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Ropes & Gray
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Complex Business Litigation | Government Enforcement | Intellectual Property | Securities

What do we do?
We represent public and private companies and their directors and officers in high-stakes, prominent securities and shareholder litigation throughout the nation. We are also regularly called upon by our clients to defend claims related to hostile take-overs, "poison pills" and fiduciary duty claims. Our litigators frequently serve as general or special counsel to public companies and their boards. We are leading players in the defense of the investment management industry, which has faced ever-increasing litigation and regulatory scrutiny in recent years. Ropes & Gray has defended more mutual fund complexes and their independent trustees in market timing, late trading and excessive fee claims than any other law firm.

We also represent clients facing investigations, enforcement investigations and actions, administrative proceedings, and civil and criminal federal court actions initiated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory bodies. For a further description of our securities enforcement work click here. 

 
Jill Ortelt (University of Connecticut Law School '02) and partner Rob Jones work on the Genzyme securities litigation described below. Both are alumni of our summer program.

What have we done lately?

  • Representing State Street Corporation in several purported class and individual actions arising out of the subprime mortgage crisis.  Plaintiffs allege that State Street breached its fiduciary duties as investment manager by exposing certain active fixed income funds to mortgage-related financial instruments that adversely affected the funds' investment returns. For a description of an associate's role in this matter, click here.
  • Represented biotechnology company Genzyme in a securities class action raising novel issues regarding the treatment of tracking stocks. For a description of an associate's role in this matter, click here.
  • Representing Brooks Automation, a manufacture in the semiconductor industry, in federal and state litigation related to Brooks' stock option grant practices. For a description of an associate's role in this matter, click here.
  • Represented hedge fund manager Stark Investments in multi-court litigation seeking to compel the proposed acquisition of a Singaporean corporation under Singaporean, Delaware and federal law. For a description of two associates' role in this matter, click here.
  • Won summary judgment for two mutual fund managers against shareholder claims in separate federal courts that the managers charged excessive advisory fees. These decisions served to establish important new law in the area.
  • Representing former officer of a public company with respect to an informal SEC inquiry and a shareholder derivative litigation alleging stock options back-dating. For a description of an associate's role in this matter, click here.
  • Obtained Second Circuit Victory for Harvard University in its pursuit of an international class arbitration against a Russian oil and gas company to enforce dividend rights under investments in American Depository Receipts. 

 
John Ray (Harvard Law School '00) works with partner and Securities Litigation practice group leader Randy Bodner on multiple actions in state and federal court defending Brooks Automation from charges of stock options back-dating.