Steven E Bizar

Steven E. Bizar, Co-Chair of the firm's elite global antitrust/competition practice, is a first chair trial lawyer known for his success in the defense of antitrust class action and Sherman Act cases and his trial of complex commercial disputes in court and before arbitrators. He has over three decades of experience spanning a diverse range of antitrust, contract and business tort, government investigation, insurance and reinsurance, securities and corporate governance matters. Mr. Bizar regularly represents multinational and domestic companies, partnerships, and individuals, including officers and directors, on issues arising across a broad spectrum of industries, including chemicals, banking and financial services, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, health insurance, healthcare, wholesale distribution, gaming, agricultural products, media, technology, and telecommunications.

Mr. Bizar advises clients throughout the United States and around the globe on complex business disputes and litigates high-profile trial and appellate matters in federal and state courts and before arbitral tribunals. He has appeared in federal and state courts across the United States handling the trial and evidentiary hearing defense of multidistrict antitrust class actions, “bet-the-company” lawsuits, and contract and business tort disputes arising from clients' commercial activities. As lead counsel, Mr. Bizar recently obtained the dismissal of antitrust and RICO claims against his client, a petroleum exploration corporation, for allegedly engaging in a market-allocation conspiracy to avoid paying royalties on oil and gas leases. He also recently defeated class certification motions filed by direct and indirect purchasers in a Sherman Act, Section 1, antitrust case following a multi-day evidentiary hearing in which he led the cross-examination of plaintiffs’ economic expert and drove the defendants’ successful strategy. As lead trial counsel, Mr. Bizar obtained a defense verdict following a six-week, billion-dollar federal jury trial of an antitrust class action that exonerated his client of the charge it had participated in a conspiracy to reduce the domestic supply and raise the price of shell eggs. The class plaintiffs did not appeal the verdict as to Mr. Bizar's client. In another significant trial win, Mr. Bizar secured a comprehensive jury verdict in favor of his client, a leading vendor finance company, in a Pennsylvania state court case arising from a former executive’s misappropriation of trade secrets and violation of contractual obligations related to his separation.

Mr. Bizar also has substantial appellate experience and has secured wins in the areas of class certification, antitrust, securities fraud pleading standards, full faith and credit/res judicata and forum non conveniens. He has handled international arbitrations from inception through to award under the procedural rules of leading arbitral institutions, including the AAA-ICDR, ICC and FINRA. Mr. Bizar has also defended clients in connection with government antitrust and securities fraud investigations, including criminal investigations, and in enforcement and other proceedings before agencies and self-regulatory organizations. In addition, he has extensive experience mediating complex multi-party disputes to resolution.