The Week at Ropes & Gray: Privacy Group of the Year; Lessons from a Whistleblower Suit; More Changes Ahead in Washington; Pre-Snowstorm Service Project at NYC’s Food Bank

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

• A new profile by Law360 (subscription required) reports on Ropes & Gray's “Privacy Group of the Year,” highlighting the firm’s work on major breach and compliance matters, including "what’s sure to be one of the most important privacy decisions coming down the pipe in 2017 — LabMD’s appeal against the Federal Trade Commission."
• In The Wall Street Journal’s “Morning Risk Report,” anti-corruption and international risk co-chair Jim Dowden discussed a wrongful termination lawsuit involving the former general counsel of Bio-Rad Laboratories, explaining that the suit emphasizes the importance of documenting employee performance regularly. The issue of documentation played a critical role in the Bio-Rad GC’s win, and underscores the challenge for companies facing whistleblower claims.
• We continue to report on the latest legal and regulatory developments in Washington, D.C. and how they may affect your business. A new video with Alex Rene, also co-chair of the anti-corruption and international risk practice, discusses likely FCPA enforcement activity under the Trump administration. 
• On our Capital Insights website, we examine the president’s memorandum directing the Department of Labor to determine whether its new fiduciary rule adversely affects access to retirement information and financial advice; we also take a look at the many possible IP-focused legislative proposals that may be addressed by the 115th Congress.
• Meanwhile, in one of the most anticipated IPOs of the year, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., is planning to raise $3 billion on the New York Stock Exchange. In this Law360 article (subscription required), partner Thomas Holden explains that Snap filed its IPO confidentially under federal rules that allow early-stage companies to test the offering with prospective investors before going public.
• Finally, on the eve of Winter Storm Niko in New York, a group of volunteers helped out at the Food Bank's Community Kitchen in West Harlem. The food pantry enables New Yorkers to select fresh produce and packaged food items in a supermarket-style setting, providing more than 40,000 meals a month to people in need. Partner David Djaha, who leads the firm’s efforts with the “Justice Served” campaign, told Bloomberg Big Law Business, “[W]e’re banding together to help our neighbors in New York City. It’s very different than just writing a check.”