Former Special Litigation Counsel & Antitrust Bureau Chief, New York State Office of the Attorney General
Jay Himes focuses on all facets of the antitrust landscape, including investigations and case filings, merger transactions, trial and appellate litigation, and settlement. With more than 40 years of experience in complex litigation, Jay focuses on representing plaintiffs in price-fixing class action cases and protects businesses from anticompetitive activities. Jay also serves as the court-appointed trustee in the Department of Justice’s recent merger victory after trial – United States of America v. Bazaarvoice, Inc. – with the responsibility to monitor Bazaarvoice‘s compliance with its obligations under the proposed final judgment.
Himes is the 2014 recipient of the William T. Lifland Service Award, presented by the Antitrust Law Section of the New York State Bar Association for distinguished service. Chambers USA reports that sources described him as “one of the finest plaintiffs lawyers in New York,” and The Legal 500’s sources called him “a very solid and highly experienced antitrust lawyer.”
Himes served as the Antitrust Bureau Chief in the New York Attorney General’s office. During his nearly eight-year tenure as New York’s chief antitrust official, Himes led significant, high-profile antitrust investigations and enforcement actions. These cases included: In re Buspirone Antitrust Litigation ($100 million settlement); In re Cardizem CD Antitrust Litigation ($80 million settlement); and In re Compact Disc Antitrust Litigation ($67 million settlement). Under Jay’s leadership, the New York Bureau secured the two largest antitrust civil penalties recoveries ever achieved under the State’s antitrust statute.
Himes was also the State’s principal representative in the marathon negotiations that led to a settlement of the government’s 2001 landmark monopolization case against Microsoft. His leadership in the Microsoft judgment enforcement activity continued throughout his time at the Attorney General’s office.
Prior to serving in the Attorney General’s office, Himes practiced complex litigation for 25 years at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he represented the 12 Federal Reserve Banks as plaintiffs in a price-fixing case against the nation’s leading armored car companies, and defended a Revlon healthcare company in a series of price-fixing cases that spanned nearly a decade. Additionally, Himes handled a wide range of litigation, including securities class actions as well as contract, construction, constitutional, entertainment, environmental, real property and tax litigation. Active in pro bono matters, Himes worked with the New York Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP and the National Coalition for the Homeless, while also representing inmate and immigration asylum clients.