Lisa M. Ropple Partner Ropes & Gray One International Place Boston, MA 02110-2624 T + 1-617-951-7554 F + 1-617-235-0377 + 1-617-854-2322 secretary E-mail

PRACTICES Litigation Complex Business Litigation Privacy and Data Security

Lisa Ropple is a partner in and former co-head of Ropes & Gray’s Litigation Department.  She focuses her practice on complex business litigation and government investigations and enforcement actions.  Lisa handles these types of matters in a wide variety of substantive contexts, including data security, consumer fraud, business fraud, contractual disputes, trademark, false advertising, and securities.  Lisa also advises clients on data breach incident assessment and response. 

Professional Experience

For over twenty years, Lisa has represented clients, in industries ranging from manufacturing and retail to high technology, pharmaceutical, and financial services, in complex civil litigation of all types in federal and state courts throughout the country.  She also has represented clients in government investigations and enforcement actions by the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, state Attorneys General, and other state and federal regulators. 

Lisa has substantial experience representing companies in connection with data breach and data security issues.  She counsels clients on security incident response (including investigation of possible data breach and advice on notification obligations), interacts with law enforcement authorities concerning data breaches (including the Department of Justice, Secret Service, and state law enforcement authorities), and represents clients in connection with litigation and regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings flowing from significant data breaches. 

Some representative matters include:

• Representing The TJX Companies, Inc. in connection with a criminal intrusion(s) into a portion of TJX's computer network announced in January 2007 that at the time was the largest reported theft of customer data in history.  As part of that engagement, Lisa served as lead lawyer handling an investigation by 41 state Attorneys General, which was resolved by entry into an Assurance in June 2009.
  
  
• Representing a prominent payment card processor in connection with a significant data breach it announced in January 2009 and regulatory inquiries relating to that breach.
  
  
• Represented a well-known manufacturing company in federal court against claims that it breached a contract and violated the Lanham Act by granting overlapping exclusive licenses to two licensees.  Obtained summary judgment on counterclaim against plaintiff; plaintiff dismissed its claimed $20+ million case without any settlement payment from Ropes & Gray’s client.
  
  
• Represented clients in connection with market-timing investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice.
  
  
• Represented Aurora Foods Inc. in a prominent accounting fraud enforcement action by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the SEC in New York, resulting in criminal prosecution of three senior management executives.
  
  
• Defended a high technology client against securities fraud class action lawsuit, obtaining dismissal of case in trial court; First Circuit affirmed decision on appeal in a precedent-setting securities case (Greebel v. FTP Software).
  
  
• In a case simultaneously litigated in three federal courts, obtained summary judgment in manufacturing client's favor on environmental liability indemnification claim under asset purchase agreement, resulting in a highly favorable settlement of matter.
  
  
• Represented paper products manufacturer in investigations by the FTC and state Attorneys General concerning environmental marketing claims.
  

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (2008)

• Lisa Ropple, Kevin Jones, Christine Santariga, "Massachusetts Adopts Strict Security Regulations Governing Personal Information," Privacy & Data Security Law Journal, (April 2009)
• Chapter 12; Business Litigation. MassachusettsSuperior Court Civil Practice Jury Instructions, (MCLE, Inc. rev. ed. 2008)

• Massachusetts, 1989

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

• 1989, J.D., magna cum laude, Boston College Law School; Order of the Coif; West Publishing Prize (awarded to student ranking second in class); Articles Editor, Boston College Law Review
• 1986, Trinity College Dublin; Rotary International Foundation Scholar
• 1984, B.A., summa cum laude, College of the Holy Cross; Phi Beta Kappa

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