Antitrust in Distribution and Franchising

STEVE CERNAK is a Partner in the Detroit office of Bona Law PC. He advises clients on all aspects of antitrust law. His clients include distributors and retailers interested in both price and non-price restraints. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Cernak spent more than twenty years as the in house antitrust attorney for General Motors. While there, his advice covered the distribution of vehicles, replacement parts and other products and services.

Few lawyers outside of Washington, D.C., file Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notifications, but Steve has filed more than 200, including several that ended up as the subject of large investigations. He is equally adept at offering counsel on nonmerger matters, such as negotiating joint venture agreements and providing advice on price programs.

Steve’s experience extends beyond antitrust to the full range of regulatory matters. Clients call on him to create successful marketing and pricing programs, and to review their advertising. He has helped both targets and complaining parties in dealings with state and federal consumer protection agencies. In addition, he has successfully implemented programs that integrate business and legal responses to hundreds of consumer complaints.

He has held numerous leadership positions in the American Bar Association Antitrust Section. He is a frequent speaker, writer and media commentator on all antitrust topics. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at two law schools in Michigan.

D. Daniel Sokol is a Professor of Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He is the editor of the Antitrust & Competition Policy Blog. He is also Co-editor of the book series, Global Competition Law and Economics (Stanford University Press) for the first three books of the series. Prof. Sokol is the consulting editor for several upcoming books from the Antitrust Law & Strategy Series (LexisNexis).