Ropes & Gray Names 21 New Partners

Global law firm Ropes & Gray is pleased to share that 21 attorneys have been named partners of the firm, effective November 1.

“This is a terrific day for our firm as we congratulate our colleagues and celebrate the future of Ropes & Gray,” said Julie Jones, chair. “These lawyers are talented professionals who share a deep understanding of our clients’ businesses.  Their legal, strategic and industry expertise enable our clients’ most extraordinary achievements.”

Ropes & Gray’s new partners are go-to advisors for complex, high-stakes matters, building on Ropes & Gray’s strength in private capital, asset management, health care, life sciences, litigation, strategic transactions, antitrust, real estate, restructuring, alternative assets, debt finance, tax, technology, infrastructure, consumer goods, sports, media, and beyond.

In addition, today Ropes & Gray reaffirmed its one-tier partnership structure, which is increasingly distinct in elite law. “Client focus guides all of our decision making, including on internal talent matters,” said Jones. “A unified partnership enables Ropes to deliver the best service and outcome for clients, build the most talented lawyer base in elite law, and maintain our special culture. We pride ourselves on the mantra, ‘one firm, one partnership, one focus: our clients.’”

Here are the newest members of Ropes & Gray’s partnership:

JR Drabick (Boston) advises clients on complex enforcement challenges across the financial services, investment advisory, healthcare, life sciences, and technology industries. JR brings deep trial and government experience as a former federal prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney.

Ryan Duerring (New York) represents mortgage REITs, private funds, and institutional investors on complex commercial real estate (CRE) equity and debt transactions. He has deep market knowledge of CRE debt financings, including repurchase facilities, note-on-note, and other back-leverage strategies.

Dan Freshman (New York) focuses on emerging companies/venture capital investments and intellectual property transactions. He advises on complex strategic transactions and investments across the life sciences, consumer & retail, sports, blockchain, and technology sectors.

Jennifer Geffner (New York) represents private fund sponsors globally on fund formation. She has deep familiarity with different structures and asset classes. She also advises on regulatory and compliance issues and management company matters.

Ray Grant (Boston) advises global life sciences clients in strategic transactions, including venture capital investments, growth equity investments, PIPEs, and joint ventures. He represents life-science focused VC and PE funds, as well as biopharmaceutical companies.

Reed Harasimowicz (San Francisco) guides leading private equity sponsors and portfolio companies on complex transactions, from leveraged buyouts to minority investments. His extensive experience covers a range of industry verticals and transaction sizes.

Alyssa Horton (Boston) advises leading private fund managers on regulatory matters, including SEC investment adviser registration, compliance program development, and SEC examinations. In addition, she helps advisers and investors with regulatory aspects of new fund and product launches.

Stephen Iacovo (Chicago) represents companies, lenders, and sponsors in out-of-court restructuring transactions and bankruptcy proceedings, with a primary focus on complex out-of-court liability management transactions and in-court chapter 11 proceedings. Stephen advises companies across a wide range of industries.

Deidre Johnson (Boston) leads Ropes & Gray’s premier premerger notification practice, advising clients on complex, cross-border mergers and acquisitions. She is widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act.

Jeffrey Lang (New York) represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a wide range of leveraged finance transactions at all stages of the private equity life cycle, including syndicated and private credit facilities.

Elizabeth Langton (New York) advises leading asset managers and private equity sponsors on mergers & acquisitions and other transactions. She partners with clients on GP stakes investments, control and carve-out transactions, joint ventures, and other strategic matters.

Colleen Meyer (San Francisco) advises asset managers on a range of regulatory matters across asset classes, including private equity, hedge, credit, venture capital, and retail. She also counsels on regulatory aspects of innovative industry developments, including digital assets and the use of AI.

Chidi Oteh (Boston) advises asset managers on fund formation, governance, and compliance-related issues across a wide spectrum of asset classes and structures. He also advises clients on the purchase, sale, and operation of professional sports teams and related companies.

Sam Perrone (Boston) guides healthcare clients through high-stakes regulatory, enforcement, and transactional matters. With a broad background in government enforcement and regulatory compliance, his practice focuses on False Claims Act defense, fraud and abuse counseling, internal investigations, and transaction structuring.

Colby Rogers (Boston) advises on complex tax matters for private investment funds and institutional investors, as well as for real estate transactions. He works with clients across industries, including infrastructure, health care, higher education, and life sciences.

Shudan Shen (New York) guides private fund sponsors on fundraising across strategies, including fund-of-funds, buyout, secondary, and credit funds. Her versatile practice includes advice on fund structure, capital raises, operations, and regulatory and compliance matters.

Max Silverstein (New York) counsels on complex financing transactions for private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, credit funds, and corporate borrowers. He has developed significant experience in acquisition financings, asset-based lending facilities, and liability management exercises.

Christian Vareika (Boston) advises leading asset managers and global institutional investors on transactional matters spanning alternative asset classes. He has guided clients in some of the largest and most complex LP- and GP-led secondary transactions in the market in recent years.

Matthieu Wharmby (New York) guides clients in complex securitizations. His broad practice ranges from whole business securitization and digital infrastructure asset-backed securities (ABS) to emerging areas such as collateralized fund obligation (CFO) and IP royalty securitizations.

Charlie Zagnoli (Chicago) is a commercial litigator who represents clients in all stages of complex civil litigation. He focuses on health care fraud claims, False Claims Act cases, corporate governance and deal litigation, contract disputes, and securities fraud suits.

Zhen Zhang (Boston) is a versatile tax lawyer who focuses on transactional matters, including leveraged buyouts, mergers & acquisitions, licensing/collaboration arrangements, and complex restructurings. He has a particular focus on international and cross-border tax matters.