Our Curious Amalgam

Hosted by American Bar Association

Careers

Website RSS feed

Episodes

393

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

Our Curious Amalgam explores topics in antitrust, competition, consumer protection, data protection, and privacy law around the world with leading experts in those areas. It is an amalgam because it is a group of diverse topics all in one place. It is curious because it gets the experts and asks them in-depth questions.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 17, 2026Episode 39138 min

#391 Have States Found the Answer to Subscription Traps? Click-to-Cancel and Beyond

State legislatures across the country are taking aim at subscription traps and deceptive cancellation practices — but what does effective consumer protection actually look like at the state level? Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General and former Director of Consumer Protection at the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with Anna Olson and Anora Wang about the growing wave of state click-to-cancel legislation targeting subscription traps and dark patterns. Listen to this episode to learn what makes a strong state law, how enforcement actions actually unfold, and what the patchwork of state protections means for consumers and businesses alike. With special guest: Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General Related Links: New Jersey Office of Attorney General Hosted by: Anna Olson, Drake University Law School and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

August 10, 2026Episode 39042 min

#390 Circuits, Cargos, and Cures: How Does Singapore Run Competition and Consumer Protection?

Singapore's Competition and Consumer Commission — CCS — has been enforcing competition law for roughly two decades and more recently consumer protection laws as well. How does a small, open, trade-dependent city-state design and enforce a competition regime that punches above its weight — and what does that mean for global practitioners? Mr. Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive of the CCS overseeing Legal Enforcement, joins Subrata Bhattacharjee and Anora Wang to discuss Singapore's enforcement arc, its voluntary merger regime, the agency's push against dark patterns and unfair trade practices, and how CCS navigates its role as a neutral hub in an increasingly fractured geopolitical landscape. With special guest: Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive, Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) Related Links: CCS's media release on the issuance of the Fast Track Guidelines CCS's media release on revisions to our Merger Guidelines Singapore High Court Decision in CCS v. CNL Logistic Solutions Pte Ltd and Gilmon Transportation & Warehousing Pte Ltd [2026] CCS's media release on the High Court Decision Hosted by: Subrata Bhattacharjee, Borden Ladner Gervais and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

August 3, 2026Episode 38942 min

#389 What Should Directors Be Asking? Antitrust in the Boardroom

Competition law isn't just for antitrust lawyers anymore—it's increasingly a boardroom issue. What questions should directors be asking to ensure their companies are identifying and managing competition risk before it becomes a crisis? Julie Goshorn, whose career spans the DOJ, FTC, private practice at Arnold & Porter, and global in-house leadership at Visa, speaks with Jeny Maier and Anora Wang about why corporate boards should view antitrust as an enterprise risk alongside cybersecurity, financial controls, and compliance. Listen to this episode to learn about the board's oversight role, lessons from recent Delaware fiduciary duty cases, and the practical questions every director should be asking to help protect long-term enterprise value. With special guest: Julie Goshorn Related Links: Julie Goshorn on LinkedIn Hosted by: Jeny Maier, Axinn and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

July 27, 2026Episode 38840 min

#388 Who's Minding the Money? The Role of Competition Authorities in Digital Finance

Digital financial services are transforming the way we bank, borrow, save, invest, and make payments. But are these innovations creating more competitive markets, or are they simply fostering new forms of market power? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Beatriz Marques of the OECD Competition Division about the evolving competitive landscape in digital finance. We explore the role of FinTechs, incumbent banks, card networks, and BigTech platforms; the importance of data, interoperability, and open banking; and what competition authorities can do to foster innovation while protecting competition and consumers in an increasingly digital financial ecosystem. With special guest: Beatriz Marques, OECD Related Links: OECD (2025), "Competition in mobile payment services", OECD Roundtables on Competition Policy Papers, No. 324, OECD Publishing, Paris OECD (2025), "Balancing prudential regulation and competition considerations in banking", OECD Roundtables on Competition Policy Papers, No. 329, OECD Publishing, Paris OECD (2026), "Banking Unbundled: Competition in the Age of Digitalisation" Hosted by: Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter and Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank

July 20, 2026Episode 38738 min

#387 Can Potential Vertical Integration Harm Be (Silver) Screened Horizontally?

Vertical merger review has long rested on the principle that competitive harm is most likely when a merged firm has both the ability and incentive to foreclose rivals, yet courts and enforcers often struggle to establish that harm empirically. But can potentially anticompetitive vertical integrations be screened in advance using observable market characteristics? Charles Hodgson, Assistant Professor of Economics at Yale University and Faculty Research Fellow at the NBER, and Shilong Sun, Senior Economist at Compass Lexecon, join Anora Wang and Panos Dimitrellos to discuss how evidence from the Chinese film industry sheds light on when vertical foreclosure is likely to emerge, why downstream concentration and upstream product substitutability matter, and how these findings may inform modern merger review across industries ranging from movie theaters to digital platforms. Listen to this episode to learn more about how a practical screening framework for vertical mergers could help identify when foreclosure concerns are most likely to arise and provide enforcers and practitioners with a more evidence-based approach to assessing competitive harm. With special guests: Charles Hodgson, Professor, Yale and Shilong Sun, Dr., Compass Lexecon Related Links: Charles Hodgson bio Shilong Sun bio Heterogeneity in Vertical Foreclosure: Evidence from the Chinese Film Industry Hosted by: Panos Dimitrellos, Secretariat Economists and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

July 13, 2026Episode 38637 min

#386 How Is AI Changing the Practice of Antitrust Law? A Discussion With Daniel Schwarz of CompetitionAI

AI is transforming all areas of legal practice. But what are the special issues in antitrust? Daniel Schwarz, CEO and Founder of CompetitionAI and a former antitrust attorney at Clifford Chance and the IMF, joins Matthew Hall and Alysha Pannu to discuss the use of AI in antitrust now and in the future and its impact on lawyers and competition authorities. Listen to this episode to learn more about CompetitionAI and the impact of AI on antitrust practice and enforcement. With special guest: Daniel Schwarz, co-founder, CompetitionAI Related Links: CompetitionAI website Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and Alysha Pannu, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt

July 6, 2026Episode 38530 min

#385 How Do We Level the AI Fluency Playing Field? The 21 Days of AI Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge

Are you as AI fluent as you should be? The American Bar Association's "21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge" is a free online resource that offers a path toward becoming adept in the use of AI to enhance legal practice and professional development. In this episode, hosts Alicia Downey and James Hunsberger speak with legal innovation strategist and "21 Days of AI" co-author Gabrielle Kohlmeier about the origins of the Challenge and how closing the AI knowledge gender gap was a key driver of the project. Listen and learn how the "21 Days of AI" can level the AI fluency playing field not just for women lawyers, but for anyone contending with the AI revolution in their work and personal life. With special guest: Gabrielle ZA Kohlmeier, Principal and Founder, GK Strategic Advisory, former Verizon Global Head of Legal Change Related Links: The 21 Days of AI: A Grit and Growth Mindset Challenge The Grit and Growth Mindset Project Hosted by: Alicia Downey, Downey Law and James Hunsberger, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

June 29, 2026Episode 38431 min

#384 What's Up? Enforcement Updates From the Middle East and Africa

What have been the latest competition law developments across the Middle East and Africa in the last year? Nicolas Bremer and John Oxenham join Matthew Hall and Jeny Maier to discuss new filing regimes, agency priorities and hot topics for competition law compliance in jurisdictions across the Middle East, COMESA, and South Africa. Listen to this episode to get up to speed on what to know about these rapidly developing and evolving jurisdictions. With special guests: Nicolas Bremer, Partner, Bremer Law Firm and John Oxenham, Partner, Primerio Hosted by: Matthew Hall, McGuireWoods and Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

June 22, 2026Episode 38327 min

#383 What's the Role of Communications Strategy in M&A? How Public Affairs Impacts Antitrust

Recently, the role of lobbying in M&A has become the talk of the antitrust bar in current administrations in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions. But what about the related discipline of public affairs? Nat Wood, Managing Director of Rational 360, a strategic communications, public affairs, and crisis management firm, joins Jeny Maier and Puja Patel to discuss what's involved in crafting a public affairs strategy to support an M&A deal and how the playbook is changing in the current administration. Listen to this episode if you want to learn more about the tools of the trade for strategic communications in merger advocacy. With special guest: Nat Wood, Managing Director, Rational 360 Hosted by: Jeny Maier, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider and Puja Patel, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

June 15, 2026Episode 38228 min

#382 What's Up? Enforcement Updates From Austria and Switzerland

What is happening in competition enforcement in Austria and Switzerland? Lukas Cavada, Executive Director for International Affairs at Austria's Federal Competition Authority (BWB), joins Anora Wang to discuss the BWB's most significant accomplishments over the past year, key competition enforcement developments in Austria, and the evolving challenges facing competition authorities in an increasingly global marketplace. Next, Dr. Laura Melusine Baudenbacher, President of the Swiss Competition Commission (ComCo), speaks with Anora Wang on ComCo's unique structure, key recent legal changes and enforcement accomplishments, focus on labor markets, and more. Join us for a look at how Austria and Switzerland are steering competition enforcement, the key developments to watch in 2026, and what these shifts mean for businesses and practitioners. With special guests: Lukas Cavada, Executive Director for International Affairs, BWB (Austrian Federal Competition Authority) and Dr. Laura Melusine Baudenbacher, President, ComCo (Swiss Competition Commission) Related Links: BWB (Austrian Federal Competition Authority) ComCo (Swiss Competition Commission) Hosted by: Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter