Ropes & Gray Podcasts

Developed by attorneys in Ropes & Gray’s award-wining anti-corruption and international risk practice, this fifth volume analyzes recent anti-corruption enforcement trends and developments in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia and Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, and North and South America.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, Doug Brayley, a partner in the employment, executive compensation & employee benefits practice group, is joined by Elena Davis, an associate in the litigation & enforcement practice group, to discuss recent trends in employment litigation related to COVID-19, as well as some general considerations for employers going forward.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partner Debra Lussier and private capital transactions partner Paul Van Houten interview Tom Burger, managing partner and co-founder of Gridiron Capital. They discuss Gridiron’s experience fundraising during the pandemic, and what lies ahead for private equity in 2021.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partner Jason Kolman and counsel Steve Zaorski discuss certain challenges facing funds reaching the end of their terms, which have intensified in light of COVID-19-related disruptions.

In this third episode of our ETF podcast series (recorded on December 20, 2020), Ropes & Gray asset management attorneys Jeremy Smith, Brian McCabe, and Ed Baer discuss converting an existing mutual fund into an ETF and the related legal and operational issues.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, capital solutions and finance partners Joanne De Silva, Alyson Gal and Leonard Klingbaum, counsel Milap Patel and associate Rob Bennett, discuss topics and trends in debt documentation over the course of 2020. The discussion includes a reflection on the challenges faced and strategies implemented as documentation provisions performed under enormous stresses as a result of the global pandemic. Topics discussed include MAE conditionality, financial covenant definitions, value and priority shifting financings in the context of restructurings and general liquidity transactions and key terms under negotiation.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partner Eve Ellis and ERISA & benefits partner Josh Lichtenstein discuss the recent DOL rule on ESG investing, and how managers should think about integrating these new DOL rules alongside similar but sometimes competing rules that have come out in the EU.

In this second episode of our ETF podcast series, Ropes & Gray asset management attorneys Jeremy Smith, Brian McCabe, and Ed Baer discuss the impact of the fund-of-funds rule on ETFs.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partner Eve Ellis and data, privacy and cybersecurity partner Rohan Massey discuss a recent press release from the FCA, the UK’s financial services regulator, in relation to the handling of client data.

In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, asset management partner Jason Brown interviews Jacob Comer, general counsel and chief compliance officer at NovaQuest Capital Management, a leading investor in life sciences and health care companies. Jacob began his career at Ropes & Gray in 2003 as an investment management associate and has since taken on legal, regulatory and compliance roles for a private equity firm, venture capital firm and hedge fund. Now at NovaQuest, Jacob talks about the challenges of moving in-house, interviewing for and accepting a new job during the pandemic, his experience working at Ropes & Gray, and his professional influences. Jacob also discusses what he looks for when engaging outside counsel and offers advice for attorneys considering a move in-house.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partners Isabel Dische and Adam Dobson, and litigation & enforcement counsel Steve Kaye discuss the use of rep and warranty insurance in fund recapitalization transactions and why its use in the fund recap context has been less common than in other types of M&A transactions. They also share recent developments in the types of coverage available that may make rep and warranty insurance more interesting to fund sponsors and secondary buyers.

The latest installment of R&G Insights Lab’s podcast series, Culture & Compliance Chronicles, explores the benefits of using analytics and technology in the compliance and risk management space. Zach Coseglia, managing principal and head of innovation of R&G Insights Lab, talks with two guests from compliance software company Lextegrity, founder and CEO Parth Chanda, and head of product Kara Bonitatibus. In the first of a two-part conversation, Parth and Kara talk about the benefits of a more analytically-powered approach to compliance and risk management; and specifically, how they have drawn upon their past experiences as in-house compliance lawyers to develop solutions that help companies get a better handle on their risk in near or real time. The three also discuss how technology, analytics and a user interface that prioritizes the employee’s experience can promote better business decision-making, improved compliance, and drive a more sophisticated analysis of programmatic effectiveness.

In this episode of Women @ RopesTalk, partner Laura Hoey interviews Ilana Kukoff, founder and CEO of Cognition Builders. In this inspiring conversation, Ilana talks about how she stumbled onto the idea for Cognition Builders, an education team that immerses itself with families to help resolve social, emotional, behavioral, intellectual and other needs. She shares some wisdom from the book she co-authored titled Say This, Not That (To Your Teenage Daughter), including dispelling the idea that discipline is a bad thing for children. Ilana also talks about what traits she looks for when hiring, why women shouldn’t be afraid to tout their own accomplishments, and how to approach difficult conversations. To top it all off, Ilana’s working on a new television show that will be entirely based on Cognition Builders, which is expected to begin pre-production early next year.

In this inaugural episode of our ETF podcast series, Ropes & Gray asset management attorneys Paulita Pike, Jeremy Smith, Brian McCabe, and Ed Baer discuss recent developments in the ETF industry as well as share some insights to help sponsors prepare for the December compliance date for the ETF Rule.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partners Isabel Dische, Peter Laybourn and Adam Dobson, and tax partner Dan Kolb discuss single asset recapitalization transactions. They provide a brief explanation of what these deals are, followed by a discussion of the typical structure for these deals and certain considerations fund sponsors will want to keep in mind, as well as certain key tax considerations.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partner Melissa Bender and counsel Ed Baer and Charlie Humphreville discuss the various considerations that an investor should take into account when engaging a custodian to hold cryptocurrencies or digital assets such as Bitcoin or Ether.

In this episode of Women @ RopesTalk, hosted by partner Christine Moundas, partner Amanda Raad interviews Louise Dumican, the Managing Director and Head of Legal (Investments) for the Americas at The Carlyle Group. Louise started her legal career at a global law firm, where she first discovered her passion for private equity. That passion led Louise to a secondment opportunity at Carlyle, where she has worked for over 10 years. Amanda talks with Louise about her career path and why saying “yes” has been such an important part of her trajectory. Louise also shares how recent diversity & inclusion initiatives at Carlyle have had measurable results for the better.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, asset management partners Melissa Bender and Marc Biamonte, and asset management counsel Jessica Marlin discuss the changes recently adopted by the SEC to modernize the definitions of an “accredited investor” in Securities Act Rules 215 and 501(a) and a “qualified institutional buyer” under Rule 144A.

The eleventh installment of Ropes & Gray’s podcast series, Non-binding Guidance, focuses on the current regulatory landscape surrounding the use of real-world evidence in drug development and the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in reliance on real-world data and real-world evidence by FDA and other regulatory authorities, as well as industry. Innovative approaches and flexibility from the FDA during the pandemic ultimately may serve to accelerate the uptake of real-world evidence approaches post-pandemic. In this episode, FDA regulatory attorneys Kellie Combs and Sarah Blankstein discuss these recent developments and explore remaining impediments facing the use of real-world evidence and real-world data by regulators and industry stakeholders.

In this introductory episode of Ropes & Gray’s new podcast, On the Ropes: Enforcement Risk Roundtable, partners María González Calvet and Andy Dale provide an overview of the series, where members of Ropes & Gray’s award winning team will speak with professionals in the anti-corruption and international risk compliance space working and specializing in particular jurisdictions.