ATLANTA – Donna Beezhold, a commercial real estate attorney with demonstrated expertise in the health care industry and the single family and build-to-rent sectors of the housing industry, has joined Troutman Pepper’s national Real Estate Practice Group in Atlanta as a partner. She joins the firm from Nelson Mullins.
Beezhold represents health care providers and national real estate developers in structuring and facilitating complex commercial real estate transactions and matters, including, acquisitions, dispositions, pre- and post-closing development, leasing matters, and other arrangements. She is highly experienced in the leasing and ground leasing of medical office buildings and facilitating and managing compliant real estate arrangements between hospitals and physician groups in addition to representing national developers in assembling, acquiring, and developing single family and build-to-rent housing projects.
“Donna is a dynamic attorney with a broad range of real estate skills, including a great depth of experience in complex real estate finance, development, and leasing transactions,” said Partner Anthony Greene, who leads Troutman Pepper’s Real Estate Practice Group. “She is joining a team that has experienced notable growth in the last few years with more on the horizon.”
“Her developer-oriented practice aligns nicely with our nationally recognized Real Estate Practice Group, and we have several client affinities that make this a smart fit,” added Atlanta Office Managing Partner Chuck Palmer. “We are delighted to welcome Donna to our growing team in Atlanta.”
Within the last few years, Troutman Pepper’s real estate team in Atlanta added Partners Anna Altizer Dix, Christina Braisted Rogers, and Shelli Willis to its deep roster.
“Troutman Pepper’s focus on client experience and value combined with its reputation in the real estate space appealed to me,” Beezhold said. “I look forward to continuing to serve my clients with the support of this robust team in Atlanta and across the country.”
Beezhold earned her JD from Emory Law School and her BA in legal studies from University of Central Florida.
Troutman Pepper’s national Real Estate Practice Group helps clients in their most complex real estate transactions. Clients include owners, developers, and financiers of some of the largest projects across the country in both the private and public sectors. The practice has been recognized by several leading industry authorities, including Chambers USA, Legal 500, and U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms”, among others.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
BOSTON/RICHMOND, Va. – Troutman Pepper client Blue Heron Capital has led a $20 million Series B funding in Authenticx, the new standard in health care for listening to customer voices at scale. Blue Heron Capital was joined by Beringea, Indiana Next Level Fund/50 South Capital Advisors, High Alpha, Mutual Capital Partners, Signal Peak Ventures, Allos Ventures, Elevate Ventures, and M25. Read a company press release about the financing.
The investment comes after a significant year of growth for Authenticx, which saw a 2.5x increase in ARR in 2022 and 64 new employees since July 2021, many of whom joined product innovation and sales departments. Additionally, Authenticx’s customer base doubled over the last year, with its client portfolio now including five of the top 10 leading global pharmaceutical companies.
The Troutman Pepper team advising Blue Heron Capital included Dan Sieck, Michael McCann, and Thomas Walker.
The firm regularly advises startup, emerging growth and venture capital clients through every stage of their life cycle. Industries served span software, hardware and other high-technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, financial technology, health care, consumer products, food and beverage, media and telecommunications products and services, and many others.
Visit seed.troutman.com to learn more about Troutman Pepper’s SEED program.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
PHILADELPHIA – Melissa Hatch O’Donnell, a talented health care attorney with significant experience in antitrust law, False Claims Act, and other complex commercial litigation, has rejoined Troutman Pepper as a partner in the firm’s Health Sciences Litigation Practice Group. O’Donnell returns to the firm’s Philadelphia office after spending nearly four years in-house with Cigna, where she provided litigation and regulatory counsel, and focused on pharmacy benefit managers’ relationships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, health plans, and pharmacies.
“We are delighted to welcome Melissa back to the firm,” said Sean Fahey, chair of the firm’s Health Sciences Litigation Practice Group. “As we see demand for top-flight health care-focused litigators continue to grow, her addition deepens our bench strength for clients, particularly in the critical areas of antitrust law and complex commercial litigation.”
O’Donnell brings extensive experience handling class action and large multidistrict litigations, as well as commercial, antitrust, unfair trade practice, and health care litigation. Drawing from in-house experience at a multinational, publicly traded health solutions company, O’Donnell advises clients in the health care and life sciences sectors in matters involving civil and criminal antitrust, competition, and other regulatory risks.
“I am thrilled to return to Troutman Pepper and private practice,” O’Donnell said. “My time in-house has given me critical insight into what clients value, and I look forward to applying that experience to counsel clients through their toughest antitrust, competition, and regulatory matters.”
After earning her B.A. from Penn State University, O’Donnell earned both her J.D. and her M.A. in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to transitioning in-house, O’Donnell began her legal career with Troutman Pepper in 2010.
Troutman Pepper’s leading life sciences and health care practice counsels clients at all stages of the health care continuum – from drug development to clinical care – from emerging biotech to global pharma. The firm takes an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to counsel clients with complex, evolving needs, providing critical support including intellectual property prosecution and litigation, corporate finance and governance, privacy and cybersecurity, litigation, regulatory, and enforcement.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
NEW YORK – For the second consecutive year, Troutman Pepper’s Construction Practice Group has been recognized nationally among Law360’s Practice Groups of the Year. The firm was among only four to receive the 2022 Practice Group of the Year designation in the Construction category.
“Earning this national award for the second straight year speaks to the incredible projects our clients are pursuing on a regular basis,” said Mike Subak, who leads the firm’s Construction Practice Group. “It is truly a privilege for us to advise such industry leaders on both their largest projects as well as their day-to-day details.”
“Our coast-to-coast team has incredible depth and expertise across all areas clients in the construction space care about, from complex transactions to mission critical project management to bet-the-company litigation,” said Partner Aaron Abraham, who was recognized by Law360 as a 2021 Construction MVP of the Year. “We are proud at the repeat recognition and remain committed to providing the best-of-the-best in client experience.”
Troutman Pepper’s Construction Practice Group counsels clients on some of the largest, most sophisticated construction projects in the world and is among the leading firms in total number of complex disputes tried and won in federal and state courts nationwide and arbitration forums domestic and international. Projects have included airport terminals, complex high rises, commercial office buildings, warehouse spaces, universities, medical buildings, wind and solar energy-related projects, and high-dollar international projects. The practice has been nationally recognized by Chambers and Partners, U.S. News: Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms,” and local publications across the country.
Law360 received nearly 900 submissions for its practice-based awards, now in their 13th year. Editors selected winners based on several criteria, including matter strength and notability and general practice excellence.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
NEW YORK – Partner Michael D. Friedman, Senior Counsel Lisa Petkun, and Associate Jennifer Prushan served as pro bono counsel to Menemsha Films through contract negotiations involved in the distribution of the bombshell documentary “The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes.” The film unearths secret recordings of Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust’s ‘Final Solution,” which definitively shows his active involvement in the planning and implementation of one of the greatest atrocities in world history.
Six decades after his trial and execution in Israel, the long-hidden recordings have surfaced of Adolf Eichmann’s interview with a Dutch journalist in 1957 Argentina who previously served as an SS-Officer. The candid admissions expose Eichmann’s visceral antisemitism and zeal for mass murder, contradicting his later testimony at his infamous 1961 war crimes trial in Israel that he was merely a functionary following orders. The film sheds light on the hidden forces that concealed the recordings, altering the arc of history as we have understood it for more than 70 years, and provides irrefutable proof against Holocaust denial and the pernicious antisemitic hatred from which it springs.
“I am honored to provide pro bono support to such a critical film,” said Friedman. “The tapes shed a critical light on antisemitism and provide a much-needed opportunity to educate new generations about the Holocaust and one of the most significant trials of the 20thCentury. I hope the film can reach as many people as possible.”
Friedman’s corporate practice covers all aspects of media and entertainment law, including film, television, legitimate theatre, music, live event, internet/new media, and trademark licensing, as well as merger and acquisition transactions with entertainment and media companies. He represents clients in film finance transactions, rights acquisitions, asset and library acquisitions, distribution and licensing transactions, and counseling production companies and corporate and individual investors in film, and television, among other projects.
Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, in association with MGM Television, SIPUR, Toluca Pictures, Alice Communications, and Menemsha Films, will host the North American premiere of The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes on January 19, 2023. The film will also be featured next month during the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on February 19, 2023, and will be exhibited by many community organizations, colleges and universities, religious and civil rights organizations, and film festivals throughout the United States in the coming months.
Each year, Troutman Pepper attorneys dedicate thousands of pro bono hours in support of nonprofits, immigrants, military veterans, children, the wrongfully convicted, civil rights and social justice initiatives, and so many more. Learn more at troutman.com/pro-bono.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
DETROIT – Gregory Narsh, counsel in Troutman Pepper’s Environmental + Natural Resources Practice Group and President-Elect of the Hispanic Bar Association of Michigan (HBAM), has been recognized with a “Spirit of Detroit Award” by Coleman Young, Jr. on behalf of the Detroit City Council for contributions to diversity efforts in Detroit.
Named after one of Detroit’s most easily identifiable landmarks, the “Spirit of Detroit Award” is issued by the Detroit City Council “to a person, event, or organization deemed to have performed an outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit”. Officers of the HBAM were presented with the award as an expression of gratitude by City Council its leadership, tireless efforts, and work done to help the Hispanic citizens of Detroit.
“I am honored by this recognition and thankful for the opportunity to serve Detroit’s growing Hispanic population alongside my fellow HBAM Officers,” said Narsh.
In addition to serving as an officer of the HBAM, Narsh also has volunteered his time with several other organizations assisting Southeast Michigan’s large Hispanic population. In cooperation with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) and the University of Michigan Law School’s Human Trafficking Clinic, he secured green cards for several individuals from Mexico, Honduras, and Liberia, Africa, all having been victims of domestic violence or human trafficking. At the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation (DHDC), he participated actively in the organization’s Education Action Committee aimed at improving the quality and security of education for inner city students, especially for Spanish-speaking students and their parents.
At Troutman Pepper, Narsh advises chemical industry and other clients in a range of regulatory, compliance and administrative matters, as well as litigation involving federal agencies. His environmental practice covers all areas of state and federal environmental law, including air, water and waste issues for corporate and municipal clients. In addition to general compliance and enforcement matters, he has experience handling state and federal Superfund matters and the environmental aspects of business transactions such as mergers and acquisitions.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
ATLANTA – Two Troutman Pepper attorneys – Stefanie H. Jackman and Jonathan P. Floyd – will serve on Consumer Relations Consortium’s (CRC’s) 2023 Legal Advisory Board (LAB), which is limited to 10 law firms and 14 attorneys. Throughout the year, the LAB serves as a legal resource to the CRC membership and assists in fulfilling the mission of promoting forward-thinking approaches to the issues raised by regulatory policy and technology innovation in the accounts receivable industry.
Jackman, a partner in Troutman Pepper’s nationally recognized Consumer Financial Services Practice Group, devotes her practice to assisting financial services institutions facing state and federal government investigations and examinations, counseling them on complex compliance issues, as well as defending them in individual and class action lawsuits.
Floyd focuses his practice on financial services litigation, representing clients in class actions and business disputes in both federal and state courts and handling arbitrations arising under the Federal Arbitration Act.
Founded in 2013, CRC is a membership group focused on collections compliance, legal strategy, and regulatory policy. The group comprises more than 60 national companies representing the diverse ecosystem of debt collection including creditors, data/technology providers, and compliance-oriented debt collectors.
Troutman Pepper has more than 200 attorneys who regularly advise financial services providers and is nationally recognized for its prowess in the space. A two-time winner of Law360′s Consumer Protection Practice Group of the Year award, Troutman Pepper’s Consumer Financial Services team helps clients resolve litigation, provides regulatory guidance, and assists with investigations and actions initiated by federal and state government agencies. The firm is a recognized thought leader in the space and keeps clients up to date via its Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
BERWYN, Pa. – Troutman Pepper client Palvella Therapeutics, Inc., a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, recently announced the initial closing of its Series D financing of up to $37.7 million. The financing was led by Petrichor and included new investor Gore Range Capital. Existing investors Samsara BioCapital, BVF Partners L.P., Agent Capital, Nolan Capital, and BioAdvance also participated in the financing. Read Palvella’s press release about the financing.
Palvella Therapeutics’ vision is to become the leading rare disease company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapies to treat patients suffering from serious, rare genetic skin diseases in indications for which there are no FDA-approved therapies. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance the development of Palvella’s lead product candidate QTORIN™ rapamycin to treat individuals suffering from Pachyonychia Congenita, Microcystic Lymphatic Malformations, and Gorlin Syndrome.
The Troutman Pepper team advising Palvella Therapeutics in the financing included Chris Miller, Stephen Fox, Roe Granger, and Neil Doogan.
Troutman Pepper is a go-to firm for life sciences transactions with a large, multidisciplinary team with a deep understanding of the space. The firm regularly advises pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, diagnostics, and other life sciences clients on all types of corporate matters — governance and general corporate advice; M&A transactions; licensing transactions and other complex collaborations; IPOs, follow-on public offerings, PIPE transactions, and other capital markets transactions; seed and later-stage venture capital financings; and much more.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
RICHMOND – Ashley L. Taylor, Jr., co-leader of Troutman Pepper’s nationally ranked State Attorneys General practice and a partner in its Regulatory Investigations, Strategy + Enforcement (RISE) Practice Group, has been named vice chair of Troutman Pepper, effective January 1, 2023. Taylor will continue his full-time legal practice, handling some of the largest, and often unprecedented, regulatory and enforcement matters throughout the country.
“It is an honor to be appointed vice chair and to be recognized in this way,” Taylor said. “My busy practice directly feeds into the insights and strategic direction that I am able to bring to this role, and I am excited to continue such meaningful client work and apply lessons learned for the firm. I remain deeply committed to providing the best experience and delivering successful business outcomes for my clients.”
Taylor brings more than 30 years of legal experience to the role and has held critical firm governance responsibilities as a member of Troutman Pepper’s Policy Committee, Management Team, and Partner Compensation Committee. In his role as vice chair, Taylor will leverage that deep experience to help guide the firm’s strategic direction and execute on important strategic imperatives, including Troutman Pepper’s continued growth as a national law firm.
“In addition to being a nationally recognized authority in the state attorneys general space, Ashley has been a vital member of Troutman Pepper’s leadership team for many years,” said Steve Lewis, chair of Troutman Pepper. “We are grateful for his continued leadership, time, and dedication to the firm and our clients.”
“As vice chair, Ashley will continue to help advance firm efforts to provide market-leading legal services in high-growth and resilient areas of the economy, while maintaining his primary focus of serving our clients,” added Managing Partner Tom Cole. “He leads by example and fully embodies our focus on client experience, value, and excellence.”
Taylor joined Troutman Pepper in 2001 after serving as Deputy Virginia Attorney General for several years. In 2004, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights, an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding federal agency.
At Troutman Pepper, Taylor has helped to build what is recognized as one of the top state attorneys general-focused practices in the country, one of only five ranked nationwide by Chambers USA. Taylor himself is one of only eight Band 1-ranked Chambers USA attorneys in the country in the category. He focuses his practice primarily on federal and state government regulatory and enforcement matters involving state AGs, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Troutman Pepper’s State Attorneys General practice celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The practice is truly one of a kind, comprising more than 30 attorneys, including numerous former state AG officials, with team members handling AG investigations involving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. In addition to the practice’s expertise across venues and bench strength, clients benefit from its carefully cultivated relationships with AGs and senior staff across the country and related ability to stay in front of the shifting regulatory landscape to navigate changes in enforcement priorities.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from start-ups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.
BOSTON – Troutman Pepper client Apnimed, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing oral pharmacologic treatments to address obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and related disorders, recently announced that it has secured $79.75 million in an oversubscribed financing round that extends its Series C financing to a total of $142.25 million. The financing was led by existing investor Alpha Wave Ventures and included existing investors Sectoral Asset Management, Columbia-Seligman Investments, and Tao Capital Partners, among others. Read a company press release about the financing.
Apnimed is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company working to transform the treatment of sleep apnea based on a simple idea – patients with obstructive sleep apnea could benefit from treatment with a safe and effective oral medication dosed once daily at bedtime. Apnimed’s lead development program targets the neurologic control of upper airway muscles to maintain an open airway during sleep.
The Troutman Pepper team advising Apnimed in this latest financing includes Chris Miller, Dan Sieck, Joe Goldman, and Marian Lemont.
Apnimed has been a member of Troutman Pepper’s Startup and Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Development (SEED) Program since the company’s inception. The program combines the resources of an experienced, multidisciplinary team into an affordable package for startups, early-stage, and fast-growing companies. Clients receive legal counsel, mentoring, relationship-building opportunities, and more.
The firm regularly advises startup, emerging growth and venture capital clients through every stage of their life cycle. Industries served span software, hardware and other high-technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, financial technology, health care, consumer products, food and beverage, media and telecommunications products and services, and many others.
Visit seed.troutman.com to learn more about Troutman Pepper’s SEED program.
About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys strategically located in 23 U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.