Ten Ropes & Gray Partners Honored as Trailblazers

Rankings & Awards
November 12, 2019

Ten partners have been recognized as Trailblazers by Law.com and The National Law Journal in 2019. These awards honor “agents of change … who have made significant marks on the practice, policy and technological advancement of their practice” and who are “sincerely innovators and thought leaders.” The partners are: 

  • Mark Barnes, who is a preeminent thinker and adviser on health care and life sciences innovation. He is honored for co-founding Vivli, a nonprofit that collects data from clinical trials from companies, hospitals and academic research institutions, enabling the data to be accessed by scientists. So far, 19 academic and corporate members have shared data from 4,200 clinical trials involving more than two million research participants in 106 countries. 
  • Jim Dowden, who is highly regarded for his exceptional investigative skills, co-led a 10-month independent investigation commissioned by the United States Olympic Committee into the abuse of elite and Olympic gymnasts by Larry Nassar. The investigation culminated in a detailed December 2018 public report addressing “who knew what when” and what was and was not done in response, as well as contributing cultural conditions and underlying factors in the decades-long abuse. 
  • Tim McCrystal, described by clients as “super smart” and “thoughtful and very calm,” co-chairs the firm’s health care practice. He is honored as one of the top advisers on value-based health care, which is transforming how hospitals, institutions and companies deliver care to patients. Over his career, Tim has advised on numerous blockbuster health care transactions, affiliations, joint ventures and health system reorganizations. 
  • Marc Rubenstein, in the firm’s life sciences practice, guided one of the most innovative private equity-backed life sciences deals of 2018: the creation by Pfizer and Bain Capital of Cerevel Therapeutics. The company is seeking to expand treatment options in a therapeutic area where there is an unmet need for patients, contributing to the scientific understanding of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In his broad transaction practice, Marc manages mergers and acquisitions, raising capital, licensing agreements and securities matters, among other areas. 
  • Robert Skinner and Amy Roy, both litigation powerhouses, win in court time and again for financial services and asset management clients. Recently, in Kennis v. MetWest, Rob, Amy and partner John Donovan crafted a winning defense strategy for Metropolitan West Asset Management, the largest actively managed bond fund in the world. The decision “helped set the stage for hopefully a new conversation about how mutual funds really work,” Rob said.   
  • Deborah Gersh, described by clients as “absolutely fantastic,” was honored as a Healthcare Trailblazer. Deborah continues to pioneer complex issues affecting providers, health care systems, companies and institutions, including in transactions, privacy, value-based care and regulatory areas, among others. Clients in Chambers & Partners describe her as “responsive” and commend her “deep knowledge of the healthcare space.” 
  • Patricia Lynch is one of the country’s top finance attorneys and was honored as a Finance, Banking and Capital Markets Trailblazer. Patricia has advised the biggest U.S. franchises on complex whole business securitizations that are frequently in the news. Those securitizations comprise only a part of her practice, which encompasses a wide range of structured finance transactions, including advising on CLOs and receivables-backed variable funding note facilities. 
  • Paul Tropp has recently led high-profile clients in a high volume of IPOs and capital markets transactions. Clients describe Paul in Chambers & Partners as “outstanding” and a “very strong lawyer.” Paul’s practice also includes advising on follow-on public offerings, transactions involving an array of bonds, debt tenders and consents, private placements and selling-shareholder deals.   
  • Jennifer Rikoski, who co-chairs Ropes & Gray’s global pro bono initiative, was honored as an Immigration Trailblazer. Jenny led transformative immigration work at the U.S.-Mexico border to help reunite separated families in 2018. She has also advised clients in asylum and immigration cases and has traveled to detention centers – and also Syria – to navigate complex immigration issues. Ropes & Gray attorneys around the world committed approximately 160,000 hours to pro bono. The firm was also named “Pro Bono Firm of the Year” in 2019 by Chambers & Partners.