Howard Ullman
Counsel | San Francisco
Howard Ullman

Howard Ullman, counsel in the firm’s antitrust/competition group, brings over 20 years of extensive experience in antitrust, competition and unfair competition law, focusing his practice on trade regulation, unfair competition, class actions and complex litigation. A seasoned trial lawyer, Mr. Ullman has wide-ranging experience advising and counseling clients on antitrust and competition matters, such as exclusive dealing, joint ventures, licensing, distribution and market definition.

Mr. Ullman regularly advises on matters at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property, as well as matters involving the Robinson-Patman Act, the California Unfair Practices Act and Cal. Bus. and Prof. Code Section 17200. He represents clients in numerous industries, such as computer hardware and software, internet platforms, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, health care and energy, in litigation involving pricing, monopolization, information exchange, patent infringement and other issues at the intersection of antitrust and IP law. Some of Mr. Ullman’s more notable cases have included helping a major software company obtain a dismissal of refusal-to-deal and other claims in the district court and the Second Circuit, and the development and filing of aftermarket monopolization claims by a major investment management firm against life insurers that survived motions to dismiss. He also worked on a number of the larger antitrust litigations in the Northern District of California, including In re DRAM Antitrust Litigation and In re SRAM Antitrust Litigation.

Some of Mr. Ullman’s key matters include acting for Delta Dental of California and other Delta Dental entities in the In re Delta Dental Antitrust Litigation and in litigation filed by the California Dental Association, Nanya Technology Corporation and Nanya Technology Corporation USA in one of the largest national DRAM antitrust price-fixing cases and Microsoft on a variety of intellectual property related antitrust matters. His other clients have included PG&E Corporation, Equifax, Dow AgroSciences, Boiron, Fujifilm, Fortress Investment Group and One Technologies, among others.

Mr. Ullman is recognized regularly as a leading antitrust lawyer by Chambers USA, where clients describe him as “an outstanding lawyer and thought partner” and “a brilliant attorney, very thorough and quick to respond.” The Legal 500 US also consistently recommends him in its antitrust civil litigation/class actions chapter.

An active member in the legal community, Mr. Ullman frequently writes on antitrust law and has spoken before the American Bar Association, the California Bar Association, Ohio Bar Association and Cincinnati Bar Association. He also formerly served as an adjunct instructor of law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and has spoken at the University of California Hastings College of Law and at the Santa Clara University Law School. Mr. Ullman joined Dechert after a successful career at two other prominent law firms, where he handled commercial and complex litigation with a focus on antitrust and competition, class actions, intellectual property, and business contract and tort issues.

Mr. Ullman is passionate about helping clients achieve their business goals and manage their risks, while ensuring compliance with the relevant laws and regulations.

Key Matters

  • A number of Delta Dental entities in ongoing multi-district antitrust litigation.
  • Delta Dental of California in a case brought by the California Dental Association regarding provider reimbursement rates.
  • Delta Dental of California in a provider class action dispute over ability to modify contracts and over pricing terms.
  • Kroger and Quik Stop in a state law matter relating to alleged below-cost pricing.
  • A defendant in an alleged monopolization and an attempted monopolization case.
  • Alere San Diego, Inc in a distributorship dispute.
  • Nanya Technology Corp. and Nanya Technology Corp. USA in an alleged price-fixing case.
  • A large class member in an alleged price-fixing case.
  • Microsoft Corp. in an alleged monopolization and attempted monopolization case.
  • The ACLU in connection with a Freedom of Information Act request regarding death penalty drugs. 

Includes matters handled at Dechert or prior to joining the firm

  • Antitrust – CaliforniaChambers USA
  • Antitrust – Civil Litigation/Class Actions: DefenseThe Legal 500 US
  • Antitrust Concerns with Joint Ventures & Collaborations: Competitive vs. Anticompetitive Effects, NCAA v. Alston – Co-presenter, Strafford Continuing Education (June 15, 2021)
  • Big Data and Antitrust – Moderator, Bar Association of San Francisco, Antitrust and Cybersecurity and Privacy Law Sections (October 8, 2019)
  • Antitrust Enforcement Trends in 2019: Practical Guide for Businesses – Co-presenter, The Knowledge Group (June 6, 2019)
  • Antitrust Issues: Implications for Blockchain Technology – Co-presenter, New York State Bar Association Antitrust Law Section (February 13, 2019)
  • Antitrust Issues: Implications for Blockchain Technology – Co-presenter, The Knowledge Group (November 28, 2018)
  • Association of Business Trial Lawyers (Northern California) Report – Regular Antitrust columnist
  • Monopolization and Dominance Handbook, Second Edition – Co-editor, American Bar Association (2021)
  • Bucking the Conventional Wisdom on Arbitration – Author, Marin County Bar Association (April 2, 2019)
  • U.S. Antitrust Issues for Joint Ventures – Co-author, JCA Journal (October 2018)
Services Industries
    • University of Chicago, B.A., 1989
    • Harvard Law School, J.D., 1992
    • California
    • Ohio
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
    • United States District Court for the Central District of California
    • United States District Court for the Northern District of California
    • United States District Court for the Southern District of California
    • United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
    • English
    • Russian
    • Executive Committee Member, Bar Association of San Francisco, Antitrust and Business Regulation Section
    • Association of Business Trial Lawyers
    • Antitrust columnist, Association of Business Trial Lawyers Report
    • American Bar Association
    • State Bar of California, Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section
    • Bar Association of San Francisco
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Honorable David A. Nelson