RopesTalk

Section 337 investigations at the U.S. International Trade Commission are known for their speed. But in recent years, the ITC has introduced multiple avenues designed to resolve some of these cases even more quickly—including just a few months after institution. On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s ITC-focused podcast series, Talkin’ Trade, IP litigators Matt Rizzolo, Matt Shapiro, and Brendan McLaughlin are joined by summer associate Ava Kamb to examine the development and history of the ITC’s so-called “100-day program,” as well as the more recent interim initial determination pilot program. They discuss the purpose and motivations behind these early disposition proceedings, the mechanics of how they are invoked and progress to a resolution, and consider whether these programs have lived up to expectations. 

On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s California Law for Asset Managers podcast series, asset management counsel Catherine Skulan and Chelsea Childs provide an overview of the lobbying law regime and registration requirements applicable to asset managers seeking investments from California pension plans and retirement systems.

On this episode of There Has to Be a Better Way?, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen talk to Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, a pioneer in the field of responsible AI. Currently a Responsible AI Fellow at Harvard, with prior leadership roles at Twitter and Accenture, Rumman has first-hand insight into the real harms of AI, including algorithmic bias. She discusses how data scientists seek to understand these problems, and the importance of trustworthiness in the future of AI development. Having recently testified before Congress about AI governance, she shares her thoughts about building a governance ecosystem where human ingenuity can flourish.  

We are pleased to introduce a new Ropes & Gray podcast series, The Sponsor’s Edge: Insights on Growth and Venture Investing, which explores a variety of subjects of importance to growth and venture fund sponsors. This series will feature attorneys from a number of practice groups at Ropes & Gray, including private funds, venture investing & emerging companies, and restructuring, as they examine issues germane to growth and venture fund sponsors in the current investment environment.On this opening episode, asset management counsel Catherine Skulan hosts the first of a two-part conversation between Brad Flint, partner and co-lead of Ropes & Gray’s venture investing & emerging companies practice, and Raj Banerjee, a senior associate in that practice. Brad and Raj discuss down rounds and their alternatives, including recapitalizations when a down round isn’t enough. Their discussion also sheds light on evolving and emerging terms that are becoming increasingly common in today’s deal landscape.Please stay tuned for the second part of their conversation, where they will cover the emergence of additional terms and investor protection mechanisms recently taking root in the market. 

On this Ropes & Gray podcast, health care counsel Leslie Thornton discusses the recent developments and trends related to at-home care coming out of the public health emergency (PHE). She talks about impacts of pandemic-era waivers and flexibilities, focusing on telehealth—including on state licensure, telefraud, HIPAA, and hospital-at-home—remote prescribing, and clinical trials, as well as the future of these flexibilities as we exit the PHE.

On this episode of There Has to Be a Better Way?, co-hosts Zach Coseglia and Hui Chen speak with researchers at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business about the value of corporate compliance programs. Compliance can be (inaccurately) perceived as a “cost center” or an “enabling function,” supporting rather than contributing to product development and business strategy. But business law and ethics professors Todd Haugh and Suneal Bedi tested this idea by assessing the role of compliance in value creation. They discuss findings from their recent study, which explores how consumers value compliance—as a unique product feature—using a statistical technique called conjoint analysis. 

On this episode of Women @ RopesTalk, hosted by health care partner Christine Moundas, life sciences regulatory & compliance counsel Beth Weinman interviews Jennifer Zachary, executive vice president and general counsel of Merck. Jennifer describes her unique trajectory from science major in college to associate chief counsel at the FDA to law firm partner and finally to her role as the top lawyer at Merck. She breaks down the differences and similarities between private and public practice, noting that the desire to protect the public health is just as strong in both places, and shares important advice for early career attorneys: work hard, seek out interesting cases, surround yourself with lawyers you admire, and make sure you’re having fun. Jennifer also describes the invaluable roles that mentorship, sponsorship and diversity efforts played in her transition in-house, and talks about the needle-moving diversity initiative she oversees at Merck.

COSO recently released supplemental guidance on achieving effective internal control over sustainability reporting. The guidance is very timely, given recently adopted, pending and proposed sustainability reporting requirements in several jurisdictions. In addition, companies are seeking to bring more rigor to their voluntary ESG disclosures, both to meet market expectations and to mitigate evolving litigation and enforcement risk. On this podcast, three of the principal authors, Doug Hileman, Shari Littan and Jeff Thomson, provide an introduction to the COSO framework and the supplemental guidance. They also provide insights and tips on applying the supplemental guidance and its relevance to specific types of sustainability disclosures.The episode is hosted by Michael Littenberg, Ropes & Gray partner and global head of the ESG, CSR and business and human rights practice. Michael is the only private practice attorney listed as a contributor in the guidance. He also is quoted in the publication.

With a choppy fundraising climate and uncertainty about broader global macro trends, as well as in some cases heightened capital constraints, many LPs are keenly focused on ways to improve their investment processes. On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s Alternative Asset Insights podcast series, partners Isabel Dische, Vince Ip and Sean Seelinger focus on some best practices for operational due diligence (ODD) to assess potential risks stemming from a sponsor’s operations.

Join partners Greg Levine and Josh Oyster from Ropes & Gray’s life sciences regulatory and compliance practice group for a special edition of Non-binding Guidance, a podcast series which focuses on current trends in life sciences regulatory law as well as other important developments affecting the life sciences industry. On this episode, Greg and Josh discuss the publication of Ropes & Gray’s U.S. Medical Device Recalls Resource Manual, a reference tool to guide medical device companies considering, planning, or executing product recalls and other field actions.