The Week at Ropes & Gray: Alibaba and Advent Announce Transactions in Asia; A Leading Enforcement Attorney Joins in London; Ropes & Gray Names 24 New Partners and Six New Counsel; New Tax Controversy Podcast; An Amicus Cites History to Challenge Transgender Military Ban; U.S. News Names Ropes & Gray “Law Firm of the Year” for Leveraged Buyouts and Patent Law

Weekly highlights of what’s happening at Ropes & Gray:

• Our clients announced two cross-border transactions involving well-known consumer brands:
• Alibaba Group announced its strategic partnership with Switzerland-based Richemont, a leading luxury goods group, to bring the retail offerings of YOOX Net-A-Porter Group to Chinese consumers. Ropes & Gray represented Alibaba Group in the transaction.
• Advent International announced its carve-out acquisition of the mattress manufacturing business of Serta, Inc. in China from Hong Kong-based conglomerate Airland Holding Company, and a subsequent partnership between Serta China and King Koil China. Ropes & Gray advised Advent International in the transaction.
• In the largest round of partner and counsel promotions in Ropes & Gray’s 153-year history, the firm named 24 attorneys partners of the firm and six attorneys became counsel. Nearly half of the new partners are women, minorities or both.
• Ropes & Gray has filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Organization of American Historians and 47 distinguished individual historians in Jane Doe 2 et. al. v. Trump, one of the federal cases challenging the Trump administration’s near-total ban on military service by transgender individuals. The brief argues that despite a long history of excluding from its ranks entire categories of people, the U.S. military also has successfully integrated previously excluded groups, and that the historical record consistently shows that its leaders have come to cite their contributions to enhancing military readiness.
• In the 2019 edition of “Best Law Firms” by U.S. News-Best Lawyers, Ropes & Gray was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Leveraged Buyouts/Private Equity Law and Patent Law, and ranked as a top-tier firm in 21 national practice categories. The listing recognizes law firms for professional excellence and consistently impressive reviews from clients and peers.
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