People

Mark Johnson オブ・カウンセル

ロンドン

Mark assists office holders across a broad range of asset recovery actions, including investigations into antecedent transactions and other claims against directors and third parties, as well as advising directors defending such claims. Mark has deep experience in enforcement work on behalf of banks and lenders including Law of Property Act receiverships.

Mark's non-contentious work includes significant experience on transactional matters such as assisting on both the buy and sell side of 'pre-pack' administration sales and other insolvency sales, advising on restructuring options for companies in distress including voluntary arrangements, schemes, and consensual restructuring proposals as well as advisory work assisting companies and their directors on the duties they have when facing financial difficulties.

Joseph Jung アソシエイト

オレンジ・カウンティ

Leah Sanzari パートナー

New York

Having long represented issuers of asset backed securities and drawing on that experience, today, in addition to issuer representation, Leah’s practice includes a significant focus on investor-side representation. Leah represents both issuers and investors in complex deals of first impression and brings a unique, creative approach to securitization transactions, with deal execution as top priority.

Leah and her team have pioneered proved developed producing (PDP) oil & gas wellbore securitizations, acting as investor counsel on substantially all of the transactions that have been executed in the market to date. Also a pioneer of the C-PACE market, Leah regularly advises the top C-PACE issuers in both 144A and 4(a)(2) transactions, including Greenwork Lending’s first Rule 144A Commercial PACE securitization which was recognized as the 2022 Esoteric ABS Deal of the Year by GlobalCapital. Leah also advises on novel IP securitizations related to musical composition, sound recording copyrights, television and other royalties. Most recently, Leah represented the investors in the groundbreaking securitization by Syco Entertainment of intellectual property in the “Got Talent” franchise.

Leah’s experience further extends to a wide variety of other esoteric assets, including tax liens, diamond receivables, participations, tax credits, solar and wind ground leases and whole business operating company securitizations.

Recognized in Band 1 of Chambers USA Nationwide Securitization: PACE, Leah is described by clients as “one of the best lawyers that I have worked with” and someone who “fights tooth and nail for her clients.” Resources for the Legal 500 USA directory have called Leah “the best there is in esoteric financing products and bonds,” and note they are “incredibly impressed with the gender diversity on the team. Extremely ethical – name carries a lot of weight with investors.”

Manon Speich シニア・アソシエイト

パリ; Paris Tech Studio

Manon advises startups and high growth technology companies in raising capital and building their businesses from formation through exit. She assists founders developing and implementing effective corporate governance strategies throughout the life of their startup and issuing customized equity instruments for their fundraising. 

Before joining Orrick, Manon worked as an M&A and Private Equity attorney at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in Paris.

Anne Savin Senior Career Associate

Miami; Washington DC

Anne brings her unique background to bear on federal appellate matters that cut across a range of substantive areas of the law. She has authored petitions for certiorari, briefs in opposition, and amicus briefs at the U.S. Supreme Court in cases involving civil rights, constitutional, veterans, and immigration law. She also advises clients on cutting-edge developments in the financial technology and artificial intelligence sectors, where disruptive technologies continue to raise fundamental legal questions.

For nearly a decade before joining Orrick, Anne served as an officer in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corp.  Her military experiences include prosecuting dozens of criminal cases--including rape and murder--at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Fort Benning, Georgia, advising the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General and other senior Army leaders at the Pentagon on military justice issues, and advising the commander of the Army's only active-duty information warfare brigade in intelligence and operational law in the information and cyberspace domains.  Among other distinctions, Anne was awarded the Bronze Star for her service in Afghanistan with the 82d Airborne Division and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School.

Before joining the Army, Anne practiced in San Francisco with two AmLaw 100 firms.  Her representative cases include successfully defending an oil-and-gas company against claims brought under the Alien Tort Statute and customary international law, securing a complete defense verdict at trial on alter ego and agency liability allegations against an insurance company, and successfully defending on appeal summary judgments based on professional responsibility violations and statute of limitations grounds.

Carsten Engelings カウンセル

デュッセルドルフ

Carsten advises on all sorts of German tax and accounting issues arising for industry clients, financial institutions and private equity funds. Mainly focusing on corporate and real estate transactions and restructurings. He also advises and represents clients with respect to tax field audits and in tax litigation against the fiscal administration and before German fiscal and civil courts. Prior to joining Orrick Carsten completed his legal traineeship in both national and international law firms.

Delia Bennett アソシエイト

New York

Sara Little マネージング・アソシエイト

パリ; ロンドン

Sara represents clients across the United States, Europe and Asia in the energy and infrastructure, real estate, licensing and distribution, defense, and aerospace industries. She has experience handling disputes governed by French, Swiss, Iranian, and US (Maryland, New York, Washington, Illinois) law in most of the major arbitral forums, including the ICC, HKIAC, ICSID, and the Swiss Arbitration Centre.

With a strong background in Public International Law, Sara brings a nuanced understanding of the international legal frameworks that impact cross-border disputes to her cases. She also has a keen interest in defense technology and aviation, combining industry-specific knowledge with a solutions-oriented mindset to tackle the unique legal challenges these fields present.

Before joining Orrick, Sara gained valuable experience working in the Emerging Companies department of another major international law firm in New York City. She also represented the City of New York in family court, prosecuting child abuse and neglect cases for two years. In addition to her legal practice, Sara serves as a coach for the International Criminal Court moot court and is a Steering Committee member of the young practitioners’ group of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR).

Sara is recognised for International Arbitration by Legal 500 France.

Amanda Stephens パートナー

Austin; Houston

Amanda has advised on more than $5 billion of both publicly-offered and privately-placed charter school financings. Her work on these financings extends across the country, including Texas, Florida, Tennessee, California, Arizona and New York, among many others. Amanda works with a first-of-its-kind nonprofit social impact fund that leverages private charter loans to the public market. Since their creation in 2018, Amanda has worked on documenting more than $1.7 billion in loans to high-performing charter schools who do not otherwise have access to long term, low cost financing. Amanda and team are tasked with working with the local borrower’s counsel for each new borrower and each new state to create a financing structure that meets the long term needs of the borrower, while conforming with state charter law and the clients lending requirements. Amanda has also created structures to help with taxable refundings, to finance around existing new market tax credit structures and many other needs of the borrowers. 

Amanda also represents banks and other financial institutions in connection with direct purchases of tax-exempt bonds and the issuance of letters of credit and other liquidity facilities in connection with tax-exempt transactions. 

Over the course of her career, Amanda has prepared, negotiated and reviewed contracts, loan documents, amendments, closing documents, default letters, demand letters, payoff and buyout agreements, intercreditor subordination agreements, and federal tax lien subordinations. She also has reviewed client contracts and MSA agreements in the oil and gas, construction, medical, retail and transportation industries, and she has addressed regulatory and compliance issues for the finance industry and oil and gas industry. Amanda previously served as an in-house attorney for a national financial services company. She also has served as a staff attorney for Judge Jaclanel McFarland of the 133rd Civil District Court in Harris County, Texas, and as assistant district attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s office.

David O'Donovan マネージング・アソシエイト

ロンドン

David's experience primarily includes renewable energy projects (onshore and offshore wind, solar PV and energy-from-waste) and other energy transition projects (including hydrogen and carbon capture, usage and storage) with a particular focus on M&A, joint ventures and project development. He also has experience advising on governance, regulatory and ESG-related matters.

Lisa M. Bowman オブ・カウンセル

サンフランシスコ

Lisa partners with companies of all stages to refine their policies and practices—with a goal of deterring unnecessary litigation. Lisa strives to gain in-depth knowledge of the culture and business goals of her clients, so she can be responsive and efficient.

Lisa has significant experience advising employers on complex issues, including wage and hour compliance and audits, worker classification, disability accommodation, employee leaves, commissions and bonuses, misappropriation of trade secrets, employment agreements, onboarding, employee discipline and terminations, and managing and/or conducting sensitive workplace investigations.

As a litigator of high-stakes employment cases, Lisa secured many victories for her clients, including a complete defense verdict in a disability discrimination arbitration, dismissal of a disparate impact age discrimination claim in a collective action brought against a high-profile tech client, and successful oppositions to motions to certify wage and hour classes. Lisa’s background as an employment litigator helps her identify issues for her clients before they become a problem.

Before attending law school, Lisa worked as a journalist covering law and policy. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNET, and Bloomberg. Lisa draws upon this experience to guide clients with strategic internal and external messaging when complicated legal challenges arise.

Ana Molina アソシエイト

Austin

Ana's practice focuses on public finance, which includes representing local governments, school districts, and financial institutions that underwrite bonds. She represents her clients in a range of public finance matters, such as general obligation and revenue bonds and public improvement districts.