The Week at Ropes & Gray

This week, Ropes & Gray attorneys guided numerous deals, including a complex, cross-border technology acquisition valued at $5 billion. Attorneys also released podcasts on timely legal issues and provided commentary on developments in fintech, intellectual property and health care law. The firm also hosted an event and contributed a chapter to a private equity guidebook. Here’s a summary of the week’s highlights:

• Our clients were active across a range of industries:
• The National Football League announced a strategic partnership with Endeavor to operate On Location Experiences, which focuses on providing NFL fans, partners and clubs access to its suite of premium hospitality offerings. Ropes & Gray represented the National Football League.
• Cloud data management company Veeam Software agreed to be acquired by Insight Partners in a deal valued at approximately $5 billion. Ropes & Gray represented Veeam Software in the transaction.
• The Habit Restaurants, operator of The Habit Burger Grill, was acquired by Yum! Brands, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Ropes & Gray advised The Habit Restaurants on the acquisition.
• US Radiology entered into a partnership with Upstate Carolina Radiology, a provider of diagnostic and interventional radiology services. Ropes & Gray advised US Radiology on the transaction.
• Shoreline Equity Partners announced the close of Shoreline Equity Partners Fund, its inaugural private equity fund. The fund was oversubscribed at its hard cap of $300 million in commitments, surpassing its initial target of $250 million. Ropes & Gray represented Shoreline in the fundraise.
• Ropes & Gray released podcasts on key issues in asset management, tax and life sciences:
• In a new CFTC-focused podcast, asset management partners Isabel Dische and Leigh Fraser discuss the three no-action letters published by the CFTC to provide relief to market participants as they transition swaps that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate and other interbank offered rates to swaps that reference alternative benchmarks.
• A new episode of Non-binding Guidance looks at SEC disclosure issues for life sciences companies. Life sciences regulatory & compliance partner Kellie Combs and mergers & acquisitions partner Emily Oldshue discuss when to disclose, how to frame the disclosure, and how the responses to both of these questions are informed by SEC enforcement actions and securities litigation.
• Law360 published a series of articles on trends to watch in 2020. Ropes & Gray attorneys shared their thoughts:
• IP litigation partners Scott McKeown and Matt Rizzolo commented on the future of patent legislation.
• Health care partner Tom Bulleit discussed the prospects for drug pricing action in 2020.
• Litigation & enforcement partner Jeremiah Williams analyzed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2020 examination targets.
• The use of co-commercialization arrangements in collaboration agreements is becoming widespread in the life sciences industry. IP transactions partner Megan Baca and IP transactions associate Georgina Jones Suzuki surveyed and analyzed market trends for life sciences co-commercialization arrangements in Bloomberg Law.
• The Legal 500 has published a new guide on private equity. Private equity partner John Newton, finance partner Alex Robb, tax partner Andrew Howard and private equity associate Shona Ha authored a chapter on the legal framework and key issues surrounding private equity in the United Kingdom.
• In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Ropes & Gray’s Chicago office hosted a panel discussion on preventing workplace sexual misconduct. The event featured our partners and guest speakers from global communications firm Edelman.
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