"Some people may believe that if there were a Republican administration that antitrust enforcement might have a lighter touch," says Christine Varney, a partner in Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP's litigation department. However, she adds, "I think that that's probably overly optimistic." Varney, the former assistant attorney general for antitrust in the Justice Department, talks to senior writer David Marcus at Tulane University Law School Corporate Law Institute in New Orleans regarding the current antitrust environment and its impact on deals. She also discusses the antitrust enforcement employed by President Obama versus what was employed during President George W. Bush's terms. For more interviews from Tulane, watch "Lawyers sound off on Bill Ackman, investing in large-cap space" and "Shearman & Sterling's Lyons on Strine's El Paso decision." - Sarah Hashim-Waris