Chris Brennan is a trial lawyer and strategic advisor with deep experience litigating high-stakes antitrust and competition matters across the United States. He regularly represents multinational corporations in conspiracy actions, monopolization claims, merger clearance, and complex commercial disputes among rivals and regulated entities.
As a member of Reed Smith’s Global Regulatory Enforcement practice, Chris has appeared in several of the most consequential antitrust proceedings in recent history. His litigation practice spans multiple industries, including multinational manufacturers and distributors, medical device providers, pharmaceutical companies, major financial institutions, software developers, health care platforms, and various nonprofit entities.
Chris’s experience places him at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property law, where innovation and competition often collide. He has defended clients in monopolization and refusal-to-deal cases involving proprietary software, patented technology, and brand protection strategies. In 2023, Chris served as lead antitrust trial counsel for a medical device manufacturer on monopolization allegations relating to aftermarket servicing. Following a four-week jury trial, Chris obtained a defense verdict defeating all Sherman Act counterclaims.
In addition to his trial practice, Chris counsels clients through the full life cycle of the merger review process, from initial deal analysis and Hart-Scott-Rodino filings to advocacy before federal and state regulators. He has appeared before a range of federal regulatory bodies to advocate for his clients’ interests, including the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Food and Drug Administration.
Outside of his legal practice, Chris is an active member of the Pittsburgh civic and legal community. He is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh, the region’s premier civic leadership program for senior-level professionals committed to effecting positive change across sectors. He also serves on the board of the Allegheny County Bar Foundation, is a trustee of a nonprofit supporting the educational needs of housing-insecure children, and a member of the Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
When advising clients on antitrust and merger matters and policy, Chris relies on his dual major in Economics and Business from the University of Pittsburgh, where he graduated first in his program. Chris subsequently received his J.D. from the College of William & Mary School of Law, where he served as a Lead Article Editor for the Law Review and was a member of the Moot Court Team.
Prior to joining Reed Smith, Chris was a judicial intern for the Honorable F. Bradford Stillman with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Honorable John T. Bender with the Pennsylvania Superior Court.
