Will Reiss, the new chair of the Antitrust Law Section, said on Mar. 31 that diversifying the section and increasing membership are closely linked goals.
Reiss explained that encouraging younger members to participate is a priority for the section’s future growth. “We really want to encourage our younger members to take advantage of the opportunities we are offering by having them take the initiative on developing and becoming involved with our programming,” he said. He pointed out that several committees, including class action, cartel, and criminal practice committees, offer entry points for younger attorneys.
To further support junior lawyers, Reiss intends to form a Committee on Junior Members focused on leadership initiatives. He also noted that each of the section’s four committees is required to produce two Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs annually. “The idea is to provide leadership opportunities for our more junior members. We already have a young lawyer representative and he and I are intent on launching this committee to get more new members involved,” Reiss said.
Upcoming events include the annual Spring Fling cocktail reception scheduled for May 19 in New York City and the Steve Houck Antitrust Deposition Advocacy Skills Program set for May 18 and 19. In mid-April, two CLE programs will be held: one featuring practicing attorneys discussing their daily work in antitrust law as part of a “Day in the Life” series; another panel discussion on April 15 will examine the Department of Justice’s new whistleblower program.
Reiss expressed confidence about his term as chair: “I’m obviously new to the chair role, but we have a good succession system in place, and I have several years of leadership experience in the section through my prior roles as vice chair, secretary and committee chair. I also have the benefit of following in the footsteps of a number of wonderful chairs who continue to be engaged in the section and always make themselves available to answer questions and provide guidance. The section is in a good position now,” he said.
Membership has grown by 33.1% over a twelve-month period beginning Dec. 31, 2024—a change attributed at least partly to a new membership model adopted by the section.
Reiss is currently a partner at Crowell & Moring’s New York office with nearly twenty-five years’ experience practicing antitrust law.
