RopesTalk

In this podcast, Isabel Dische and Josh Lichtenstein discuss President Trump’s April 10, 2019 Executive Order on Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth and its possible implications for Department of Labor guidance with respect to ERISA plan fiduciaries’ consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities as part of their investment processes and related proxy activities.

Listen to this podcast with Ropes & Gray partner Peter Erichsen and Out Leadership Founder & Principal Todd Sears for highlights from the groundbreaking report on implementing LGBT+ self-ID.

The second installment of Ropes & Gray’s new podcast series, Non-binding Guidance, addresses the departure of former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who resigned from his position last month. During his time at FDA, Commissioner Gottlieb employed an ambitious policy agenda, taking significant steps to combat the opioid crisis, improve access to generic drugs and biosimilars, confront the use of e-cigarettes by minors, and more. In this episode, Ropes & Gray lawyers Greg Levine, Kellie Combs, and Beth Weinman explore several areas of uncertainty that remain in the wake of Dr. Gottlieb’s resignation: the regulation of laboratory developed tests, dietary supplements, and off-label communications. Tune in to this discussion to learn more about the unfinished business of the Gottlieb administration, the impact of his resignation, and how the agency will move forward under Acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless.

In this podcast, Sarah Clinton and David Sullivan discuss interval funds registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, an increasingly common vehicle for credit strategies. As interval funds have risen in popularity recently, with the number of interval funds and amount of AUM having essentially doubled in the past two years, credit fund managers may be considering using this alternative strategy for the first time. This podcast explains what interval funds are and outlines advantages and challenges to these funds to provide credit fund managers a quick view into why they may want to consider registered interval funds.

Ropes & Gray’s new podcast series, Non-binding Guidance, highlights FDA regulatory developments and trends affecting the life sciences industry. In this inaugural episode, Ropes & Gray lawyers Al Cacozza, Sarah Blankstein and Joshua Oyster discuss how the FDA is currently regulating products containing cannabidiol, or CBD, and what to expect from FDA and Congress in the wake of FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s surprise resignation this month. The 2018 Farm Bill, signed into law last December, legalized hemp and its non-psychoactive ingredient CBD and distinguished both from marijuana, which is still considered by the federal government to be an illegal narcotic. But the Farm Bill left a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the emerging CBD industry because it expressly allowed FDA to continue unchanged its oversight and regulation of CBD products. Tune in to this lively discussion of the repercussions of the Farm Bill, how the FDA and state agencies are responding, and what investors and other stakeholders should know.

This Ropes & Gray podcast series highlights developments in Washington, D.C., affecting private funds and their legal, regulatory and compliance obligations. In this second installment, asset management partner Joel Wattenbarger and counsel David Tittsworth pick up on their conversation from January 2019, when the U.S. government was in partial shutdown, to discuss the aftermath of the shutdown and other legislative updates from Capitol Hill, as well as recent developments at the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Topics include Regulation Best Interest and related SEC initiatives; legislative updates related to capital formation, data collection and FinTech; recent developments related to the CFTC; and the FSOC’s proposed changes to how non-bank financial institutions are designated.

In this podcast, Brenda Coleman and Andy Howard discuss strategies for credit fund managers to address interest withholding tax issues on European investments in light of a complex and changing landscape. With new rules being introduced in line with the OECD’s BEPS (Base Erosion and Profit Shifting) Project and with treaty shopping being re-examined under BEPS, credit fund managers may be uncertain of how they should deal with withholding taxes on European investments. This podcast provides an overview of the current tax rules, the changing landscape and the actions credit fund managers may consider taking.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, Morey Ward, counsel in the tax-exempt group, is joined by Kendi Ozmon, Gil Ghatan and Brittany Cvetanovich, colleagues who also focus their practices on representing tax-exempt organizations, to provide listeners with an update on the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”), that specifically target tax-exempt organizations. They will review major guidance issued on these provisions in 2018, and will also discuss some questions about the TCJA that remain unanswered.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, Washington, D.C.-based IP litigators Scott McKeown and Matt Rizzolo address recent developments in the field of patentable subject matter under Section 101, including how Federal Circuit cases such as Berkheimer v. HP and Aatrix v. Green Shades are having an effect on patent litigation. Matt and Scott also discuss the USPTO’s recent guidance on Section 101 issues, as well as whether legislation relating to patent eligibility may be on the horizon.

In this Ropes & Gray podcast, Isabelle Farrar, a senior associate in the tax controversy group is joined by Harvey Cotton, a principal in the tax and benefits group, and Elizabeth Smith, counsel in the tax controversy group, to discuss the December 2018 decision from the Northern District of Texas in Texas v. United States. This case deals with the constitutionality of the Individual Mandate in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.