Attention parties with merger regulatory reviews pending or proposed. There are some coronavirus-related changes to the process, said the Department of Justice.
That is a response to the mass telework directive to government agencies.
“As the Antitrust Division takes steps to protect the health and safety of its work force and the parties that appear before it, these process changes will ensure that the Division can continue to review transactions efficiently and effectively,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim in a statement.
He said the antitrust division remains "open for business," he said, and ready to work with the business community on vetting mergers.
The chief changes are:
1. "For mergers currently pending or that may be proposed, the Antitrust Division is requesting from merging parties an additional 30 days to timing agreements to complete its review of transactions after the parties have complied with document requests.
2. "If circumstances require, the Division may revisit its timing agreements with merging parties in light of further developments.
3. "The Antitrust Division will allow electronic filing of Hart-Scott-Rodino submissions.
4. "The Antitrust Division will conduct all meetings by phone or video conference (where possible), absent extenuating circumstances.
5. "All scheduled depositions temporarily will be postponed and will be rescheduled using secure videoconferencing capabilities."
