Our Curious Amalgam

• #346 Who Is Elizabeth Odette? Meet the Chair of NAAG's Multistate Antitrust Task Force

  State attorneys general are playing an increasingly important role in investigating and challenging antitrust violations that affect their constituents. In this episode, co-hosts James Hunsberger and Alicia Downey find out what the National Association of Attorneys General's Multistate Antitrust Task Force has been up to under the leadership of Task Force Chair Elizabeth Odette of the Office of the Attorney General of Minnesota. Listen and learn how the Task Force has been helping states save resources and improve outcomes by coordinating their antitrust efforts and priorities. With special guest: Elizabeth Odette, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, Antitrust Division Related Links: NAAG Multistate Task Force website Hosted by: James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider and Alicia Downey, Downey Law

  --------  

  31:00

  --------

  31:00
• #345 Who Is Renata Hesse? Meet the 2025-26 Antitrust Law Section Chair

  August marks the beginning of a new ABA Antitrust Law Section year under the leadership of a new Chair. In this episode, co-hosts Anora Wang and Alicia Downey talk with Sullivan & Cromwell partner Renata Hesse, a longtime Section leader whose term as Chair began in August 2025. Our other featured guest is Renata's colleague Dan Richardson, who supports Renata as Counsel to the Chair. Listen to this episode to hear about Renata's priorities and goals for the 2025-26 year, and her commitment to ensuring that the Section serves as a forum for open dialogue and civil debates. With special guests: Renata B. Hesse, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Daniel J. Richardson, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Hosted by: Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP and Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC

  --------  

  23:00

  --------

  23:00
• #344 What Happens When Antitrust Lawyers Form a Bar Band? Behind the Music of Side Hustle

  Antitrust lawyers by day, rock stars by night. Who are the members of Side Hustle, the Antitrust Law Section’s unofficial house band? They include prominent members of the antitrust law community, with more than a century of combined experience working in government, private practice, and academia. In this episode we’ll learn what has kept Side Hustle rocking on for the past several years and why the members can't wait to play at the 2026 Spring Meeting. With special guests: Daniel Francis, Associate Professor of Law, NYU Law School D. Bruce Hoffman, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Jay Jurata, Partner, Dechert LLP Tara Koslov, Former Deputy Director, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission; Independent Professional Coach Anna Rathbun, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP Michael Weeldreyer, Senior Manager, Converged Surface Systems | Weapons | Unmanned Integration, Lockheed Martin Related Links: Side Hustle official website Hosted by: Alicia Downey, Downey Law LLC and Subrata Bhattacharjee, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

  --------  

  34:25

  --------

  34:25
• #343 FTC v. DOJ: Who Wore It Better?

  Why does the U.S. have two antitrust enforcement agencies—and how do they really differ in practice? In this episode, Puja Patel and Barry Nigro are joined by Debbie Majoras, former FTC Chair and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ Antitrust Division, to explore the procedural, cultural, and strategic distinctions between the FTC and DOJ. From procedural standards to enforcement style, merger review processes, and even remedy structures, Debbie reflects on her leadership experience at both agencies and offers practical insights for practitioners navigating the divide. Tune in to hear how these differences shape competition enforcement—and why they matter for clients, courts, and the future of antitrust. With special guest: Debbie Majoras Hosted by: Puja Patel, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Barry Nigro, Fried, Frank

  --------  

  40:18

  --------

  40:18
• #342 Can Antitrust Be More Innovation-Centric? An Economic Conversation With Professor Richard Gilbert

  Innovation is central to long-term economic welfare and deserves greater emphasis in antitrust policy. But can U.S. antitrust law be reshaped to be more innovation-centric? Professor Richard Gilbert joins hosts Anora Wang and Panos Dimitrellos to examine the relationship between competition and innovation, how agencies and courts have recently treated innovation, and practical tools for assessing innovation effects in mergers and conduct cases. Listen to this episode to learn more about navigating the shift toward an innovation-centric antitrust regime, the empirical methods that can reveal innovation harms, and how to balance short-term price effects against long-term technological progress. With special guest: Richard J. Gilbert, Professor, University of California at Berkeley Related Links: https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/4844/Innovation-MattersCompetition-Policy-for-the-High https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/antitrust/journal/86/issue-3/antitrust-for-innovation.pdf https://eml.berkeley.edu/~gilbert/Selected%20Papers/Gilbert-Melamed%20final%20pre-publication.pdf Hosted by: Panos Dimitrellos, Secretariat Economists LLC and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

  --------  

  29:54

  --------

  29:54

More Business podcasts

Trending Business podcasts

About Our Curious Amalgam

Our Curious Amalgam: Podcasts in Family