RopesTalk

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 partners Jim Davis and Matt Richards discuss 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.

On this episode of Women @ RopesTalk hosted by health care partner Christine Moundas, capital solutions & private credit partner Jennifer Harris interviews Morgan (Dean) O’Neill, a distinguished portfolio manager and managing director at Sound Point Capital Management. Morgan provides a glimpse into her remarkable journey, tracing her career trajectory from an investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch to her current role overseeing the capital solutions group at Sound Point. The discussion delves into the challenges she has faced, such as unexpected shifts in leadership, and how those moments became pivotal opportunities for personal and professional growth. Throughout the conversation, Morgan emphasizes the importance of adaptability and networking, sharing practical advice on building and maintaining relationships in the finance industry.

On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, health care partner Christina Bergeron interviews alum Eric Yecies, chief legal officer and general counsel at LifeMD. Eric discusses his journey from practicing IP litigation as an associate at Ropes & Gray from 2004–2008 to becoming a key figure in a publicly traded telehealth company. Gain insights into the unpredictability of his day-to-day responsibilities, the strategic thinking essential for in-house roles, and the impact of telehealth on LifeMD's rapid growth.

In this second 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 is joined by litigation & enforcement partner Andrew O’Connor for a conversation on remuneration offered and paid by labs. Topics of discussion include an exploration of the permissibility of specimen processing arrangements, and an examination of overlay between the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) advisory opinions and Department of Justice (“DOJ”) enforcement actions.