News & Insights

Alston & Bird secured a significant victory for Massachusetts-based Checkpoint Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in cancer immunotherapies and treatments, and its CEO in a securities class action in the Southern District of New York. The suit alleged violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, claiming the company made materially false or misleading statements about the likelihood of Food and Drug Administration approval for a biologics license application. In a detailed ruling issued May 19, the court granted our motion to dismiss the case with prejudice, finding the plaintiff failed to adequately plead any false or misleading statements or the scienter required for securities fraud.

Alston & Bird advised Texas-based pawnbroker FirstCash Holdings and its UK subsidiary Chess Bidco on their £351 million acquisition of H & T Group, a leading publicly traded UK-based operator of pawn stores. 

Alston & Bird represented Texas-based Industry Bancshares and its six subsidiary banks in their acquisition by Cadence Bank, a Mississippi-based financial services company. Under the agreement, Cadence Bank will pay between $20 million and $60 million in cash for Industry Bancshares’ outstanding common stock.

Alston & Bird’s Intellectual Property Group was named “Litigation Department of the Year” for Intellectual Property by Daily Report at the annual Southeastern Legal Awards on May 1, 2025. 

Alston & Bird congratulates the Hon. Betty Weinberg Ellerin, senior counsel in the firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group, as the latest honoree to be the subject of a portrait as part of the New York City Bar Association’s “Women on the Walls” initiative. Slated to be unveiled at a May 6 ceremony, the portrait was commissioned by the City Bar’s Women in the Legal Profession Committee to recognize the trailblazing careers of female legal professionals with strong ties to New York City.

Jane Lucas, partner in Alston & Bird’s Health Care Legislative & Public Policy Group, has been recognized as one of the most influential people shaping policy in Washington, DC by the Washingtonian.

Kim Peretti, partner and co-chair of Alston & Bird’s Privacy, Cyber & Data Strategy Team and National Security & Digital Crimes Team, and Kate Hanniford, partner in the firm’s Privacy, Cyber & Data Strategy Team, have again been named to Cybersecurity Docket’s 2025 “Incident Response 50.”

Jeff Rosenfeld, partner-in-charge of Alston & Bird’s Los Angeles and Century City offices and partner in the firm’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group, was profiled among the 2025 Law Firm Visionaries in Southern California by LA Times Studios. The publication noted that Jeff “has been pivotal in shaping the firm’s growth and culture in California” and that he “led the firm’s downtown L.A. office relocation and the opening of the Century City office, enhancing collaboration and client service.”

Alston & Bird advised GoldState Music, a leading music rights investment platform, on raising $500 million in strategic capital, including a structured capital facility co-led by private equity firms Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management. Based in Florida, GoldState Music invests in music rights, emerging music technology, and enterprises in need of growth and expansion capital. This transaction underscores the ability of the Alston & Bird’s Investment Funds Group to provide proactive, holistic, and cutting-edge investment management expertise, ensuring clients like GoldState Music are well positioned in the ever-evolving marketplace.

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