Dev Basumallik ’23 cannot wait to wrap up his second year at Fordham Law next month and for summer to begin. He was selected to participate in a consumer protection internship with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Northeast Region, as well as in the New York Bar Foundation (NYBF) Antitrust Law Section Law Student Fellowship Program, this summer.
The fellowship—administered by the NYBF via a partnership with the New York State Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Section—aims to provide law students an opportunity to experience antitrust and government investigations during the summer after their first or second year of law school, increase the representation of lawyers from diverse backgrounds in the practice of antitrust law in New York, and forge relationships among antitrust practitioners throughout the state.
“The FTC, whose goal is to make sure the market is a fair place to do business for all parties involved (i.e. firms, labor, and consumers), does important work both in terms of antitrust and consumer protection,” Basumallik said. “I was thrilled to learn that I was accepted into the NYBF Fellowship Program. It’s an incredible opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of antitrust and to expand my network to include current and future experts in this field.”
Reacting to the News
With a strong interest in government and public service, Basumallik’s goal is to work at a federal agency. He believes these experiences will provide him unique opportunities to meet and speak with antitrust practitioners, including litigators involved with civil cases that deal with unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices.
“It will be a really important summer for me to meet all these people, get right to work, and learn as much as I can,” Basumallik said. “I can’t wait to work alongside dedicated public servants and experience first-hand the day-to-day at a federal agency.”
Basumallik is especially looking forward to learning more about the FTC’s plans to rewrite merger guidelines. “It’s a big, exciting time in antitrust right now, involving not only the law, but questions of economics and power,” he said.
How Agriculture Sparked His Interest in Antitrust
Basumallik’s interest in antitrust stems back to his upbringing on the rural, eastern shore of Maryland, home to many large agricultural companies. He argued that antitrust today is typically associated with technology firms, but that antitrust spans many sectors and agriculture is often overlooked.
“Growing up, I saw how powerful those companies were and, even today, they continue to become more powerful and consolidated, which raises antitrust concerns,” Basumallik explained. “As the sector is becoming more concentrated, antitrust is playing a role in combating abuses. For example, recently, complaints have been submitted to the FTC alleging dubious marketing claims such as chicken products labeled as ‘all natural’ when, in fact, antibiotics and other chemicals are used in production and processing.”
Basumallik said that he feels prepared for this summer, thanks in part to his classes at Fordham Law. “Professor Mark Patterson’s antitrust class last semester gave me a strong, fundamental understanding of antitrust law, which is incredibly important. And the information privacy class I took with Professor Tom Norton [executive director of the Center on Law and Information Policy]delved into FTC enforcement actions against technology companies, such as consent decrees regarding privacy violations, and the role of regulators.”