Ropes & Gray LLP
One Metro Center 700 12th Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005-3948
+1 202 508 4681
+1 202 383 8320

Secretary: +1 202 508 4642

I’m Mit Spears and I am a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Ropes & Gray.  My practice is primarily centered in antitrust, trade regulation and litigation.  I work extensively with our pharmaceutical and public company clients, although like most Washington lawyers, I routinely find myself immersed in a variety of regulatory, policy and legislative matters. 

For me, the antitrust practice is interesting because each new matter gives one an opportunity to really dig into the nuts and bolts of a business.  We’ve represented companies engaged in virtually every kind of business imaginable – from outboard motors to cutting-edge oncology drugs – and it is fascinating to see how different businesses compete, develop new products and expand their business opportunities.  While we handle pre-merger review before the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, we also regularly counsel clients on such diverse antitrust subjects as retail pricing, joint venturing and product and intellectual property licensing.

We also have an active advertising law practice which is both fun and fascinating.  Prohibitions against false and misleading advertising can be found in both the Federal Trade Commission and Lanham Acts as well as in many state unfair competition laws.  We counsel clients in terms of what they can and cannot say in their product advertisements, defend them in the event that their advertising is called into question by either federal or state agencies or their competitors and file and prosecute complaints relating to competitors’ advertising before the federal and state agencies and the private advertising bureaus and in federal court under the Lanham Act.  These are fun cases that generally move fairly quickly.

I received my law degree from the University of Texas and came to Washington, D.C. to join the Justice Department where I worked in both the Environment and Natural Resources and Civil Divisions of the Department.  I later served as General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission before moving into private practice.

Having spent some time with other private firms, I can say that few law firms provide the sort of collegial and friendly environment that we have here at Ropes & Gray.  I enjoy the relationships that I have with our partners, associates and staff, I enjoy coming in to the office each morning, and I find my working and personal relationships with our Boston-based attorneys are every bit as strong and as rewarding as the ones that I have established with my Washington, D.C.-based colleagues.

In my free time, I enjoy sailing, swimming and water sports.  I play golf, run and enjoy the gym but also appreciate quality hammock time with a good book.

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