The Hub and Spoke

In this special edition of SCL’s the Hub and Spoke Podcast, Founding Partner Jeffrey Shinder sits down with two experts in payments and commerce to unpack what AI and Agentic Commerce may spell for the payments industry as a whole. John Drechny is the CEO of the Merchant Advisory Group and a recognized leader in payments innovation and merchant advocacy. As MAG’s CEO, he leads efforts to ensure merchants’ voices are heard and progress across the evolving payments ecosystem, and has helped shape the direction of merchant payments and championed the interests of retailers worldwide. Trent Addington is a member of Walmart’s Global Treasury Payments Team and is responsible for US Payment Acceptance across Walmart and Sam’s Club. As part of his role, he works closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure customers have convenient, secure, and accurate payment experiences while shopping at the world’s largest retailer. For more on this topic, you can read The Hub and Spoke’s latest blog, “Artificial Intelligence, Agentic Commerce, and the Next Frontier in Payments”, at the following link: Artificial Intelligence, Agentic Commerce, and the Next Frontier in Payments   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.

California recently passed AB 325, a landmark update to the Cartwright Act—and this week on The Hub and Spoke, we break it all down. Our guest is Lee Hepner, Senior Legal Counsel at the American Economic Liberties Project, who played a key role in shepherding AB 325 through the California legislature. Lee brings unparalleled insight into why the law was crafted, what problems it aims to solve, and how it could reshape antitrust enforcement in the state. AB 325 represents an extraordinary development in California antitrust law. If you’re a practitioner enforcing or defending Cartwright Act claims—or a business potentially affected by algorithmic pricing scrutiny—this episode is a must-listen.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.  

What do the Google Search case, Microsoft’s browser wars, and AI regulation all have in common? More than you might think. In this episode, SCL Partner Wyatt Fore sits down with Gene Burrus — who’s spent two decades on the front lines of digital competition — to unpack how yesterday’s antitrust battles are shaping tomorrow’s tech. From his time at Microsoft to leading Spotify’s efforts to open up app stores, Gene shares an insider’s view of how landmark cases can spark entire eras of innovation. We also talk about the renewed fight over browsers, what the Google remedies might mean for emerging artificial intelligence, and why antitrust has suddenly become a bipartisan cause again.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.

On this episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke Podcast, Associates Lindsay Maher and Keagan Potts report live from the 2025 Anti-Monopoly Summit hosted by the American Economic Liberties Project in Washington DC. Lindsay and Keagan took the opportunity to speak with Minnesota State Representative Emma Greenman and Healthcare Consultant and Author Matt Ohrt, and their conversations covered topics ranging from upholding Minnesota’s ban on non-competes to developing a self-funded employer health plan, all with the goal of aiding workers and consumers in fighting monopoly power on multiple fronts.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.

In this episode of The Hub and Spoke, host Wyatt Fore speaks with Morten Skroejer, Senior Director for Technology Competition Policy at SIIA, about the future of digital regulation across the Atlantic. They unpack the politics and policy behind the EU’s Digital Markets Act, why U.S. tech giants are in the spotlight, and whether regulatory dialogue (instead of heavy-handed enforcement) could strike a productive balance. From trade tensions to the risks of regulatory fragmentation, this conversation offers a front-row seat to one of the most consequential debates in global competition policy.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com. 

On the latest episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke Podcast, Host Wyatt Fore and Associate Lindsay Maher discuss the direction of consent decrees and merger enforcement trends in the antitrust sphere under President Trump’s second administration with NexArc Strategies Principal Amanda Hamilton. Alongside her experience leading the boutique research and consulting firm, Hamilton's career includes roles at the Federal Trade Commission and as an Assistant Attorney General for the District of Columbia.     The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com. 

On this episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke Podcast, SCL Founding and Managing Partner Kellie Lerner and Host Wyatt Fore interview antitrust expert Sally Hubbard about issues affecting our pharmaceutical supply chains, as well as some possible policy solutions. Sally Hubbard is a Senior Fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project and served as Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. She is also the author of Monopolies Suck: 7 Ways Big Corporations Rule Your Life and How to Take Back Control, and her book provides a basis for the discussion on what might cure our imperiled healthcare supply chains.     The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com. 

On this episode of SCL's The Hub and Spoke Podcast, host and SCL Founding Partner Jeffrey Shinder speaks with fellow SCL Founding Partner Matthew Cantor about the possible merger between Capital One and Discover that has recently been approved by regulators, along with the implications of this merger on the financial services and payments industry.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com. 

On this episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke Podcast, SCL Founding Partner Matthew Cantor and Partner James Kovacs discuss the state of competition in the healthcare industry with Leemore Dafny, a Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Business and Harvard Kennedy Schools. Professor Dafny is also a Partner at Bates White Economic Consulting, and she served as the Deputy Director for Healthcare and Antitrust at the FTC from 2012 to 2013.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.

On the latest episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke podcast, host Wyatt Fore speaks live from the 2025 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting in Washington DC. Along the way, Wyatt talks speaks with SCL Managing and Founding Partner Kellie Lerner, Professor Emma Frejinger, SCL Founding Partner Jeffrey Shinder, and SCL Partner Meegan Hollywood. Across three vignettes, Wyatt and guests discuss the absence of government officials at the event, the panels that SCL Partners attended and participated in, and their favorite social and networking events from Spring Meeting.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.

On this episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke, host Wyatt Fore and SCL Partner Harrison McAvoy investigate questions about pricing algorithms with Wharton professor Joseph Harrington, including recent scholarship and developments in pending cases. As pricing decisions are increasingly determined by technology, this episode considers where the antitrust law applies and what conditions might cause regulators concern. The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.

On this episode of SCL's The Hub and Spoke, host Wyatt Fore and SCL Managing Partner Kellie Lerner speak with Brendan Ballou about the antitrust implications of private equity in healthcare. Brendan Ballou is the author of Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America, and he formerly served as Special Counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division.    The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com. 

On this episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke, host Wyatt Fore and SCL Partners Ethan Litwin and Jimmy Kovacs discuss the history and future of the Right to Repair— a hot topic in antitrust— with Nathan Proctor, the Public Interest Research Group’s Senior Director of the Right to Repair Campaign.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com. 

In this episode of SCL’s The Hub and Spoke, host Wyatt Fore discusses the current state of the Tapestry-Capri Merger case, including the District Court’s recent issuance of a preliminary injunction pausing the merger, with Founding Partner Matthew Cantor.   The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.     

On this inaugural episode of SCL's The Hub and Spoke, hosts Jeff Shinder and Wyatt Fore discuss the current state of antitrust and its recent thrust into the public eye with NYU Professor Emeritus Harry First.    The Hub and Spoke is a production of Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP. For more information, please visit scl-llp.com.