Grant A. Bermann

Primary Focus & Experience

Mr. Bermann’s practice focuses on antitrust law, including merger review, litigation, counseling, and government investigations. His representations have included:

• Family Dollar in its $9.3 billion acquisition by Dollar Tree, a transaction that created the nation’s largest dollar store chain
• Schlumberger in its $7.8 billion acquisition of ChampionX
• Alimentation Couche-Tard, parent company of Circle K, in its $4.4 billion acquisition of CST Brands and its $1.4 billion acquisition of Holiday Station Stores
• H&E Equipment Services in its $5.3 billion acquisition by Herc Rentals
• OpenText in its $1.6 billion acquisition of Dell EMC’s enterprise content division, its $1.4 billion acquisition of Carbonite, and its acquisition of Guidance Software
• Agilent Technologies in its $1.2 billion acquisition of BioTek, its acquisition of Advanced Analytical Technologies, and its acquisition of ACEA Biosciences
• Genting New York and Kien Huat Realty in winning complete dismissal of a complaint alleging conspiracy and monopolization claims, and successfully defending this decision in the Second Circuit, which affirmed on all counts
• Equilend in litigations in the Southern District of New York alleging conspiracies in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act
• Mallinckrodt in the settlement of an FTC investigation alleging monopolization in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act

Prior to joining Milbank, Mr. Bermann served as a trial attorney in the DOJ Antitrust Division, where he led investigations and litigated some of the most prominent antitrust disputes in recent years on behalf of the United States, including as:

• Trial counsel in the government’s successful challenge to the “Northeast Alliance” joint venture between American Airlines and JetBlue (the government’s most recent successful challenge to a joint venture, a decision which was affirmed by the First Circuit)
• Litigation counsel in the government’s successful challenge to JetBlue’s $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit (the first airline merger in US history to be blocked by DOJ at trial)
• Litigation counsel in the government’s successful challenge to Visa’s $5.3 billion acquisition of Plaid (one of the government’s most recent successful challenges to a merger involving a “potential competition” theory of harm)

For his litigation contributions at the DOJ, he was awarded the Assistant Attorney General’s Award of Distinction.

Recognitions & Accomplishments

Mr. Bermann is recognized as a leading antitrust lawyer by a wide range of publications. He is ranked by Chambers USA, where clients report that Grant is “a super smart and strong litigator,” “very organized and measured,” and “a very talented lawyer” (Chambers USA 2025). In 2024, he was recognized by Law360 as a “Rising Star,” one of five outstanding antitrust lawyers in the United States under the age of 40 “whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.” In 2025, he was featured among the Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Antitrust and Competition Lawyers. He has been recommended by Legal 500 USA for both civil and criminal antitrust.    

Mr. Bermann has spoken widely on antitrust topics, including most recently as:

• Moderator, George Washington University Law School, GW-Milbank Salon (June 2025)
• Moderator, George Washington University Law School, Antitrust and CFIUS (February 2025)
• Panelist, IBRAC International Competition Seminar, Labor & Antitrust (November 2024)
• Moderator, ABA Antitrust Law Section Spring Meeting, Airline Mergers: Flying High or Flying Blind? (April 2024)
• Moderator, ABA Antitrust Law Section Midwinter Conference, Antitrust & Sustainability (March 2024)
• Co-Chair, University of Oxford, Antitrust and Sustainability: Friends or Foes? (February 2024)
• Co-Chair, Howard University School of Law, Antitrust and Sustainability: Friends of Foes? (October 2023)

Mr. Bermann is a leader in the ABA Antitrust Law Section, where he serves as Co-Chair of the Transportation and Energy Industries Committee. Before that, he served as Vice-Chair of the Global Private Litigation Committee. Mr. Bermann has also published articles on a range of antitrust topics, from US merger enforcement (Global Competition Review) to emerging antitrust regimes in Asia (International Antitrust Bulletin).

Mr. Bermann maintains an active pro bono practice. Most significantly, he represented the American Sociological Association as amicus curiae in support of same-sex marriage in United States v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), the Supreme Court cases that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.

Mr. Bermann received his J.D. from Yale Law School and A.B., magna cum laude, from Princeton University, where he was elected Class President all four years.