Our Lawyers

Bill Alderman, a partner in the San Francisco office, concentrates his practice on business litigation and dispute resolution. He also commits a substantial part of his time to pro bono representation.

Bill is one of three Orrick partners on the trial team who obtained an acquittal of the former CFO of McKesson HBOC in a criminal securities fraud trial.

Of the many securities class actions he has defended, only three have resulted in any settlement payment by his client. Of his more than 50 motions to dismiss securities class or mass actions since 1996, over 90 percent were granted in their entirety, most with prejudice.

Bill received the Award of Merit presented by the Bar Association of San Francisco in 2006.

Read Mr. Alderman's full biography

Before relocating to Orrick's Washington, D.C. office, Reece Bader was named one of the top securities litigators in California by The Daily Journal.

Most recently, his practice has focused on SEC/SRO accounting and financial fraud enforcement matters. Reece frequently represents senior officers in such investigations.

One of his more notable engagements includes the successful representation of underwriters, financial advisors and an investment banker in the Massachusetts, New Jersey and Los Angeles yield-burning investigations.

Read Mr. Bader's full biography

Jim Burns, a partner in the San Francisco office, was a trial counsel in the Everex securities class action trials, two of only eight securities class actions tried to verdict in the last decade and one of The National Law Journal's "Defense Verdicts of the Year" in 2002.

Jim has broad experience in jury and bench trial matters before federal, tax and state courts. He also has extensive experience in commercial arbitrations before various arbitration and mediation tribunals, including the American Arbitration Association, the New York Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers and privately chosen arbitrators.

Read Mr. Burns' full biography

Russell Duncan, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, has extensive experience representing both companies and individuals in SEC enforcement matters, private securities lawsuits and shareholders derivative lawsuits.

Russell is a former SEC Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the Enforcement Division, Trial Unit, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia.

Read Mr. Duncan's full biography

Penelope Graboys Blair, a partner in the San Francisco office, has extensive experience counseling audit committees and representing companies and individuals in investigations and proceedings brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Attorney General and other government agencies, including numerous recent stock option backdating investigations.

She was a member of the Everex trial team and has had experience in dealing with regulatory inquiries affecting broker-dealers and mutual fund companies.

Read Ms. Graboys Blair's full biography

Ken Herzinger, a partner in the San Francisco office, is a former SEC Enforcement lawyer and a leader of the group's innovative efforts to develop more cost-efficient document review methods.

He has represented numerous corporations, officers and directors and financial institutions in federal securities class actions, M&A litigation and derivative suits. Ken also has represented auditors in securities class actions and malpractice actions.

Read Mr. Herzinger's full biography

Jim Kramer, a partner in the San Francisco office, was recently recognized as a top securities litigator in the guide Benchmark: Litigation, published by EuroMoney Institutional Investor LLC.

He has extensive experience representing companies and individuals in investigations brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission and self-regulatory organizations such as the National Association of Securities Dealers.  He also advises public companies concerning disclosure and related issues.

Jim recently tried an acquisition-related dispute in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.

Read Mr. Kramer's full biography

Jim Meyers, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office, was the SEC's lead trial counsel in the Global Research Analyst Settlement, a groundbreaking set of actions against 12 Wall Street investment banking firms and two individuals.

At Orrick, Jim represents financial institutions, issuers, individuals, and public accounting firms in enforcement investigations before the SEC, Self-Regulatory Organizations, and the PCAOB. He has helped to persuade the Staffs of these bodies to terminate numerous investigations without enforcement action, and he has also on several occasions prepared or supervised the preparation of Wells Submissions, following which the Staff decided not to recommend any enforcement action.

Read Mr. Meyers' full biography

Susan Resley, a partner in the Silicon Valley office, is a former Securities and Exchange Commission Enforcement lawyer who regularly represents companies and individuals before the SEC.

She has extensive experience in representing companies and individuals in investigations and proceedings brought by the SEC and self-regulatory organizations, such as the National Association of Securities Dealers.

Susan also advises companies and boards of directors (including audit committees) on a variety of disclosure issues. She has also been retained by a number of audit committees to perform internal investigations.

Read Ms. Resley's full biography

Mike Torpey leads the Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Group and has extensive experience in litigation involving breaches of fiduciary duty and conducting various types of corporate investigations.

He was named one of the top securities litigators in California by The Daily Journal and recently recognized as a top securities litigator in the guide Benchmark: Litigation, published by EuroMoney Institutional Investor LLC.

Mike's clients include Caterpillar, Intel Corporation, Nvidia Corporation, OrthoLogic Corporation, Siebel Systems, Inc., Sunglass Hut International, TD Waterhouse Inc. and Transcrypt International.

Read Mr. Torpey's full biography

Michael Tu, a partner in the Los Angeles office, has a record of trial successes in both federal and state courts.

Michael is among the few lawyers in the country who have successfully defended a securities class action trial. In the sixth of only eight known shareholder class action trials to go to verdict in over a decade under the federal securities laws, and the only known class action trial under the Securities Act of 1933, Mr. Tu as co-trial counsel obtained a complete defense verdict for a company and its directors and officers. The case was recognized as one of the "Top Defense Verdicts" in 2005 by the The Daily Journal.

Michael focuses on securities litigation matters, with an emphasis in defending shareholder class action and derivative litigation under the federal and state securities laws, mergers and acquisitions litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings. He also advises public and private companies regarding corporate governance and disclosure issues.

Read Mr. Tu's full biography

Daniel Tyukody, a partner in the Los Angeles office, has been recognized as one of the top securities litigators in California by The Daily Journal, and one of the leading litigators in the United States by Lawdragon magazine.

Daniel's practice focuses on defending underwriters, issuers and individual officers and directors in numerous securities class actions and in SEC and NASD proceedings.

Daniel was the lead trial counsel in Miller v. Thane, obtaining a defense verdict in a rare securities class action trial. He has successfully argued several matters of first impression under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and provides securities counseling and advice to numerous companies. Daniel recently co-authored an article in The National Law Journal on the scope of primary liability in securities fraud cases.

Read Mr. Tyukody's full biography

Bob Varian, a partner in the San Francisco office, served as trial counsel in the Everex securities class action trials, two of only eight securities class actions tried to verdict in the last decade and one of The National Law Journal's "Defense Verdicts of the Year" in 2002.

Bob's clients include PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Nike, eBay, Morgan Stanley, KPMG, LLP, Siebel Systems, Needham & Co., Silicon Storage Technology and SINA Corporation.

In a recent notable result, Bob and an Orrick team obtained the dismissal of a securities class action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for SINA Corporation, a leading Chinese online media company listed on NASDAQ.

Read Mr. Varian's full biography