Richard Kidd is a partner in the employment, executive compensation and employee benefits practice, based in New York. Rich focuses his practice on all aspects of labor and employment matters, including in the context of cross-border and domestic corporate transactions, employment-related agreements, union and collective bargaining issues and employment disputes.
Richard serves as lead employment counsel to publicly traded companies and private equity firms and their portfolio companies, and advises clients on transactional labor and employment issues. In this regard, he counsels clients on the enforceability of restrictive covenants, employment issues in restructuring matters, reductions-in-force, COVID-19 issues and other significant labor and employment issues. He has vast experience negotiating and drafting employment-related agreements; managing executive separations; providing counseling to clients on union issues and negotiating collective bargaining agreements.
Richard also represents clients in complex litigation matters, including arbitrations and mediations involving employment disputes, and leads sexual harassment investigations and investigations into executive wrongdoing.
Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, Richard was a partner in and led the labor and employment practice at another leading global law firm.
Experience
All matters completed prior to joining Ropes & Gray
Corporate Transactions and Executive Separations
- Represented Wyndham Worldwide in its separation via spin-off into two separate publicly traded hospitality companies valued at approximately $11 billion, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. and Wyndham Destinations, Inc.
- Represented Blackstone in its acquisition of SESAC Holdings, a leading music rights organization, from Rizvi Traverse Management
- Represented Hilcorp Alaska in its $5.6 billion acquisition of BP’s upstream and midstream business in Alaska
- Advised a media company in the out-of-court-wind down of its U.S. operations
- Represented Nexstar Media Group, Inc. in its separate $160 million acquisition of BestReviews and in its purchase and sale agreements with Fox Television Stations, LLC
- Represented Trinseo in the €1.137 billion contemplated acquisition of Arkema’s PMMA business
- Represented Blackstone Energy Partners and Sanchez Energy Corporation in the definitive purchase agreement to acquire Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s working interest in approximately 318,000 gross operated acres in the Western Eagle Ford for approximately $2.3 billion
- Represented Arcline Investment Management LP in the formation and operating of their first fund, Arcline Capital Partners LP, a $1.5 billion fund focused on leveraged buyouts of high-quality middle market businesses
- Represented a multinational financial services company with respect to labor and employment issues in the sale of its banking subsidiary with operations in more than 40 countries
- Advised a fund manager separation from a current employer to form own fund
- Advised a global investment management firm in a separation with portfolio company CEO and COO
Union Negotiations
- Represented a steel company in the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement with the United Autoworkers
- Represented a coal company in the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement with the United Steelworkers
- Represented a baked goods company in the negotiation of agreements with the Teamsters
- Represented New York real estate holders in negotiations with Local 6 of the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU
Class Actions, Collective Actions, and Other Complex Litigation
- Represented a global diversified services company in a federal employment discrimination action
- Represented a mutual life insurance company in a federal employment class action
Investigations
- Advised a national insurance company with #MeToo investigation
- Advised a national advertising company with #MeToo investigation
- Advised a global company with executive expense fraud investigation