Laura S. Shores

Laura Shores is a partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Washington office. Ms. Shores is a trial lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in complex civil litigation, including antitrust and securities fraud matters.

Ms. Shores’ antitrust litigation experience includes a variety of actions brought under Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act and its state law counterparts, as well as Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Ms. Shores has tried antitrust claims brought by federal regulators and plaintiffs in private treble-damages suits. She represents clients in a variety of industries, with particular focus on the pharmaceutical industry. In a landmark case brought by the Federal Trade Commission against Schering-Plough Corporation challenging its settlement of patent litigation with manufacturers of generic drugs, Ms. Shores prevailed after a two-month administrative hearing. She recently secured the dismissal of a class action against GlaxoSmithKline based on an alleged “reverse payment” settlement of pharmaceutical patent litigation.

Ms. Shores’ practice also is focused on white collar criminal defense and internal investigations. She has represented corporations and individuals in criminal investigations and prosecutions across a broad range of substantive areas. These include antitrust; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; money laundering; accounting and securities fraud; and procurement fraud. Most recently, she defended a prominent lawyer against money laundering charges that were dropped by the Department of Justice after a five-year investigation.

Ms. Shores also has defended clients in complex commercial litigation matters in federal and state courts, as well as in matters before domestic and international arbitration tribunals.

Representative matters in which Ms. Shores has participated include:

• Auto Parts Criminal Cartel Investigation. Represented target in connection with DOJ Antitrust Division investigation of the auto parts industry.
• United States v. Kuehne. Represented prominent attorney charged with money laundering and wire fraud. After a five-year investigation, the government voluntarily dismissed the indictment.
• Advanced Microsystems Inc. v. Intel Corporation; In re Intel Corp. Microprocessor Litigation. Represented microprocessor manufacturer in monopolization cases brought under Section 2 of the Sherman Act and in parallel proceedings before antitrust authorities in the European Union, Japan, South Korea, and the Federal Trade Commission.
• Schering-Plough v. Federal Trade Commission. Represented major pharmaceutical company in a landmark case brought by the Federal Trade Commission challenging the settlement of patent cases brought against manufacturers of generic drugs. After a two-month hearing, the administrative law judge ruled in the client’s favor, and the FTC was unsuccessful on appeal.
• In re Schering-Plough Corporation Securities Litigation. Obtained dismissal with prejudice of federal securities class actions filed against pharmaceutical company, its CEO and its board of directors, alleging violations of SEC Regulation FD and various federal securities laws.
• Lurie v. Schering-Plough Corp. Won dismissal of a state class action alleging common law claims for fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty filed against Schering-Plough, its CEO and its board of directors.
• Viazis, et al. v. GAC International, Inc. Represented manufacturer of orthodontic appliances in a case alleging monopolization under Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The case resulted in a directed verdict on behalf of the client at the close of the plaintiff’s case.
• United States v. Hubbell. Represented a senior Clinton administration official in connection with three indictments brought by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, as well as in related investigations before Congress. The district court dismissed the Independent Counsel’s second indictment, holding that it violated the client’s Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. This holding was challenged on appeal and in the U.S. Supreme Court, which, in a case of first impression, upheld the dismissal.
• United States v. Hubbell. Served as co-lead counsel on the third indictment of a senior Clinton administration official by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. The case was resolved favorably shortly before trial.
• Jacksonville Coalition for Voter Protection, et al. v. Hood. Served as lead trial counsel to civil rights organizations, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in a federal voting rights case against Florida state officials in the days before the 2004 presidential election.
• Democratic National Committee v. Republican National Committee. Represented newly registered minority voters seeking to enforce a consent decree in a 23-year-old voting rights case in the District of New Jersey. After a preliminary injunction hearing, the Court enforced the decree. The case was litigated all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the days before, and including, Election Day in November 2004.

Ms. Shores’ speaking engagements and publications include:

• “2012 Criminal Antitrust Developments,” Pepper Hamilton Annual Antitrust Developments Update CLE Event, Philadelphia, PA (December 13, 2012)
• Mock Trial, ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C. (March 29, 2012)
• “Pharmaceutical Patent Life Extension Strategies: Are REMS Programs Next?” Antitrust Health Care Chronicle (March 2012)
• “The Starting Point: Negotiating ‘Volume of Commerce’ with the Antitrust Division,” ABA Cartel and Criminal Practice Committee Newsletter (February 2012)
• “Criminal Antitrust Violations: What to Do and When,” Pepper Hamilton Annual Antitrust Developments Update CLE Event, Philadelphia, PA (December 8, 2011)
• “Monthly Antitrust Update: September 2011,” ABA Section of Antitrust Law, Corporate Counseling Committee (webinar) (October 7, 2011)
• “Preparing to Commercialize: Lessons from Recent Enforcement Activities,” 2011 Annual Association of Bioscience Financial Officers Conference (June 1, 2011)
• "Best Practices for Economic Testimony." 53rd ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, Washington, DC (April 19, 2007).
• "Impact of the Eleventh’s Circuit’s Decision in Schering-Plough Corp. v. Federal Trade Commission." ABA Section of Antitrust Law Brown Bag presentation, Washington, DC (April 6, 2005).
• "Antitrust Hot Topics." 53rd ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, Washington, DC (March 31, 2005).
• "Effective Management of Antitrust Risk." Client seminar sponsored by Torys, LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (May 21, 2003).
• "Hot Topics." 51st ABA Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C. (April 3, 2003).
• "Adjudicatory Hearings in Federal Agencies." seminar sponsored by the Women’s Bar Association, Washington, D.C. (October 30, 2002).
• "Ethical Issues That Attorneys Grapple With Every Day." National Institute for Women in the Law, Washington, D.C. (January 16, 2002).

Before joining the firm, practiced as a partner in the Antitrust and Global Litigation group for Howrey LLP. She is a member of the Section of Antitrust Law of the American Bar Association.

Education
B.A. 1985, cum laude, Smith College
J.D. 1988 University of Chicago Law School

Clerkships
1988-1989 Judicial Clerk to Hon. Robert S. Vance, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Bar Admissions
Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia