Ropes & Gray Volunteers Assist Small-Business Owners at BizGrow 2020

A team of 20 Ropes & Gray associates, partners and staff from the firm’s Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. offices recently volunteered at BizGrow 2020, a virtual event designed to connect current and aspiring small-business owners with free legal and business support. The team spent the day meeting with pro bono clients to discuss legal topics of interest to small-business owners, including incorporation, filing, tax and intellectual property. The event took place on July 16, 2020.

Hosted annually by Lawyers for Civil Rights, an organization that fights discrimination on behalf of people of color and immigrants, BizGrow offers pro bono attorneys a unique opportunity to support underserved populations while networking with business executives and fellow attorneys. In addition to providing small-business owners with free one-on-one legal assistance, volunteer lawyers lead workshops on topics ranging from entity formation to leases and contracts. Executives from local companies also lead discussions on important business issues for small businesses, including business planning, insurance and e-commerce. This year, a Ropes & Gray team led a workshop on PPP loan considerations and other COVID-19 relief advice to assist small businesses affected by COVID-19.

The Ropes & Gray volunteer team was led by asset management associate Melicia Morris (Boston) and included finance partner Patricia Lynch (Boston); asset management counsel Molly Moore (Washington, D.C.); asset management associates Chidi Oteh and Stephen Adams (both of Boston); finance associate Doug Hollins (Boston); corporate associates David Acquay (Boston), Tyler Cash (Boston), Konrad Thallner (New York) and Tatiana Charlot (New York); securities & public companies associate Kate Fisher (Boston); real estate associates Jordan Bryant (Boston) and Evan Gordon (New York); executive compensation & employee benefits associate Daniel Armas (Boston); tax associate Chris Shim (New York); senior pricing manager Peter Secor (Boston); corporate program paralegal Sean Dooling (Boston); and legal executive assistant Marlene Orellana (Boston). The team was also joined by Kase Jubboori, a Ropes & Gray alumnus and current corporate deputy general counsel & co-head of tax at Bain Capital.