Willkie partners Danielle Scalzo and Wesley Powell have been profiled by Law360 for successfully guiding The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) in its acquisition by Omnicom Group Inc. The approximately $13 billion deal closed in November 2025, having secured antitrust clearance across nearly 20 jurisdictions, creating the world's leading marketing and sales company.

In the “Sealing the Deal” profile, Danielle and Wes discussed the novelty and complexity of the acquisition – Willkie served as deal counsel and antitrust counsel  – its significance in the evolution of the advertising industry, and the way the Willkie team worked closely with IPG, a longstanding client, to bring the transformative deal to fruition.

Law360 highlighted the skill required to navigate the global regulatory authorities, including securing an agreement with Federal Trade Commission relating to the prevention of viewpoint-based bias in the digital advertising market. In all, approvals were required in about 20 jurisdictions across Europe, Asia, North America, and Central and South America.

"Many jurisdictions in Central and South America have upped their game, if you will, on reviewing transactions and don't entirely defer to the jurisdictions that have traditionally been front and center," Wes, Co-Chair of Willkie’s Antitrust & Competition Practice Group, told Law360.

The parties also had to navigate the EU’s new Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which permits the European Commission to review transactions involving significant non-EU state support.

Danielle, a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and member of Willkie’s Executive Committee, emphasized the preparation that underpinned the transaction. Her ties to IPG included annual summits with the client to learn about developments in their business, refine their current strategy, and pinpoint challenges: “Over time, the Willkie team and the client built a rhythm that made a once-in-a-generation merger possible,” Law360 reported.

The deal reflects a broader shift in the advertising landscape, which is no longer limited to legacy advertising firms and includes major technology companies and consulting firms.

“IPG believed that combining with Omnicom was the best way to get the kind of scale they needed to compete, but also a way to combine and invest in the two companies' technology and data platforms … including how to best use generative AI," Danielle said.

She also highlighted the scope of the transaction and the way that attorneys across Willkie’s practices and offices were integral to the effort. The team worked seamlessly together until the deal closed on the night before Thanksgiving, roughly 11 months after it was announced.

“Nearly every one of our key practice areas was involved to get this deal done,” Danielle said. “That involved camping out in our offices with the team, and no one hesitated to roll up their sleeves.”

Read the full profile here.