Paul Fakler Partner Copyright, Trademark & False Advertising, Intellectual Property

New York

Copyright attorney Paul Fakler works at the intersection of music, technology and business. He draws upon two decades of copyright, computer, and music industry expertise to help streaming, media and software companies advance their business.

Although he assists clients with issues relating to many different types of content, Paul has especially deep experience in the music industry as it has adapted to fundamental changes brought by digital media. As music evolves into a cutting-edge digital industry, those businesses require an equally innovative legal approach. Paul offers creative ways to adapt copyright laws to the latest technology, through litigation, counseling and government relations. He has devoted his practice to this unique field, as well as to handling software copyright litigation, a natural fit given his experience as a copyright lawyer, former software developer and amateur musician.

Litigation & Licensing

He has litigated numerous high-profile copyright cases involving digital media, copyright and the Internet. He routinely represents digital music services, as well as other media and software companies, in negotiations and disputes with record labels, music publishers, and other rights holders. His clients in these ground-breaking cases have included MP3.com, Yahoo!, Veoh, MediaNet, Sirius XM Radio, Bill Graham Archives, and Music Choice.

Paul is one of the few attorneys with significant experience handling copyright royalty rate-setting proceedings, including proceedings before the Copyright Royalty Board and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc., (BMI) rate courts. He obtained the only two royalty rate reductions ever granted by the Copyright Royalty Board (or its predecessors).

Paul also routinely represents clients in bet-the-company copyright infringement litigation across many industries, often making new law on issues such as the DMCA safe harbor and fair use.

Counseling

Paul counsels clients with respect to copyright, trademark, right of publicity, entertainment, computer, and Internet law issues in diverse industries including the music, motion picture, publishing, software development, and digital media industries.

Government Relations

He also advises on strategies for shaping copyright policy and represents clients’ interest before government entities that impact the copyright ecosystem, such as Congress, the Copyright Office, and the Department of Justice.

Alessandra Fani Associate Public Finance, Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Rome

Alessandra Fani is an associate in the Rome office and and a member of the firm’s Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution group.

John A. Farmer Contract Associate Restructuring, Asset Backed Securities

Los Angeles

John A. Farmer, an associate in the Los Angeles office. His practice focuses on secured and unsecured lending, loan restructures and workouts, bankruptcy and insolvency and supply chain financing.

Prior to joining Orrick, John was an associate with Coudert Brothers in New York.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of The Quiet in the Land, Inc. and does pro bono work for arts organizations.

Diana Szego Fassbender Senior Associate Intellectual Property, Japan

Washington, D.C.

Diana Szego Fassbender has significant experience in a broad array of intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright, and trademark issues.

She has been involved in all phases of litigation, from inception through trial and appeal. Ms. Fassbender has worked closely with other attorneys and client representatives to develop innovative and cost-effective case strategy to help prepare cases for trial or obtain early resolution on favorable terms. Ms. Fassbender has significant experience representing international clients, including particularly businesses and organizations in Asia and Europe.

Ms. Fassbender regularly litigates complex multi-defendant, multi-patent district court infringement actions and Section 337 Investigations in the International Trade Commission, representing clients in the consumer electronics, semiconductor, e-commerce, Internet media, and life sciences industries.  Ms. Fassbender also routinely represents clients in trademark matters, including trademark infringement cases, domain name arbitrations under the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy, and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board, and provides representation in international trademark prosecution and branding strategy. Ms. Fassbender also works on intellectual property issues surrounding the Internet, such as pursuing actions under the AntiCybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, and drafting terms of use and other similar agreements governing content for website operators. Ms. Fassbender has worked on several copyright, unfair competition, defamation, and contract actions in federal and state trial courts on behalf of clients in the music, entertainment, and sports industries.

Dr. Karsten Faulhaber Partner International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution, Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Düsseldorf

Dr. Karsten Faulhaber, a Düsseldorf-based partner in the International Arbitration Group, brings more than a decade of experience as counsel and arbitrator. However, his proficiency goes beyond just arbitration, as he has deep knowledge in dispute resolution in many forms, and his background in transactional law allows him to provide solutions to clients’ problems – often before they even reach a courtroom.

He has been praised in Chambers Global for his “proactive and skillful” approach to arbitration. Karsten represents clients in arbitrations under various German and international rules but also regularly acts as arbitrator. In addition, he frequently represents global enterprises in international disputes before the national courts.

When he originally started practicing law, Karsten was an M&A lawyer, and as a result has extensive experience in contracts and their negotiation. But the opportunity to work in dispute resolution and especially arbitration appealed to him as it reminded him of his passion for the game of chess. Much in the same way he calculates strategy when playing the game, he sees in complex disputes the importance of thinking ahead, anticipating the moves of the other parties, the temperament of the opponents and ultimately the fight to win. 

Matthew Fechik Sr Distressed Trade Car Assoc Restructuring

Wheeling, W.V. (GOC)

Matthew Fechik, a Career Associate at Orrick's Global Operations Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, is a member of the Restructuring Group.

The Restructuring Group advises banks, broker-dealers, hedge funds, and other entities on legal issues relating to the purchase and sale of syndicated loans, bankruptcy claims, and other alternative investments. Matthew's practice focuses on distressed debt trading.

During law school Matthew completed internships with Alcoa's Corporate Tax Department and Neighborhood Legal Services Association.

Vickie Feeman Partner Patents, Copyright, Trademark & False Advertising

Silicon Valley

Vickie Feeman, a partner in the Silicon Valley office, is a member of the Intellectual Property Group. She has been representing clients in intellectual property disputes in federal courts and the ITC for more than 20 years.

Before attending law school, Vickie worked as an electrical engineer for Motorola Inc.'s Government Electronics Group, where her work focused on the design of circuits for satellite communications systems.  

Debra Felder Senior Associate Restructuring, Bankruptcy Litigation

Washington, D.C.

Debbie Felder, a senior associate in the Washington, D.C. office, is a member of the Restructuring Group. Debbie has extensive experience in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, and creditors' rights.

Debbie represents secured and unsecured creditors, investors, lenders, asset purchasers, financial institutions, preference defendants, debtors, and other parties in a wide variety of bankruptcy and restructuring matters, and in related litigation throughout the United States. 

Recent notable engagements include representing counsel to a borrower in the restructuring of a toll road, representing financial institutions and others in the global Lehman insolvency proceedings, representing a lender in the restructuring of a performing arts center, and representing a purchaser in a section 363 bankruptcy sale.

Debbie is active in pro bono matters including advising distressed clients in corporate dissolution proceedings pursuant to state statutes.  She also represents proposed guardians and adoptive parents in connection with guardianship and adoption proceedings involving abused or neglected children in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining Orrick, Debbie was an associate at Swidler Berlin LLP. As an undergraduate, she spent four summers as an intern in the Clerk's Office of the United States Supreme Court. During her time at the United States Supreme Court, Debbie researched and wrote a paper on the U.S. Attorneys General, which she presented to the U.S. Solicitor General.

Jacob Ferm Associate Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution

London

Jake advises on a broad range of contentious matters, often with a multi-jurisdictional focus, including English High Court litigation, contentious insolvency, internal investigations and commercial and investor-state arbitration.

Michael Ferrel Data & Applications Architect

San Francisco

Michael Ferrel has been a technologist for the legal industry for nearly 20 years. He got his start in the industry at Venture Law Group where he was a lead systems engineer and software developer.

After VLG, Michael ran a legal technology and software consulting practice, which serviced dozens of AMLAW 100 firms around the world. In his consulting practice, he migrated, deployed and integrated document management, records, accounting and client intake systems from virtually every major industry vendor. He developed and deployed custom line of business applications where no quality product existed to meet the demanding needs of global law firms and other companies. Although Michael has deep experience in systems architecture and management, he is a software geek at heart. He is a core Microsoft developer who focuses on .NET, SQL and cloud.

Michael previously served as the Vice President of Technology for VLP Law Group LLP (formerly Virtual Law Partners). Michael was recruited by Craig Johnson and Jackson Ratcliffe to help found the first completely virtual law firm in the United States. Michael was part of the VLP team for 10 years before joining Orrick Labs, where he once again is focused on changing the legal industry in a positive way.

When Michael is not sitting in front of a monitor, he is teaching Jujitsu, making wine or is off the grid in the wilderness enjoying the great outdoors.

Robert Feyer Senior Counsel Public Finance

San Francisco

Robert Feyer is a senior counsel in the San Francisco office of the firm's Public Finance Department.  After 40 years representing issuers and underwriters, Mr. Feyer retired from active practice working on bond transactions at the end of 2017, but continues to provide assistance and mentoring within the Department.

From 1986 to his retirement, Bob was the lead bond and disclosure counsel for the State of California, working with a team of lawyers to complete the issuance of an estimated 470 billion dollars of new and refunding general obligation bonds, cash flow notes and warrants and lease revenue obligations, including several of the largest long-term municipal bond issues in U.S. history. He was recognized by The American Lawyer magazine in April 2003 as one of 10 "Dealmakers of the Year" for his work on a $12.5 billion cash flow note borrowing in October 2002.  This work also garnered recognition as a "Lawyer of the Year in Transactional Law" in 2003 from California Lawyer magazine.  Bob has spoken often at conferences and webinars on municipal finance and disclosure matters, and is a member of the Securities Law Committee of the National Association of Bond Lawyers.

Bob also had an active practice in private activity financing for such purposes as solid waste disposal, pollution control and industrial development. For more than 40 years, he has been a lead bond counsel for the California Pollution Control Financing Authority.

Aside from his municipal bond practice, Bob has worked actively with low-income individuals who seek to obtain legal guardianships for young children.  In May, 2014 Bob received the James P. Preovolos Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Services in Family Law from the Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

From 1972 to 1975, while on a leave of absence from Orrick, Bob was a Captain in the United States Air Force where he served on the staff of the Air Force General Counsel, and he later served as a legislative assistant to a United States Senator in Washington, D.C.

Donald Field Partner Public Finance

Orange County; Los Angeles

Donald Field is a partner in Orrick's Public Finance Group and the co-chair of Orrick’s School and Community College Finance/General Obligation Bonds Practice Group.

He is also a member of Orrick's Leasing Practice Group, Assessment/Mello-Roos Practice Group, and Revenue Practice Group. Don has extensive experience, as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriter's counsel, in the financing techniques used by school and community college districts, cities and counties in California. His practice focuses on local governmental infrastructure financing, including general obligation bond financing, municipal lease financing, and land-secured financing, as well as tax and revenue anticipation note (TRAN), pension obligation and other post-employment benefit (OPEB) obligation financings. Don serves as the lead lawyer for the California School Boards Association's annual tax and revenue anticipation note pool.