the Antitrust Division’s Litigation Program. David also litigated major antitrust law-enforcement actions and served as lead trial counsel in some of the country’s most consequential antitrust trials, including those involving Live Nation-Ticketmaster and Google.
David will join James Herbison in leading a practice with a long history of trailblazing industry-shaping antitrust cases. The team is considered one of the most active and prominent antitrust trial practices in the industry, having acted as lead counsel for some of the world’s most complex cases before competition authorities and courts including the DOJ, FTC, and U.S. federal and state courts, as well as the European Commission, EU Member State regulators, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, and the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal.
A leader and first chair trial lawyer in both government and private practice, David has extensive experience in bet-the-company cases, high-profile trials, merger challenges, and monopolization cases. He adds to the firm’s deep experience in advising clients across technology, healthcare, and other highly regulated industries on domestic and cross-border transactions.
“Winston Taylor has earned a world-class reputation for leading many of the most significant and complex antitrust trials of our time,” David said. “While I am incredibly grateful for my time at the DOJ, returning to the firm where I started my career 25 years ago feels like a homecoming. I am energized to reconnect with colleagues, clients, and friends including some who have joined the firm from the DOJ. I am eager for the opportunity to help lead an innovative and market-shaping antitrust group that has been further strengthened on a global level by the launch of Winston Taylor.”
Prior to joining the DOJ as Senior Trial Counsel in 2022, David spent more than 20 years at legacy Winston & Strawn LLP. This included a tenure as Co-Chair of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Group during which time he focused on antitrust, healthcare, and litigation class actions. David succeeds practice co-chair Eva Cole, who has been named the managing partner of the firm’s New York office.
“David’s proven trial leadership, including oversight of some of the most consequential U.S. monopolization cases in recent years, will further broaden a market-leading practice that has been at the forefront of antitrust litigation for decades,” said Chairman Steve D’Amore. “Not only does he deepen our bench of first chair trial lawyers, but he brings a shared history and commitment to our culture and approach to client service. We thank Eva for her practice leadership and are excited to welcome David back to Winston Taylor.”
