Jennifer A. Rikoski
Partner
Jennifer Rikoski joined Ropes & Gray in 2006 and is a partner in the employment, executive compensation and employee benefits practice group. She represents public company and private equity clients, including portfolio companies, executives and compensation committees, in mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, structuring management equity arrangements, negotiating employment and severance agreements and advising on deferred compensation and other incentive programs. Jenny has successfully represented several dozen refugees and asylum-seekers on a pro bono basis and regularly lectures and leads trainings on immigration law and policy. Jenny serves as co-chair of the firm’s pro bono committee, chair of the Boston office’s civic engagement committee and as a Boston hiring partner.
Experience
- Represented Advent International in its investments in AccentCare, Aimbridge Hospitality, Ansira, Genoa Healthcare and Olaplex.
- Represented Altamont Capital Partners in its investments in Access, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, The Bayou Companies, CHE Behavorial Health Services, Colorado Boxed Beef Company, Cotton Patch Cafe, Dakine, Douglas Products, Fox Head, HUF, Hybrid Apparel, Juice Plus+, Maxi Canada, Sequel Youth & Family Services, Tacala/Boom Foods and Tall Tree Foods.
- Represented Audax Private Equity in its investments in AAMP Global, Accent Food Services, Affordable Interior Systems, Aspen Surgical Products, Astute, Axia Women’s Health, Belmont Medical Technologies, Chartis Group, Chase Doors, Chesapeake IRB, Colony Hardware, Corepoint Health, Corrona, Data Intensity, Endurance International Group, EnviroVac, Gastro Health, Great Expressions Dental Centers, Help/Systems, HOPCo, Liquid Environmental Solutions, Meridian Behavioral Health, Numotion, PlayMonster, Phoenix Physical Therapy, Proud Moments, Reed Group, Smart Care Equipment Solutions, Solis Mammography, Trident USA, TriMark USA, United Urology Group, Van Pool and WellSpring Consumer Healthcare.
- Represented Bain Capital in its investments in Arosa + LIVHOME, Blue Coat Systems, Canada Goose, Cerevel, Hugel, Innocor, Penn Foster, TOMS Shoes, TI Fluid Systems, Toshiba Memory and Waystar.
- Represented Becton, Dickinson in numerous acquisitions and divestitures.
- Represented Kohlberg & Co. in its investments in Cadence, Centerplate, Central Parking, CIBT, EN Engineering, GPRS, K2/MDV, MarketCast, ONS, Packaging Dynamics, Phillips Medisize, Risk Strategies, Sara Lee, Spinal Elements, Stanadyne, U.S. Retirement & Benefits Partners and U.S. Risk.
- Represented Silver Lake in its investments in Avaya, GoodRx, LightBox, Twitter, Vacasa, Verily, Waymo and Weld North Education.
- Represented Bright Horizons, Canada Goose, Cyclerion and The Michaels Companies in their initial public offerings.
- Represented refugees, asylum-seekers and others seeking pro bono immigration assistance from countries around the world, including Haiti, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Colombia, Honduras, and El Salvador.
Publications
- Quoted, “Fielding Emails From Kyiv, A Hungarian Lawyer and an Instagram Memelord Bring Big Law to Ukraine Legal Aid,” The American Lawyer (March 1, 2022)
- Quoted, “Law Firms, Watching Ukraine, Prepare for Pro Bono Work,” The American Lawyer (February 25, 2022)
- Quoted, “BigLaw Wants to Aid Ukraine Refugees But Searches for How,” Law360 (February 25, 2022)
- Quoted, “Pro Bono Spotlight: Ropes & Gray Aids Families Separated at the U.S. – Mexico Border,” Boston Bar Association BBA Week (February 14, 2019)
- Featured, “Lawyers of the Year: Jennifer A. Rikoski,” Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (January 21, 2019)
- Quoted, “Judge will not extend deadlines for Trump administration to reunite families,” USA Today (July 10, 2018)
- Quoted, “Deadline Brings Disorder at Border,” The Boston Globe (July 27, 2018)
- Quoted, “Mass. law firms make case for high praise with pro bono work,” The Boston Business Journal (January 25, 2018)
- Quoted, “Backlog in NY Immigration Court Leaves Most Undocumented Children Without Lawyers,” WNYC-FM (November 27, 2017)
- Jennifer Rikoski and Jonathan Finer, “Out of Iraq: The U.S. Legal Regime Governing Iraqi Refugee Resettlement,”Rutgers L. Rec., Vol. 34 (Spring 2009)
- Jonathan Finer and Jennifer Rikoski, “Stuck in Syria With No Way Home,”The Washington Post, op-ed (June 1, 2008)
- “Reform but Preserve the Federal Tax Deduction for Charitable Contributions of Historic Façade Easements,” The Tax Lawyer, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Winter 2006)
Education
- JD, Georgetown University Law Center, 2006; Editor, The Tax Lawyer
- MPA, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, 2006
- BA (Government), magna cum laude, Georgetown University, 2000; Phi Beta Kappa; Alpha Sigma Nu; Pi Sigma Alpha
Admissions / Qualifications
Qualifications
- Massachusetts, 2006
Awards
- The National Law Journal, Trailblazer (2019)
- PAIR Project, Outstanding Pro Bono Asylum Attorney (2019)
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year (2018)
- Legal 500 (2016-2019, 2021-2023)
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star (2017-2018)
- PAIR Project Outstanding Achievement Award (2010)
- Deborah Levi Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service (2009)