RopesTalk

In this fifth episode of our Ropes & Gray podcast series addressing emerging issues for fiduciaries of 401(k) and 403(b) plans to consider as part of their litigation risk management strategy, David Kirchner from our benefits consulting group discusses pooled employer plans (or PEPs). PEPs allow employers to join a group retirement plan that is administered by third-party service providers who will assume the majority of the administrative and investment fiduciary responsibilities (and risks) of managing a defined contribution retirement plan. While the marketplace is just beginning to take shape, PEPs may potentially be an attractive option for small and larger employers, as well as private equity sponsors that oversee plans of multiple companies across their portfolio.

With the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules governing security-based swaps under Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act poised to take effect this year, Ropes & Gray derivatives & commodities attorneys Molly Moore and Egan Cammack discuss issues that asset managers and other buy-side market participants will need to consider and steps they will need to take to prepare for this new regulatory regime.

In this episode of Women @ RopesTalk, hosted by IP transactions partner Megan Baca, life sciences partner Hannah Freeman interviews Cris Rothfuss, senior vice president of corporate transactions and deputy general counsel at Sarepta Therapeutics, a global biotechnology company focusing on rare diseases. An engaging storyteller, Cris talks about her unusual career trajectory, involving stops in private practice, academia and the biotech industry. She also shares her approach to mentoring—in her mind, a two-way street. And in thinking about leading teams, Cris reflects on a time in her life when her leadership skills were truly tested: when she orchestrated a 5,000-mile, three-month cross-country bike ride called The REAL Ride with four other riders to raise money for local schools.

Ropes & Gray’s podcast series Talkin’ Trade explores the world of Section 337 unfair import investigations at the U.S. International Trade Commission. In this episode, IP litigation partner Matt Rizzolo and associates Matt Shapiro and Brendan McLaughlin break down and explain the ITC’s domestic industry requirement.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partner Jason Kolman and finance partner Patricia Lynch discuss rated note feeder funds, a new product that is becoming increasingly popular in the credit fund space. They discuss how these products meet the regulatory needs of insurance company investors, key differences compared to traditional feeder funds, and navigating the ratings agency process.

This installation of Ropes & Gray’s podcast series Non-binding Guidance focuses on The Defense Production Act (DPA), a wartime production law that gives the president a broad set of powers to influence and mobilize domestic industry in the interest of national defense, and its implications for life sciences companies. Over time, Congress has expanded the DPA’s scope to include civil crises resulting from national disasters, terrorist attacks, and other national emergencies—most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, Ropes & Gray life sciences regulatory & compliance attorneys Beth Weinman and Jessica Band discuss the history of the DPA, how it has been used during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what use we can expect to see going forward. The discussion also addresses the specific authorities conveyed by the DPA, how to respond to issuance of a priority-rated contract and the scope of such contracts, and what opportunities may be provided by the DPA for life sciences companies.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partners Brian McCabe and Paulita Pike, and counsel Ed Baer, discuss digital assets and the ways these assets may be included in registered funds.

The Ropes & Gray Decoding Digital Health podcast series discusses the digital health industry and related legal, business and regulatory issues. In this inaugural episode, the co-leads of the Ropes & Gray Digital Health Initiative, Megan Baca, Kellie Combs and Christine Moundas, take a multidisciplinary approach to exploring trends and hot topics for 2021 related to their transactional, FDA regulatory and health care practices. Many of the topics covered in this initial episode will be further discussed and explored throughout the series, including developments in artificial intelligence, big data and interoperability considerations, as well as regulations and guidance around telehealth, software as a medical device, and use of real-world evidence.

Ropes & Gray’s new podcast series Talkin’ Trade explores the world of unfair import investigations at the U.S. International Trade Commission. In this episode, IP litigation partner Matt Rizzolo and associates Matt Shapiro and Brendan McLaughlin introduce listeners to Section 337 Investigations at the ITC and explain how the ITC is a powerful tool in intellectual property disputes.

In part six of our ETF podcast series, Ropes & Gray attorneys Paulita Pike, Brian McCabe, and Ed Baer discuss the growth of ETFs that invest using ESG considerations.