Jeffery M. Cross

Jeffery M. Cross is a trial lawyer that has handled trials involving antitrust, franchising, and dealer/distributor disputes throughout the country. His efforts have resulted in positive reviews from clients and other lawyers. As noted in Chambers: “Jeff is extremely well versed in antitrust law” and “in addition to his experience and knowledge, he is also committed to high caliber service.” (Chambers 2012). One client is quoted in Chambers as stating that “[h]e’s incredibly responsive, incredibly thorough, and has really helped us develop a successful strategy for moving forward.” (Id.). In this role, Jeff has represented both entrepreneurs and large corporations as both plaintiffs and defendants.

Jeff also has experience in mergers and acquisitions, including counseling clients, working with economists to develop economic support for deals, responding to government requests for documents and data, and negotiating consent decrees with the government.

Jeff has taught antitrust law as an Adjunct Professor for over 15 years. He has served as chairman and vice chairman of several ABA Antitrust Section committees. For example, he served on the drafting committee for the Antitrust Section’s model criminal jury instructions for the 1984 and 2009 editions. In the summer of 2016, the Federal Judicial Center, which is the educational arm of the federal courts, asked Jeff to prepare a basic primer on antitrust law for new judges or judges without a great deal of antitrust experience. The book was published in May 2022, and the FJC sent a copy to every federal judge in the country.

Jeff also serves as an Arbitrator on the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial Panel. In 2017, Jeff was admitted as a Fellow to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

When not representing clients in antitrust, franchising, or dealer cases, Jeff enjoys officiating at competitive sailing events. (He raced his own sailboat, a 10 meter offshore one-design, for many years). In 2025, U.S. Sailing certified Jeff as a Club Race Officer.

Jeff's Practice

Representative Matters

• Co-counsel in a patent antitrust jury trial involving Walker Process fraud and sham litigation resulting in jury verdict after trebling that was the tenth largest verdict in the United States in 2018.
• Lead trial counsel for a major international oil company in a ten-week antitrust jury trial in Los Angeles. The case involved claims of the horizontal allocations of markets, price fixing, and monopolization. The jury acquitted all defendants on one count and hung on a second count. A favorable settlement ensued because the jury had voted 7 to 1 for defendants on the second count.
• Lead counsel for the same oil company in a 21-day bench trial in the Circuit Court of Cook County involving breach of contract and breach of warranties following the oil company’s sale of its coal mining business. The case resulted in a favorable ruling for Jeffery’s client. The plaintiff, represented by one of the largest law firms in the country, appealed to the Illinois Appellate Court and Jeffery successfully argued the appeal.
• Lead trial counsel for a second international oil company in a jury trial in Sioux Falls, South Dakota involving the termination of a local dealer with multiple stations and convenience stores. The jury reached a verdict for Jeffery’s client. The case also involved an appeal in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that Jeff successfully argued.
• Lead counsel for this same oil company in a two-week jury trial in federal court in Hammond, Indiana involving allegations of libel. The jury awarded the plaintiff only the nominal damages the oil company’s expert asserted were appropriate.
• Lead trial counsel for a third international oil company in a bench trial involving a dealer termination that resulted in a favorable decision for the oil company.
• Lead counsel for a major U.S. railroad in an antitrust case in San Francisco involving allegations of tying, violations of the essential facilities doctrine, attempted monopolization, and price fixing. The result was a summary judgment in favor of Jeffery’s client on all counts. The plaintiff appealed to the Ninth Circuit and Jeffery successfully argued the appeal.
• Co-lead counsel for a Canadian mining company in its $17 billion acquisition by another Canadian mining company. Jeffery was involved in responding to the government’s second request for documents and data and negotiating the initial consent decree with the government.
• Lead antitrust counsel for a well-known national snack food company for its acquisition of another snack company. This project involved working with an economist to prepare a merger simulation as well as a presentation to the government.
• Lead antitrust counsel for a chemical manufacturer in its acquisition of assets from competitor.
• Counsel to the Vice President of Marketing at a well-known national snack food company regarding the Robinson-Patman Act, including the sections of the Act dealing with promotions and allowances.
• Counsel to a well-known Japanese manufacturer involving a proposed sale and pricing program.
• Counsel to a major international human resource consulting firm on the antitrust issues of collecting wage and benefit data and disseminating that data to clients.