November.20.2014
The Orrick community mourns the loss of our partner, colleague and friend Alan Talkington, who passed away tragically on November 18, 2014, at the age of 57 from a rare neurodegenerative disease.
A fixture of Orrick's San Francisco office for more than thirty years, Alan guided a wide range of companies through mergers, financings and other corporate transactions. Alan was a thoughtful leader of the firm’s corporate department for several years and a mentor to countless Orrick associates, many of whom went on to become his partners or his clients.
A native of San Diego, Alan graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, He attended Harvard Law School, where he met his wife, Victoria. They moved to the Bay Area in the early 1980s, where they raised their daughter Kelsey and son Spenser.
Loyal clients sought out Alan for their most complex matters. In 1998, he advised NOVA Chemicals on a deal with Huntsman that transformed NOVA into the world’s largest producer of styrene. A decade later, he advised Merix Corporation on an $840 million merger that created the largest publicly traded printed circuit board manufacturer. More recently, he advised on the creation of the INEOS/NOVA joint venture, completed many rounds of financings for BrightSource Energy, and closed numerous acquisitions and financings for TC Pipelines.
Earlier this year, Alan's partners recognized him with the David Jewell Award, the firm’s highest honor, which goes to a partner who exemplifies and enduring commitment to integrity, excellence and teamwork. He will be deeply missed.