The Week at Ropes & Gray: IP Team Continues Winning Streak at Federal Circuit; IFLR1000 Honors Global Corporate Practices; Top Five Compliance Challenges for Health Care Companies in Europe

Weekly highlights of what’s happening at Ropes & Gray:

• Samsung Electronics and HTC Corp. (represented by Ropes & Gray) faced a court challenge from Affinity Labs of Texas that they had infringed a patent for streaming media technologies. But the Federal Circuit affirmed two earlier decisions of the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) that found the patent was invalid as obvious over prior art. The appellate success improves Ropes & Gray’s record to 13-0 on PTAB decisions affirmed on appeal to the Federal Circuit. The winning team included appellate & Supreme Court partner Doug Hallward-Driemeier. Learn more in our video series about the PTAB.
• In asset management news, Ropes & Gray advised Neuberger Berman on its raise of NB Private Debt Fund II LP, its second private fund. Closing with $750 million of limited partner commitments, the fund will seek to invest in the junior debt of private equity-backed companies. 
• Ropes & Gray strengthened its corporate capabilities in Europe with the addition of a leading corporate partner in London. Helen Croke, one of the UK’s top private equity lawyers, joined on Oct. 21. She advises institutional investors, companies and founders on domestic and international private equity and M&A transactions.
• The 2017 edition of the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) 1000, an annual guide to the world’s leading financial and corporate law firms, honored Ropes & Gray with accolades in 29 categories across Asia, the UK and the U.S. In addition to the firm rankings, 59 attorneys were recognized as “Leading Lawyers” or “Rising Stars.”
• Real estate partner Jack Creedon has been named as one of Real Estate Forum’s Fifty Under 40, a distinction that marks him as one of the 50 “best-in-class young commercial real estate executives.” The article quotes clients, one of whom describes him as "a sharp young guy who’s a very knowledgeable and creative real estate transaction lawyer."
• Global health care companies face a panoply of compliance challenges in the European market, from interacting with the government in state-sponsored systems to dealing with EU data privacy standards. Ropes & Gray lawyers identify the top five challenges—and steps to address them—in a recent article.