Experienced DOJ Litigator Adds New Capabilities to Antitrust Division
NEW YORK, January, 26, 2026―Katherine Celeste Speegle has joined Duane Morris LLP as a partner in the firm’s Trial Practice Group in its New York and Washington, D.C., offices. Prior to joining Duane Morris, Speegle was Assistant Chief in the Transportation, Energy & Agriculture Section at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, a position she held since 2019.
“We are pleased to add accomplished, talented new partners to our powerful litigation practice, and Katie’s place on our New York City roster continues our successful recruiting momentum in 2026,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matthew A. Taylor. “Our client work in antitrust and competition matters is well-known, and Katie’s first-hand insight into how the Department of Justice evaluates competitive effects, remedies and litigation posture is experience that will enhance Duane Morris’s ability to counsel clients facing heightened antitrust scrutiny in an increasingly complex policy and enforcement environment.”
“Katie’s depth of experience inside the Antitrust Division gives her a unique perspective on litigation, enforcement priorities and decision-making at the agency,” noted Sean McConnell, chair of the firm’s Antitrust Division said. “Her addition strengthens our ability to guide clients through government investigations, merger review and complex antitrust litigation. She will be immediately helpful to our healthcare, life sciences and energy industry teams, where we are currently representing clients in nationally significant matters relating to conduct challenges and investigations.”
McConnell noted that Speegle will support the firm in its Washington, D.C., and New York City offices, which are strategically important to the Antitrust Division.
In her role as Assistant Chief in the Transportation, Energy & Agriculture Section at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Speegle supervised a large team of attorneys. She litigated numerous antitrust trials and oversaw many investigations across multiple industries, including the transportation, agriculture and energy sectors. Speegle supervised two successful trial teams in United States et al. v. American Airlines and JetBlue Airways and United States et al. v. JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines. Prior to that, she was a trial attorney in the Antitrust Division for 10 years and detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2018. Speegle worked on a variety of litigated matters, examining witnesses at trial and before the grand jury, defending depositions of customer witnesses, deposing party executives and writing motions in limine and other filings. She served as lead attorney on multiple merger and conduct investigations, including two resulting in consent decrees.
“Duane Morris has established a well-known reputation for its work on complicated and high-stakes antitrust and competition matters. I have worked with the firm’s attorneys in my career at DOJ and am happy to be joining this first-rate team. I am excited to apply my experience in new ways as a member of this collegial and collaborative law firm,” Speegle said.
Speegle is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 2009) and Bates College (B.A., magna cum laude, 2006).
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
