RopesTalk

On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s podcast series, Decoding Digital Health, host Kellie Combs, a partner in the life sciences regulatory and compliance group and co-chair of the firm’s cross-practice digital health group, is joined by Greg Levine, chair of the firm's global life sciences regulatory and compliance practice, and Lincoln Tsang, head of the European life sciences practice. They unpack some key insights from a recent webinar on regulatory issues surrounding artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning (“ML”) devices, hosted by Ropes & Gray and HLTH. The conversation covers the boundaries of AI and ML regulation as a medical device, the evolving regulatory frameworks in the U.S. and Europe, and upcoming guidance and developments in the field.

On this episode of the R&G Tech Studio podcast, managing principal and global head of advanced E-Discovery and A.I. strategy Shannon Capone Kirk sits down with data, privacy & cybersecurity partner Fran Faircloth to discuss how new and ever-evolving technology is impacting her clients, particularly generative AI, and the challenges that arise in litigation and compliance. She also discusses her team’s development of the AI Court Order Tracker, which examines standing orders and local rules on the use of AI in connection with court filings.

In the second part of this two-part podcast series, David Kirchner, Bill Littell and Elliot Saavedra from Ropes & Gray's benefits consulting group share their insights and experiences in collaborating with pooled employer plan ("PEP") providers. They discuss the process of bidding and vetting these providers on behalf of clients, while also delving into the crucial responsibilities that employers should consider when evaluating, monitoring, and selecting PEPs.

On this Ropes & Gray podcast, join real estate investments & transactions attorneys Peter Alpert, Pete Scherer, and Cory Steinberg as they discuss the implications of EPA’s recent federal environmental regulations addressing per- and polyfluorinated substances (“PFAS”). Gain insights into the legal and practical implications of PFAS being recognized as "hazardous substances" under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA,” aka Superfund), and understand how this listing affects commercial real estate investors.

On this Ropes & Gray podcast, private equity partner Matt Richards discusses insurance brokerage M&A transactions—including the recent NFP-Aon transaction that Ropes helped lead—the attractiveness of the insurance brokerage sector for private equity investors, retention tools such as equity rollover and restrictive covenants, diligence issues, regulatory considerations, and more. They provide insights into the market outlook and share their experience on navigating dynamics specific to insurance brokerage transactions.

On this episode of Women @ RopesTalk hosted by IP transactions partner Megan Baca, asset management partner Chelsea Childs interviews Jill Varner, the chief compliance officer at Versus Capital Advisors LLC, a Denver-based asset management firm. Jill shares insights into her role at Versus and the company's focus on real asset investing, primarily through interval funds. She also reflects on her experience as a woman in the male-dominated asset management industry and emphasizes the importance of mentorship and building relationships. The conversation touches on recent regulatory developments impacting the investment management industry and how Jill manages an extensive workload with a small but growing compliance team.

For some, the thought of analyzing data for compliance purposes can be overwhelming, or overly focused on monitoring employees. But what if we approached analytics with curiosity and empathy? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen are joined by Tara Palesh, who leads compliance analytics at Pfizer. With a background in engineering and strategy consulting, Tara views her team’s role as helping compliance colleagues to do their jobs in a better, more focused way. Specifically, she talks about how data analysts can scale up and score data to find and address organizational risk. For companies at the beginning of their data journey, Tara offers thoughts on where to start, as well as the potential of generative AI to transform the compliance space.

In today’s business world, we’re increasingly being asked to make sense of data. But how do we turn numbers into meaningful insights about a company’s risks, culture, and compliance? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen are joined for a second time by R&G Insights Lab’s very own David Yanofsky to go deeper into the world of data storytelling. With a background in data journalism, David talks about how data can be used to tell multiple stories and why context is key to making them meaningful. The three explore various data concepts, such as correlation, causation, magnitude, distribution and flow. Even if you’re not a numbers person, you’ll walk away with a more sophisticated understanding of how data can be useful to help understand and navigate your organization.

In this third and final installment of Ropes & Gray’s three-part podcast series exploring recent regulatory, compliance, and enforcement developments in the fraud, waste, and abuse space and the potential implications for health care and life science companies in 2024, health care partner Michael Lampert reunites with litigation & enforcement partner Andrew O’Connor for a conversation on key enforcement developments concerning the Medicare Advantage (“MA”) program, as well as the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ’s”) current enforcement trends regarding providers, labs, and electronic health record (“EHR”) companies. Additionally, their discussion covers two recent Supreme Court cases under the False Claims Act (“FCA”) and explores their potential impact on the health care industry moving forward.

On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s California Law for Asset Managers podcast series, Josh Lichtenstein, a benefits partner and head of the ERISA fiduciary practice, and Catherine Skulan, an asset management partner, further discuss the ESG landscape in California, including its climate-related disclosure regime as well as a fossil fuel divestment bill, which remains pending in the legislature, but if adopted, would impact managers overseeing state pension assets.