Fordham Law is launching a cutting-edge LL.M. program in competition law designed for global lawyers looking to specialize in antitrust law.
The new program, one of only two LL.M. programs in competition law offered in New York City, will be taught by an interdisciplinary group of faculty members who bring specialized expertise in antitrust law, social media and technology, intellectual property, and financial history to the study of competition law.
Fordham Law Professor Zephyr Teachout
“There’s an explosion of interest in antitrust globally and in the United States,” said Fordham Law Professor Zephyr Teachout, who designed the new program. Teachout is an expert in antitrust law and the intersection of corporate power and political power. In 2020, she published Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money, which makes a case for reimagining the relationship between democracy and anti-monopoly law.
“We’re going through a revolutionary period of thinking about both antitrust and tech,” said Teachout. “This program is designed for lawyers who want to deepen their understanding of the most cutting-edge, challenging, exciting issues and the new, constantly changing developments in American and global antitrust enforcement.”
Fordham Law’s Competition Law Institute provides internationally recognized programs on antitrust law, including its annual Antitrust Law and Policy Conference. This highly-attended conference has established Fordham Law as a hub for technology and competition law.
“The 52-year history of the Fordham Law Competition Institute has become an anchor for European enforcer interaction,” says Teachout.
Along with Teachout, the program will be taught by Professors Olivier Sylvain, one of the leading theorists on social media theory discrimination in tech and a former senior advisor to the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Doni Bloomfield, who specializes in risk and teaches and writes in the areas of intellectual property, biosecurity, and antitrust, and Jamie Grischkan, a legal scholar and historian of financial regulation and anti-monopoly law and policy.
The new program blends competition law and technology regulation. “We have really interesting thinking about competition and AI that’s happening at Fordham, and thinking about AI through a power and competition lens,” says Teachout.
Fordham’s Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law LL.M. program provides a foundation for the curriculum, which will include courses such as Antitrust Law, Antitrust – International Cross-Border Mergers, Corporations, Information Law Survey, International Cartel Enforcement: The Globalization of Antitrust, International Trade Law, Market Structure and Democracy, and Mergers and Acquisitions. Students in the program can choose from more advanced and specialized courses in the fields of competition and technology law.
The program will conclude with a capstone course taught by Teachout which will synthesize the curriculum and provide an opportunity for students to take a deep dive into antitrust issues in a range of industries.
“Completing an LL.M. in competition law opens up a range of exciting career opportunities,” said Anthony Agolia, senior director of international and non-J.D. programs. “Graduates can support clients in a variety of industries, including technology, healthcare, and finance, or work with government agencies and regulatory bodies. Companies will have a growing need for attorneys with expertise in competition law to ensure compliance with increasingly demanding regulatory frameworks.”
