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On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, M&A counsel Sarah Davis is joined by alums Jenn Borggaard and Rob Shapiro to discuss the rewarding experience of serving on boards. Rob, a retired partner, and Jenn, a former associate and now a co-founder and partner at AlderBrook Advisors, share their personal journeys to board membership and the impact it has had on their careers and communities. They offer valuable advice for those considering board service, highlighting the importance of passion for the mission, the balance of time, talent, and treasure, and the unique perspective lawyers bring to board seats.
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On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, private equity partner Carl Marcellino interviews #1 New York Times-best-selling novelist, comic book writer and musician Charles Soule, who was an associate at Ropes & Gray from 2000-2004. They discuss how Charles built a creative life while practicing as a lawyer. Charles shares his experiences working on comics for DC and Marvel, as well as publishing three novels, including some in the Star Wars universe. For anyone trying to improve their networking, Charles’s description of how he broke into the comic book business is a master class.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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On this episode of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, health care partner Christina Bergeron interviews alum Eric Yecies, chief legal officer and general counsel at LifeMD. Eric discusses his journey from practicing IP litigation as an associate at Ropes & Gray from 2004–2008 to becoming a key figure in a publicly traded telehealth company. Gain insights into the unpredictability of his day-to-day responsibilities, the strategic thinking essential for in-house roles, and the impact of telehealth on LifeMD's rapid growth.
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In this installment of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, strategic transactions group co-leader Marko Zatylny interviews alum George Kopcsay, general counsel of Atlas Air. George was an associate at Ropes & Gray for five years before going in-house at Atlas, where he has been for 13 years. George talks about the experience of taking the company private in 2023 and the differences between being a lawyer at a public company versus a private one. In thinking about the role of a corporate generalist, he explains the “quarterbacking” skill that is essential to his job. George also shares a valuable (and easy) thing outside counsel can do to cultivate closer relationships with their in-house colleagues.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, life sciences partner Amanda Austin, who’s also a member of the firm’s alumni committee, interviews alum and friend Heidy (Abreu) King-Jones, former chief legal officer at Provention Bio. Heidy was an associate at Ropes & Gray from 2008 – 2013, after which she took in-house roles at Sarepta Therapeutics, Axcella and Provention Bio. As a self-described “student of law, student of biotech and student of life,” Heidy talks broadly about her career, with detours into the experience of working at Provention Bio during its acquisition by Sanofi. She shares what she learned at Ropes & Gray, including an important lesson about client service. For anyone thinking about next steps in their career, Heidy also offers great advice focused on where you find professional joy versus professional drain. This interview was recorded on May 25, shortly before Heidy’s departure from Provention Bio, which was acquired by Sanofi in April.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, strategic transactions partner Abby Gregor interviews Beibei Sun, senior corporate counsel of global licensing and business development at Sanofi. Beibei was an associate in the life sciences group at Ropes & Gray before joining Sanofi in 2021. At Sanofi, she supports the specialty care business unit on licensing transactions and the ventures team on venture capital transactions. In this interview, Beibei talks about the differences between being a deal lawyer at a big firm versus in-house. In thinking about her career, she shares the three pieces of advice she would give to newer lawyers. Beibei also reflects on her time at Ropes & Gray—what she gained from the firm, what she misses most, and how she’s been able to continue doing pro bono work in collaboration with the firm as an alumni.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast, health care partner Ben Wilson interviews Erin Abood, senior university counsel at Stanford University. Erin was a health care associate at Ropes & Gray for five years before joining the in-house team at Stanford in 2010. Her practice focuses on digital health, international medicine, fraud and abuse, and privacy issues for Stanford Medicine. In this interview, Erin discusses her transition from Big Law to a small in-house team, what her team at Stanford values most about outside counsel, how her secondment to Stanford while still an associate helped smooth the path for her, and the phenomenal training she received at Ropes & Gray that she feels was critical to her development as a lawyer. She also reflects on the dramatic shift to digital health during the pandemic, and offers advice to associates who are considering an in-house move.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s Alumni @ RopesTalk podcast series, IP litigation partner Matt Rizzolo interviews Ryan Dickey, a cybercrime and intellectual property prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. Ryan started his legal career at Ropes & Gray with plans to become a patent litigator. He talks about how his career goals shifted along the way, leading him to a federal clerkship in Hawaii, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and now, working at the DOJ and teaching at GW Law. Ryan shares what initially drew him to Ropes & Gray and how his time at the firm prepared him for his later career roles. He also offers his thoughts about why being kind is not only good life advice, but also important for professional success.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, life sciences and health care partner Michael Beauvais interviews Julie Constable, vice president of legal and compliance at Blackstone. Julie spent almost a decade at Ropes & Gray as an associate before taking a senior legal role at Blackstone. Julie talks about what a typical day looks like in-house as she leads transactions emerging from the Blackstone Life Sciences team. She reflects on how Ropes & Gray prepared her for her position now by training her to think more critically. Julie also talks about the unique pro bono partnership between Ropes & Gray and Blackstone that she helped to develop, benefitting organizations such as The Innocence Project.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, asset management partner Jason Brown interviews Jacob Comer, general counsel and chief compliance officer at NovaQuest Capital Management, a leading investor in life sciences and health care companies. Jacob began his career at Ropes & Gray in 2003 as an investment management associate and has since taken on legal, regulatory and compliance roles for a private equity firm, venture capital firm and hedge fund. Now at NovaQuest, Jacob talks about the challenges of moving in-house, interviewing for and accepting a new job during the pandemic, his experience working at Ropes & Gray, and his professional influences. Jacob also discusses what he looks for when engaging outside counsel and offers advice for attorneys considering a move in-house.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, IP litigation partner Matt Rizzolo interviews Jason Idilbi, general counsel at Passport Labs, a mobility software platform that facilitates mobile parking and transit ticketing applications. Jason reflects on his “non-linear” legal career path, which began at Ropes & Gray in 2008 and led to roles as a judicial clerk, litigator and in-house counsel. Now at Passport, Jason talks about the most difficult project he’s had to tackle in the last three years, and also what he looks for when engaging outside counsel.
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In the latest episode of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, IP litigation partner Matt Rizzolo interviews Alex Roberts, who left the firm eight years ago and is now an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. In this lively conversation, Alex gives a vivid picture of her life as a professor—from teaching courses on trademark law and the intersection of pop culture and the law, to publishing cutting-edge scholarship about deceptive practices in influencer marketing. Reflecting on her time at Ropes & Gray, Alex also shares how her experience as an associate at Ropes & Gray helped develop her interest in—and prepare her well for—a career in teaching.
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In the latest installment of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, health care partner Christine Moundas interviews her former colleague, Jennifer Bealer, who left Ropes & Gray in 2017 to become executive vice president and general counsel of Progyny, a leading fertility benefits management company. Within two years of joining Progyny, the company went public. In this engaging conversation, Jen shares her insights about the challenges and rewards of transitioning to an in-house position, executing an IPO and running the day-to-day legal operations of a mission-driven startup—all at the same time.
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In the second installment of Ropes & Gray’s alumni podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, strategic transactions partner Megan Baca is joined by Ropes & Gray alum Sabrina Ross for a wide-ranging conversation about Sabrina’s journey from Ropes & Gray associate to global head of policy for Uber’s ridesharing marketplace. This candid and engaging conversation touches upon the myriad challenges—and opportunities—involved with transitioning from big law into an in-house position.
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We are pleased to introduce a new podcast series, Alumni @ RopesTalk, for our alumni interviews. Today’s podcast features Ropes & Gray alum Jeff Gleason in conversation with IP litigation partner Matt Rizzolo. Jeff and Matt were summer associates together back in 2007, and have stayed in touch over the years since Jeff left the firm to go in-house. Most recently, Jeff joined Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality and food services management, as assistant general counsel for gaming. Jeff discusses the challenges associated with moving in-house and offers advice to attorneys who may be looking to make the transition. Additionally, Jeff and Matt reminisce about their early days at Ropes & Gray. Tune in to hear more!
