The Week at Ropes & Gray: A Lawyer Returns from the SEC; Another Lawyer Appointed to the Bench; A Sale in the Tech Sector; Countdown to GDPR; Shifts in Health Care Models and Legislation; Recognition for our Lawyers

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

• One lawyer returns: Keith F. Higgins, the former Director of Corporation Finance at the SEC, has rejoined Ropes & Gray; he’ll chair the firm’s securities & governance practice. Mr. Higgins’s reputation as one of the nation’s preeminent securities lawyers will further strengthen the guidance provided by multiple firm practices to public companies, investment banks and institutional investors.
• Ropes & Gray client BV Investment Partners, a middle-market private equity firm, reached an agreement to sell TriCore Solutions to Rackspace. TriCore is an application and infrastructure services provider. The transaction is expected to close in June.
• The countdown clock for compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is ticking toward a May 28, 2018 deadline. In this Law360 article, our privacy & data security attorneys examined key issues that companies need to address before next year’s deadline. And in a recent client alert, they also examined how the European Commission’s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party expressed “grave concerns” about the EU’s proposed Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communication.
• The potential for a complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its proposed replacement with the American Health Care Act continues to pose questions in the health care sector; health care partner Tom Bulleit discussed with CBS MoneyWatch and Law360 the Congressional Budget Office’s prediction that Republican legislation largely repealing the ACA would destabilize many insurance markets.  In other health care news, this Law360 article by health care attorneys outlines the potential regulatory challenges for companies seeking to create or participate in value-based care initiatives. 
• The Legal 500 US ranked 32 Ropes & Gray practices in its 2017 edition. The firm was ranked tier one in four categories, increased its ranking in seven categories, and gained one new ranking.
• And finally, the National LGBT Bar Association recognized associates Gavin Alexander and Emily Oldshue on the organization’s list of Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 – Class of 2017. The award recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding LGBT legal professionals under 40 who have distinguished themselves in their legal fields and have demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality.