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This page describes the responsibilities of sections and offices in the
Antitrust Division.
Related pages:
- Office of the Assistant Attorney General
- The Division is supervised by an Assistant Attorney General, who is
nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The AAG is assisted
by five Deputy Assistant Attorneys General who may be either career
or non-career employees. Each section and field
office reports to a particular Deputy
Assistant Attorney General. The Director and Deputy
Director of Operations, the Director of Criminal Enforcement, and the
Economics Director of Enforcement have additional supervisory
authority for their respective programs and are career employees. The
Assistant Attorney General may be assisted by several special counsel.
Appellate Section
- This section represents the Division in all appeals, both civil and
criminal, to the United States Courts of Appeals. In conjunction with
the Solicitor General's Office, it also prepares all Division appeals
before the United States Supreme Court. Its responsibilities include
filing amicus briefs in selected private antitrust cases.
Competition Policy Section
- Economists in this section work on a variety of matters, with an
increasing focus in recent years on assistance to foreign governments
around the world. It assists foreign governments in writing antitrust
laws, training antitrust officials, and evaluating specific competitive
issues.
Economic Litigation Section
- This section often works in association with the legal staffs of
the Litigation I, II, and III Sections, the Appellate Section, and with
the attorneys and economists in the Division's field offices. The economic
issues most often analyzed include the competitive effect of mergers
and acquisitions, cartel behavior, and the competitive effects of various
alleged trade restraints. This section is responsible for the analysis
of all economic issues that arise in these matters.
Economic Regulatory Section
- In association with the legal staffs of the Transportation, Energy,
and Agriculture, Networks and Technology, and Telecommunications and
Media Sections, economists in this section are assigned to all enforcement
matters and participate in them from the initial investigative stage
through their final resolution. Economists also participate in regulatory,
competition advocacy, and legislative matters, where they are responsible
for the analysis of the economic issues presented and the soundness
of the economic positions advocated.
Executive Office
- The Executive Office provides administrative and management support
to the Division and includes:
- Personnel Staff: Manages all personnel services, including
hiring, promotions, disciplinary actions, training, benefits, and
payroll.
- Budget and Fiscal Staff: Handles budget formulation and
administration, funding authorization, and travel administration.
- Support Services Staff: Handles procurement of supplies,
furniture, and equipment; contracting for expert witnesses and consultants;
space and facilities services; and safety and security programs.
- Information Systems Support Group: Provides automated litigation
support and economic analysis, management information systems, and
office automation systems to support the Division's attorneys, economists,
and managers.
Field Offices
- Each of the Division's seven field offices in Atlanta, Chicago,
Cleveland, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
handles criminal matters arising in its respective area and serves as
the Division's liaison with U.S. attorneys, state attorneys general,
and other regional law enforcement agencies. The field offices also
handle national and international matters that arise within their territories.
They play a primary role in the Division's criminal investigations and
prosecutions.
Foreign Commerce Section
- This section is responsible for the development and implementation
of Division policy on issues of trade and international antitrust enforcement.
The section is the Division's liaison with international organizations,
including antitrust enforcement agencies of the European communities,
Canada, and other countries.
Legal Policy Section
- This section is responsible for providing analyses of complex antitrust
matters, supporting the Division's legislative program, serving as liaison
with state attorneys general, and coordinating long-range planning projects
and programs of special interest to the Assistant Attorney General.
Litigation I, II, and III Sections
- These sections assess the economic impact of proposed mergers in
unregulated industries and act to clear the proposed mergers, negotiate
a restructuring of the proposals, or file suit to block the mergers.
They drive the Division's enforcement efforts by actively developing
new, significant, and high-impact cases, including cases involving international
markets. They also investigate and prosecute civil non-merger cases
in all sectors of the economy.
National Criminal Enforcement Section
- This section is the only Washington, D.C., section responsible for
conducting criminal investigations and litigation and works in conjunction
with its field office counterparts. It handles criminal investigations
in a wide range of industries.
Networks and Technology Enforcement Section
- This section is responsible for antitrust enforcement and competition
policy in the areas of information technology, Internet-related businesses,
financial services, and the securities industry. The section has developed
ongoing relationships with a variety of federal agencies and departments,
including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Commerce,
Federal Reserve Board, and Commodities Futures Trading Commission.
Office of Operations
- The Office of Operations coordinates the Division's civil investigations
and litigation and related policies and procedures and includes:
- Premerger Notification Unit and FTC Liaison Office: Handles
coordination with the FTC according to established clearance procedures
for handling matters.
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Unit: Receives, evaluates,
and processes all Freedom of Information and Privacy Act requests
made of the Division. The Antitrust Documents Group of the FOIA
Unit also maintains and indexes pleadings, business review letters,
and other frequently used files.
- Paralegal Unit: Provides paralegal support on request to
investigations and cases handled in Washington and the field offices.
- Training Unit: Coordinates training opportunities for Division
personnel.
Telecommunications and Media Enforcement Section
- This section is responsible for enforcing antitrust laws in the communications
and media industries, investigating and litigating violations of the
antitrust laws, and providing competition advocacy in the industry.
It also participates in proceedings before the Federal Communications
Commission.
Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section
- This section enforces antitrust laws and investigates and litigates
violations of antitrust laws within the transportation, energy, and
agriculture industries. It participates in proceedings before such agencies
as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection
Agency, and Department of Agriculture.
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