Wilkinson Stekloff helped position Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to complete its $14 Billion acquisition of Juniper Networks, as the United States Department of Justice dropped its challenge to the deal and agreed to resolve the case.
When the government sued to block the deal in January, HPE turned to Wilkinson Stekloff. Led by Beth Wilkinson, Kosta Stojilkovic, Roxy Guidero, and Jenna Pavelec, the team prepared for trial on an expedited basis, conducting dozens of depositions and working with economic experts on quantitative analyses of the market. Owen Gallogly, Kellen McCoy, Cassie Chee, and Dan Epps also contributed to the case.
Trial was set to begin on July 9. Instead, days after the submission of pre-trial briefs and other substantive filings, and a week before opening statements, the Department of Justice agreed to a resolution that maintains the vision of the deal and will facilitate increased competition in wireless networking. Judge Casey Pitts then entered a stipulation clearing the way for the deal to close.
Wilkinson Stekloff represents HPE along with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Freshfields LLP. Juniper Networks is represented by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Long noted for its trial prowess, Wilkinson Stekloff has emerged as a dominant force in bet-the-company antitrust cases. In 2023, the firm won the second-biggest merger trial in American history, clearing the way for Microsoft’s $67 Billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In 2024, the firm achieved a major victory for the NFL and its 32 member teams when a California federal judge granted judgment as a matter of law in a case challenging the League’s collective licensing of broadcast rights. Earlier this year, the firm secured a groundbreaking settlement for the NCAA in name, image, and likeness litigation that is widely expected to change the landscape of collegiate athletics.