Profile details
About Sarah Melanson
Sarah Melanson is a senior associate in our antitrust, competition and trade practice, based in Silicon Valley.
Sarah represents clients on a broad range of antitrust issues, including mergers and acquisitions, civil antitrust litigation, international cartel investigations, and corporate compliance programs. Sarah also represents clients on the national security review of foreign investments conducted by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
Sarah joined Freshfields after receiving degrees in law from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, regulation from the London School of Economics, and economics from New York University.
During her time at Freshfields, Sarah spent 17 months on secondment at Google.
Recent work
Sarah’s experience includes advising:
- Evonik during trial in its successful defense against the FTC's efforts to block its proposed acquisition of PeroxyChem, a competing hydrogen peroxide producer;
- Volkswagen AG as CFIUS counsel in its $2.6 billion co-investment with Ford Motor Co. in autonomous vehicle technology company Argo AI;
- United Airlines on general antitrust counseling as well as various joint venture agreements requiring antitrust and other regulatory approvals including its joint venture agreement with Avianca and Copa airlines;
- Hamakua Energy Partners LP, a subsidiary of Arclight Capital Partners, against Plaintiff Hu Honua Bioenergy’s Section 1 and state antitrust law claims of an illegal agreement to terminate Hu Honua’s Power Purchase Agreement with the power grid operator in the District of Hawaii.
Qualifications
Education
- JD, University of Pennsylvania Law School (Certificate in Business Economics and Public Policy from The Wharton School).
- MSc, Regulation, London School of Economics and Political Science.
- BA, Economics, New York University, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Professional
- Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and California.
- Admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.