RopesTalk

It’s a common phrase in the compliance world: “do the right thing.” But what is “the right thing?” Are there risks to moralizing organizational decision-making? And what happens when two seemingly “right” actions are—or may be—in conflict? On this episode of the Better Way? podcast, co-hosts Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia, along with the Lab’s Dr. Caitlin Handron, explore how culture, context, and individual perspectives impact our understanding of what it means to “do the right thing.”

Join Ropes & Gray’s life sciences and health care attorneys for a podcast series exploring regulatory, compliance, and enforcement changes emanating from Washington, D.C. and the potential impact on life sciences companies in 2024. In this second episode, we focus on key issues to watch related to product development, approval, and drug pricing in 2024. These include FDA activities aimed at expediting the development of drugs to treat rare diseases, changes to FDA’s accelerated approval program, clinical trial diversity initiatives, actions to support use of real-world evidence, and developments in drug pricing and market access as CMS works to implement the Medicare Price Negotiation Program and prepares for the Medicare Part D redesign.

In part one of this two-part podcast series, David Kirchner and Elliot Saavedra of the Ropes & Gray benefits consulting group, revisit one of the biggest advances in retirement plan design in recent memory: pooled employer plans (“PEPs”). Based on their findings from a survey they conducted of several of the leading providers in this space and their experiences with this new, innovative approach to employer-sponsored retirement plans, they take a fresh look at PEPs and how the market has evolved over the last three years. Stay tuned for part two, where they will dive deeper into the responsibilities that employers should be mindful of when considering, evaluating and monitoring PEPs, as well as recent regulatory changes impacting PEPs

Join Ropes & Gray’s life sciences attorneys for a podcast series exploring regulatory, compliance, and enforcement changes emanating from Washington, D.C. and the potential impact on life sciences companies in 2024. In this first episode, we focus on key issues to watch related to FDA enforcement and litigation in 2024. These include potential litigation over FDA’s planned final rule to regulate laboratory-developed tests (“LDTs”), the Supreme Court's review of FDA’s approval of mifepristone for medication abortion, litigation related to FDA discouraging the use of ivermectin in humans during the pandemic, and the potential effects of organizational changes in FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (“ORA”) on inspections and enforcement.

On part one of this two-part podcast installment, Ropes & Gray litigation & enforcement partner Andrew O’Connor discusses the Strategic Plan for Oversight of Managed Care for Medicare and Medicaid issued in August by the Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”). Part one’s discussion focuses on the first two phases of the managed care life cycle: plan establishment and enrollment and associated enforcement and regulatory actions, and OIG’s compliance priorities for Medicare Advantage (“MA”) plans and how the Strategic Plan implicates regulatory and enforcement developments in the managed care space more broadly.

On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s podcast series, A Word for Our Sponsors, hosts Paul Van Houten and Deb Lussier, the co-leaders of the sponsor solutions practice, chat with Vikrant Raina, CEO and managing partner at BV Investment Partners, about BV’s successful first continuation fund. 

Better Way? co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen preview some trends for the New Year, from where artificial intelligence (AI) will take us to how data and story-telling may help humans and organizations be more effective. Start the year with some provocative thoughts on technology, data, and culture and the role we can play in using and shaping them.

On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s California Law for Asset Managers podcast series, asset management partner Catherine Skulan, corporate partner and global ESG, CSR & business and human rights practice head Michael Littenberg and counsel Marc Rotter discuss three new climate and greenhouse gas bills recently signed into California law: AB 1305, SB 261 and SB 253. Each law creates new public disclosure requirements about climate-related issues that may impact asset managers and their portfolio companies.

On this episode of Women @ RopesTalk, hosted by IP transactions partner Megan Baca, capital solutions and private credit partner Alyson Gal interviews Marjorie Goux, chief legal officer at Rodan & Fields. Marjorie shares what it’s like to be CLO at a skincare and haircare company, along with how she prepared to take on the role. She looks back on the “multiple stops” in her legal career, including practicing law at medium- and big-sized firms in London and the U.S. before going in-house to roles at Hewlett-Packard, Clorox and Glad Products. Marjorie describes herself as a “person who looks for opportunities.” Along those lines, she shares helpful networking strategies for lawyers at all stages of their careers.

Wrapping up year one of the Better Way? podcast series, co-hosts Hui Chen and Zach Coseglia share their top themes from the year and discuss how these Better Ways inform the work they do to address organizational challenges. From embracing complexity and expertise to exploring empirical evidence and measuring culture, this episode packs the highlights of 2023 that you won’t want to miss!