"We are absolutely delighted to welcome our new partners, all of whom are exemplary lawyers," said Chairman Mitch Zuklie. "Our partner class of 2014 reflects our sector focus on energy & infrastructure, finance, technology and our leadership in high-stakes litigation. In addition, we are excited to name partners across our US offices and in France, Germany and Hong Kong."
The new partner class includes attorneys from the firm’s structured finance, compensation & benefits, energy and infrastructure, capital markets, employment law, banking & debt capital markets, emerging companies, white collar, public policy, insurance, commercial litigation, real estate and public finance practices. They are based in nine of the firm’s offices globally.
The firm’s new partners include:
Duane Beasley
Duane Beasley is a member of Orrick’s Structured Finance Group based in Los Angeles. His practice focuses on capital markets transactions, including residential mortgage-backed securitizations, master repurchase facilities, sales of debt related assets, servicer advance facilities and re-securitizations of asset-backed securities. Mr. Beasley serves on the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Diversity in the Profession Committee. He also serves as the chairperson for the firm’s Los Angeles Office Diversity Committee. Mr. Beasley earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and his A.B., with honors, from Stanford University.
Laura L. Becking
Laura Becking is a member of the Compensation & Benefits Group, based in New York. Her practice focuses on global HR-related legal matters, with an emphasis on global equity compensation and data privacy and includes advising U.S.-based multinational corporations in the financial, insurance, technology, and oil and energy industries on the implementation of employee equity programs worldwide. Ms. Becking focuses on securities, foreign exchange, tax, data privacy and employment laws in more than 100 countries. She received her LL.M. from New York University School of Law and is a graduate of the University of Amsterdam Faculty of Law.
Jean-Luc Champy
Jean-Luc Champy is a member of Orrick’s Energy and Infrastructure Group, based in Paris. He specializes in infrastructure projects (motorways, railways, tunnels) and energy (regulatory, hydroelectricity, smart grids). He counsels clients on matters of public domain, public works, energy and environment. Mr. Champy also advises on PPP and concessions for public entities, sponsors, subcontractors and lenders, whether in the awarding or execution of contracts or in litigation. He counsels across several sectors, including construction, transportation infrastructure and networks (electronic communications, public lighting). Mr. Champy received his D.E.S.S. from the Université de Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne and his undergraduate degree from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.
Keith Cheung
Keith Cheung is a member of the firm’s Corporate Group, based in Hong Kong. He focuses his practice on corporate finance transactions, including acting for issuers, sponsors and underwriters in initial public offerings of securities on the Main Board and Growth Enterprise Market of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Mr. Cheung also advises listed issuers on general compliance and other corporate transactions. He earned his law degree from the University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law, his LL.M. from the University College London and his LL.B. from the University of Hong Kong.
Erin M. Connell
Erin Connell is a member of Orrick’s Employment Law Group, resident in San Francisco. She has represented and counseled clients on a variety of employment-related matters, including discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, wrongful termination claims, reductions in force, wage-and- hour issues, and class actions. Ms. Connell has significant trial experience, and regularly defends against claims of systemic discrimination brought by the EEOC. She also advises clients on matters involving OFCCP compliance and audits. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Claremont McKenna College.
Amaury de Feydeau
Amaury de Feydeau is a member of the firm’s Banking & Debt Capital Markets Group, resident in Paris. He specializes in project and real estate financings, including the securitization and restructuring of such transactions. Mr. de Feydeau earned his LL.M. and his master’s degree from the Paris II Panthéon-Assas University law school and graduated from the Paris Institut d’Études Politiques (IEP).
Zachary S. Finley
Zach Finley is a member of Orrick’s Banking & Debt Capital Markets Group and is based in the San Francisco office. He advises major financial institutions as arrangers of and lenders in syndicated credit facilities used for acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings and general corporate purposes. In addition, Mr. Finley represents publicly-held and privately-owned companies in connection with a wide array of finance transactions, such as working capital facilities, asset-based loans and equipment financings. His experience also extends to debt restructurings and workouts. Mr. Finley received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Santa Clara University.
Anik Guha
Anik Guha is a member of the firm’s Emerging Companies Group, based in San Francisco. He represents emerging growth technology companies and venture capital firms. Some of Mr. Guha’s clients have included Asana, Nest Labs, Pinterest and Yammer. He also has represented numerous venture capital clients including Benchmark Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mohr, Davidow Ventures and Trinity Ventures. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and his B.A. from Columbia University.
Eric Matthew Hairston
Eric Hairston joined Orrick in 2003 and is a member of the firm’s White Collar & Corporate Investigations Group, based in San Francisco. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, government investigations and civil litigation arising from commercial and regulatory disputes. Mr. Hairston also represents clients in regulatory and administrative proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission. From 2007-2008, Mr. Hairston worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender, where he represented indigent defendants accused of federal crimes such as mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and offenses involving narcotics, firearms and immigration. Mr. Hairston received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
James H. McQuade
Jim McQuade is a member of the firm’s Employment Law Group, based in New York. He represents employers on a broad range of employment matters, including whistleblowing, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination matters. Mr. McQuade has extensive experience handling matters involving misappropriation of trade secrets and the enforcement of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements. He also has successfully defended a number of financial service firms in employment-related arbitrations before the AAA, JAMS, and FINRA. Mr. McQuade received his J.D., magna cum laude, from New York Law School and his B.A. from Hobart College.
Analea J. Patterson
Analea Patterson is a member of Orrick’s Public Policy Group, based in Sacramento. She specializes in developing creative, multi-faceted solutions to business problems that incorporate litigation, legislative and regulatory strategies. Ms. Patterson’s litigation work focuses on constitutional challenges, statutory interpretation lawsuits, and state and local tax disputes. Prior to joining Orrick, she held positions in the executive and legislative branches of California state government, including serving as Special Assistant for Policy and Planning to a California Attorney General, Policy Director for a Lieutenant Governor and Legislative Director in the California State Assembly. Ms. Patterson also serves on the Advisory Board of the Voluntary Legal Service Program of Northern California. She received her J.D. as Class Valedictorian from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and her B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Oregon.
Jeffrey M. Prokop
Jeffrey Prokop is a member of Orrick’s Commercial Litigation Group, based in Washington, D.C. He focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts and in international arbitrations, with a particular emphasis on cross-border disputes. Mr. Prokop has represented parties in arbitration proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce, the London Court of International Arbitration and the American Arbitration Association, and has significant experience representing companies and individuals in internal, government and regulatory investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. from Boston College.
Darren S. Teshima
Darren Teshima is a member of the firm’s Insurance Recovery Group and is based in San Francisco. His commercial litigation practice focuses on the representation of corporate policyholders in insurance coverage disputes. Mr. Teshima represents clients in the financial services, technology and retail industries, advising them on a variety of insurance issues, and litigating against their insurers. He also has an active pro bono practice and serves on the boards of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus. Mr. Teshima clerked for the Honorable David O. Carter in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Amherst College.
Bryan D. Victor
Bryan D. Victor is a member of Orrick’s Public Finance Group, based in Sacramento. He has broad experience as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriter’s counsel for tax-exempt financings with a focus on transactions for State government and 501(c)(3) healthcare organizations, including transactions for the State of California, the California Department of Water Resources, the California State Public Works Board and the Washington Health Care Facilities Authority. Mr. Victor also has extensive experience as issuer’s counsel in conduit municipal financings. Mr. Victor also works on general public finance matters for the State of California, including the administration of the State’s general obligation bond, commercial paper note and credit enhancement programs. He also is involved in the Sacramento office’s partnership with the Voluntary Legal Services Program of Northern California. Mr. Victor received his J.D. with distinction, Order of the Coif, from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and his B.A., with honors, from California State University, Sacramento.
Albrecht von Breitenbuch M.A.
Albrecht von Breitenbuch is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Group as well as the European Corporate Group, based in Berlin. His practice focuses on transactions, joint-ventures, restructurings and ongoing legal advice for domestic and international corporate clients, start-ups and emerging companies, as well as public sector authorities and entities. Mr. von Breitenbuch also has broad experience with regards to real estate, corporate and financing issues, having advised clients on both purchases and sales of assets. As part of his practice, Mr. von Breitenbuch is also regularly engaged in litigation, in particular regarding complex post transaction disputes. In addition, he serves pro bono as general counsel for stiftung neue verantwortung e.V., a non-profit dynamic think-tank dedicated to encourage cooperation between politics, business, science and society in Germany to address pressing societal and economic challenges, which he helped to found. After his legal studies in Germany, Mr. von Breitenbuch received an M.A. in Economics from Durham University (U.K.) and earned his doctorate degree in law from Humboldt-University of Berlin (Germany).