Author Archives: Impresa Legal Group

The Impresa Legal Group is proud to announce the retirement of our long-time friend and brother at the bar Christopher L. Rissetto, Esq. Chris – sometimes referred to as “Professore” — is retiring from the practice of law, and has gladly assumed the title of “Grandpa for Life.” We wish him well in these endeavors. Of importance to the Impresa family, he has agreed to stay on as Counsel Emeritus to Impresa and support Impresa’s pro bono efforts as may be permitted by the Virginia State Bar.

We will not be shy in saying that Chris’ retirement will leave a hole in the Impresa team, especially in the areas of Infrastructure, Environmental Issues, Grant Program Audits, Administrative Law, and Municipal Governance. His experience in these areas is difficult to match as his tenure before the bar spanned service with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the General Counsel (where he received the EPA Bronze Medal Award), through private sector service with his own named law firm and certain leading international law firms including Reed Smith and Holland & Knight. Chris was a noted counselor to his clients, which included many prominent State and Municipal governments, and an avid advocate for his clients before the Supreme Court of the United States, numerous Federal Courts of Appeals, various Federal District Courts, and the Court of Federal Claims. Even though there are no federal projects named after him – as he would not have it that way — in the areas of infrastructure and environment, it would be difficult to find a State in the U.S. where the impact of his legal service would not be found. Millions of U.S. citizens have access to safe drinking water and other public utilities because of Chris Rissetto.

To our friend and colleague, Congratulations and “Well Done” on a legal career that so many find admirable. You did it the right way and many of us are proud to have worked with you.

Impresa Legal is pleased to announce that Kenneth J Labach has joined the firm as Of Counsel, strengthening our growing technology and privacy practice. Prior to joining Impresa, Ken served as General Counsel to the Datalex Group where, for nineteen years, he represented them in technology licensing, corporate law, and privacy compliance around the world.

A team of Impresa Counsel recently represented Cray, Inc. as the company – a global leader in supercomputing – entered a definitive agreement under which Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) will acquire Cray. The deal is valued at approximately $1.3 billion and is expected to close by the first quarter of HPE’s fiscal year 2020, subject to customary approvals and conditions.

The Impresa team, comprised of Jesse Watters, Jeff Robinette, and Jill McDowell, advised Cray’s senior leadership and outside advisors on the merger with a particular concentration on government contracts and intellectual property aspects of the transaction.

As Cray’s President and CEO Peter Ungaro stated, the acquisition “is an amazing opportunity to bring together Cray’s leading-edge technology and HPE’s wide reach and deep product portfolio, providing customers of all sizes with integrated solutions and unique supercomputing technology to address the full spectrum of their data-intensive needs.”

Impresa is pleased to announce that litigator Rich Kelsey recently published his first book, Of Serfs and Lords, a critical analysis of what drives costs and skyrocketing student debt in higher education. The book identifies the root causes of the economic problems facing colleges and universities, and outlines many potential solutions for the industry and for students entering the market.

“A must-read for anyone concerned about higher education from the original educational consumer. In Of Serfs and Lords, Kelsey effectively nails his critique to higher education’s cathedral door. [Kelsey] launches a no-holds-bar, no-quarter-asked-or-given offensive on the educational establishment’s ruling elite. From the trenches, he issues a real-life, hard-learned warning to parents and prospective students alike, caveat emptor and watch your wallet.” Rob Bartenstein, Senior Managing Partner, Krestra Private wealth services.

The book is available on Amazon in the “Higher Education” category, rising has high as number 11 in that segment. Congratulations, Rich and we are eagerly awaiting your next literary success!

In January, our attorneys, Stephen Candelmo and Jesse Watters helped a government contractor client close a $25 million credit and term loan facility with a major national bank. The facility was critical for this rapidly growing client to recapitalize, as well as provide working capital to expand its operations. The transaction was time sensitive and Impresa team was able to support the effort on an expedited basis by working through the holidays and close the transaction within 30 days from the signing of the commitment letter.