Hill Wellford

Hill Wellford is a partner at Vinson & Elkins where he advises clients on antitrust matters, especially where U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Trade Commission, and foreign agency enforcement intersects with energy, telecom, media, technology, standard-setting, pharmaceuticals, or patents. His practice includes matters in the Americas, Asia, and Europe, and his experience includes mergers and acquisitions, criminal investigations, civil conduct challenges, and jury, bench, and administrative trials. He also counsels agency-appointed trustees overseeing merger divestitures. Hill is a recognized authority on the interplay between antitrust and the intellectual property, media, and technology laws, and he litigated media, patent, and other IP cases earlier in his career. He is a longtime leader in the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust, where he serves as co-chair of the Dominance Divergence Task Force, after just concluding a three-year term on the section’s governing Council. He is recognized for antitrust by Chambers USA (2017), which describes him as a “very strong” partner who is “one to watch.” Hill previously served as Chief of Staff at the DOJ’s Antitrust Division in Washington, DC, where he oversaw cartel, merger, civil conduct, and international work by the Antitrust Division’s 400-plus lawyers and economists. Before becoming chief of staff, he served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, as an investigator and a trial lawyer, and as counsel in the Antitrust Division’s Legal Policy Section. He worked extensively with other components of the broader DOJ — including the DOJ Intellectual Property Task Force — and the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Transportation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the United States Trade Representative, and other U.S. and foreign agencies. Hill teaches and lectures widely on antitrust and technology issues, both in the U.S. and abroad. Past work has included antitrust seminars to businesses, lawyers at the DOJ, U.S. agencies, and foreign officials. He also taught a formal antitrust course at Vanderbilt University Law School and frequently contributes to courses, events, and student competitions at the George Mason University School of Law.