April.08.2019
Orrick today announced the addition of Carolyn Frantz as Senior Counsel in our Supreme Court & Appellate practice. Carolyn most recently served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Microsoft. She will be based in our Seattle office.
Carolyn is a seasoned litigation and appellate specialist and proven senior advisor to the tech sector. She joined Microsoft in 2016 serving as associate general counsel for litigation, with responsibility for worldwide tax litigation, patent licensing litigation and international consumer litigation. Most recently, she headed Microsoft’s Corporate Legal Group, with responsibility for legal work involving securities, compensation and benefits, real estate, procurement, treasury, accounting and finance, internal audit and other functions. Carolyn served as the Corporate Secretary, working closely with the Board of Directors and the Company’s senior management
Prior to joining Microsoft, Carolyn practiced for 10 years with litigation boutique Bartlit Beck, including seven years as a partner. She clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Judge David S. Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. A Rhodes Scholar, Carolyn was an associate professor at the University of Chicago Law School before entering private practice.
“It has been an absolute honor and an extraordinary professional experience to play a leadership role on the Microsoft team. That team is working on the most cutting-edge legal issues, supporting customers in their digital transformations in a changing regulatory environment. I will greatly miss collaborating with my friends and colleagues there,” said Carolyn. “As I look ahead to the next phase in my career, I’m thrilled to be joining one of the elite appellate practices in the country and a firm that is a leading advisor to the tech and innovation sector.”
“Carolyn is a truly distinguished legal talent, and we are thrilled to add her to our team,” said Josh Rosenkranz, head of Orrick’s Supreme Court & Appellate practice. “This move is another step in building our unique constellation model and our diverse bi-coastal team.”
Orrick Supreme Court & Appellate Partner Kelsi Corkran, who also clerked for Judge Tatel and was a student at the University of Chicago Law School during Carolyn’s tenure, noted: “Carolyn is a brilliant lawyer, and I have been very fortunate to know her and learn from her the last 15 years. I am so delighted to welcome her to our team.”
Orrick’s Supreme Court & Appellate practice was named to the National Law Journal’s Appellate Hot List last year for the seventh time and was also named a Law360 Appellate Group of the Year.
Coverage of Carolyn’s move in American Lawyer (subscription required) and Law360.