Our Curious Amalgam

For nearly 50 years, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act has given antitrust enforcers a chance to review deals above a certain value before they can close. What happens when the government concludes a transaction was structured intentionally to slip past that review entirely? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Evan Miller of Vinson & Elkins about HSR Act avoidance and the FTC's record-setting $12 million settlement with Edwards Lifesciences and Genesis MedTech over Edwards Lifesciences's acquisition of JC Medical from Genesis. We discuss how the JC Medical deal was valued and structured, how the parties' failure to file played a role in the FTC's separate challenge to Edwards's contemporaneous JenaValve acquisition, what deal teams should consider when assessing a transaction close to the HSR threshold, what the settlement signals about the FTC's current approach to premerger notification enforcement, and more.
With special guest:
Evan Miller, Vinson & Elkins LLP
 
Hosted by:
Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank and Jeny Maier, Axinn

State legislatures across the country are taking aim at subscription traps and deceptive cancellation practices — but what does effective consumer protection actually look like at the state level? Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General and former Director of Consumer Protection at the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with Anna Olson and Anora Wang about the growing wave of state click-to-cancel legislation targeting subscription traps and dark patterns. Listen to this episode to learn what makes a strong state law, how enforcement actions actually unfold, and what the patchwork of state protections means for consumers and businesses alike.
With special guest:
Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General

Related Links:
New Jersey Office of Attorney General
Hosted by:
Anna Olson, Drake University Law School and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

Singapore's Competition and Consumer Commission — CCS — has been enforcing competition law for roughly two decades and more recently consumer protection laws as well. How does a small, open, trade-dependent city-state design and enforce a competition regime that punches above its weight — and what does that mean for global practitioners? Mr. Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive of the CCS overseeing Legal Enforcement, joins Subrata Bhattacharjee and Anora Wang to discuss Singapore's enforcement arc, its voluntary merger regime, the agency's push against dark patterns and unfair trade practices, and how CCS navigates its role as a neutral hub in an increasingly fractured geopolitical landscape.
With special guest:
Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive, Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS)

Related Links:
CCS's media release on the issuance of the Fast Track Guidelines
CCS's media release on revisions to our Merger Guidelines
Singapore High Court Decision in CCS v. CNL Logistic Solutions Pte Ltd and Gilmon Transportation & Warehousing Pte Ltd [2026]
CCS's media release on the High Court Decision
Hosted by:
Subrata Bhattacharjee, Borden Ladner Gervais and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

Competition law isn't just for antitrust lawyers anymore—it's increasingly a boardroom issue. What questions should directors be asking to ensure their companies are identifying and managing competition risk before it becomes a crisis? Julie Goshorn, whose career spans the DOJ, FTC, private practice at Arnold & Porter, and global in-house leadership at Visa, speaks with Jeny Maier and Anora Wang about why corporate boards should view antitrust as an enterprise risk alongside cybersecurity, financial controls, and compliance. Listen to this episode to learn about the board's oversight role, lessons from recent Delaware fiduciary duty cases, and the practical questions every director should be asking to help protect long-term enterprise value.
With special guest:
Julie Goshorn

Related Links:
Julie Goshorn on LinkedIn 
Hosted by:
Jeny Maier, Axinn and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

Digital financial services are transforming the way we bank, borrow, save, invest, and make payments. But are these innovations creating more competitive markets, or are they simply fostering new forms of market power? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Beatriz Marques of the OECD Competition Division about the evolving competitive landscape in digital finance. We explore the role of FinTechs, incumbent banks, card networks, and BigTech platforms; the importance of data, interoperability, and open banking; and what competition authorities can do to foster innovation while protecting competition and consumers in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem.
With special guest:
Beatriz Marques, OECD
 
Related Links:
OECD (2025), "Competition in mobile payment services", OECD Roundtables on Competition Policy Papers, No. 324, OECD Publishing, Paris
OECD (2025), "Balancing prudential regulation and competition considerations in banking", OECD Roundtables on Competition Policy Papers, No. 329, OECD Publishing, Paris
OECD (2026), "Banking Unbundled: Competition in the Age of Digitalisation"
Hosted by:
Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter and Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank