Gerald Keeler Forensic Accountant
San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco
London
Simon has wide experience of acting for major financial institutions, companies and professional firms in complex litigation, investigations and proceedings by domestic and overseas regulators, professional disciplinary proceedings, ad hoc governmental inquiries and internal investigations. In particular he has acted for those subject to investigations by a wide range of regulatory bodies including the Financial Reporting Council, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and others. He has considerable experience of advising clients on risk management and reputational risk arising from contentious matters.
Simon has been recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as: “an outstanding litigation solicitor”, who is “highly experienced in conducting heavy litigation”, and “one of the best lawyers operating in the Accountant’s liability space”. His clients describe him as “tactically astute and painstaking" and “tough, hardworking, well informed and highly tactical in his thinking” , with a “winning combination of legal knowledge and practicality”.
Washington, D.C.
Kyle's practice targets the novel issues posed by the intersection of business, technology, and media. Leveraging his entrepreneurial background, he strategically advocates for clients with their specific business concerns in mind. With a focus on advertising and technology, Kyle has experience handling every stage of a lawsuit. He also provides counsel regarding brand protection, helping clients enforce trademarks and assess copyright risks.
As a litigator, Kyle has represented plaintiffs and defendants within multiple jurisdictions. He has litigated claims in state and federal courts, in arbitration, and before the International Trade Commission. Outside the courtroom, Kyle actively advises emerging companies and larger corporations across various industries on how to develop and protect intellectual property. His experience includes trademark prosecution, licensing, domestic industry, and contract disputes.
Kyle also maintains a robust pro bono practice, which includes drafting contracts and negotiating settlements for creative enterprises. Before joining Orrick, he interned at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Pro Bono Institute. While attending the University of Michigan Law School, Kyle represented Detroit-based entrepreneurs at the Community Enterprise Clinic and served as an editor for the Michigan Journal of Race and Law.
Silicon Valley
Drawing on his education background in aeronautical engineering, computer science, economics, and international relations, Evan can translate the complex and constantly-evolving business realities of today’s technology companies into cohesive and powerful legal arguments. In his practice, Evan guides cutting-edge U.S. and European technology companies through patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret matters, and counsels companies on emerging cybersecurity and data privacy issues. Evan’s clients specialize in machine learning, autonomous driving, integrated circuits, consumer electronics, e-commerce, and medical device technology.
In his pro bono practice, Evan represents domestic violence survivors and counsels an international NGO on environmental law issues.
Before joining Orrick, Evan clerked for Judge Ronald M. Whyte at the Northern District of California.
Evan graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he also served as Executive Articles Editor of the Hastings Science and Technology Law Review. While in law school, he was an extern for Judge Lucy H. Koh at the Northern District of California.
Outside of work, Evan enjoys competitive ski racing and endurance cycling.
London
He regularly advises on IPOs, direct listings, follow-ons, de-SPACs, reverse mergers and takeovers on UK, US and European stock exchanges, domestic and cross-border public and private M&A deals, venture capital, private and growth equity investments, debt financings, joint ventures, carve-outs, and restructurings, as well as on governance, disclosure, compliance and strategic advisory matters.
His broad industry experience includes working with clients in the AI and technology, healthcare and life sciences, logistics, retail, media, marketing, financial services, energy and natural resources sectors.
He was recently recognised in The Lawyer's Hot 100 2023, by Financial News as a Rising Star of Legal Services in Europe 2023 and Financial Times at its European Innovative Lawyer Awards 2023.
Boston
Ashlie grew up in a family of restaurant franchisees, and she learned about the power of a strong trademark at a young age. This understanding led her to pursue a career in trademark and copyright law, and from her start as a trademark prosecution intern at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in law school, through her work in trademark and copyright litigation at Fish & Richardson P.C., her practice has always focused on assisting businesses with their intellectual property needs.
Ashlie’s practice at Orrick focuses on domestic and international trademark and copyright prosecution and counseling. She has experience assisting businesses ranging from small start-ups to multi-billion dollar corporations with trademark clearance, protection, and strategy. Additionally, Ashlie has extensive experience in intellectual property litigation in federal district courts and at the International Trade Commission. Because of her wide-range of experience, she brings to each matter a unique understanding of the intersection of copyright and trademark clearance and prosecution and enforcement and litigation.
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Neil works with litigation attorneys and third party vendors to manage the review for cyber incident response, investigations, and litigation. This work includes using early case assessment technology to analyze, categorize, and cull data. He also manages teams of skilled professionals performing document review, quality control, and notification list deliverables.
New York
With a Ph.D. in biology from MIT and the Whitehead Institute, where she was a NSF fellow, Irena represents plaintiffs and defendants in their most complex pharmaceutical and biotech patent cases. Over the last 20 years, pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovators have relied on Irena again and again for cases involving small molecules, biologics, recombinant DNA technology, gene therapy, gene editing, manufacturing processes, formulations and drug-eluting medical devices, including numerous multi-billion dollar cases involving many of the world’s best-selling drugs.
Irena has significant experience in litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act (ANDA and 505(b)(2) actions) and the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA), as well as inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, license disputes and matters with parallel ex-U.S. litigation and proceedings in foreign patent offices. Irena also helps life sciences companies and organizations develop the law in the most important cases for the biopharma industry. She has been principal counsel on numerous amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit in key biopharma cases.
For plaintiffs, Irena has successfully defended generic challenges to patents protecting blockbuster medical therapies, including multi-billion dollar cancer, antiviral, diabetes and anti-psychotic drugs, including recently obtaining attorneys’ fees in a hard-fought ANDA action. She also represents innovators in biosimilar litigation from its outset, including in some of the first cases under the BPCIA involving antibodies. Irena also represents clients in innovator vs innovator disputes. For defendants, she defeated a $530 million claim of patent infringement of a competitor’s biotech patent, obtaining dismissal of all claims and discovery sanctions against the patent owner. In another high-stakes case, she obtained summary judgment of noninfringement and exclusion of plaintiff’s experts under Daubert as well as a full award of attorneys’ fees. A registered patent attorney, Irena also handles inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. For patent owners, she has obtained denial of IPR for patents protecting blockbuster drugs and has leveraged IPR for defendants to obtain freedom to operate.
Irena also coordinates U.S. proceedings with parallel ex-U.S. litigation and proceedings in foreign patent offices, recently obtaining freedom to operate for a biotech innovator’s gene therapy. She provides strategic counseling in biologics and pharmaceuticals and advises clients on their IP portfolios and transactions. Irena also represents clients in high-stakes license disputes involving biotech patents, and, in a dispute concerning the use of a recombinant protein as an enzyme replacement therapy, obtained one of the largest settlement awards over the life of the contract.
Chambers USA has recognized Irena as a leading lawyer in intellectual property, where clients have described her as “excellent,” “knowledgeable, aggressive,” “knows the science forward and backward” and “an incredibly smart lawyer.” Benchmark Litigation named her one of the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” for the last eight years and a litigation star in intellectual property. Irena was also named to the Crain’s New York Business list of “Notable Women in Law.” She is also recognized as a leading lawyer by Legal 500. Irena writes and lectures widely on biopharma patent issues and biosimilar litigation. Irena also is frequently quoted on patent-related issues, including in the Washington Post, Financial Times, Nature Biotechnology, Bloomberg and Pink Sheet.
New York
Nathaniel counsels banks, blockchain exchanges, cryptocurrency issuers, financial institutions, technology companies, money transmitters, online gaming platforms, payment processors, and private equity firms. His practice includes services related to anti-money laundering, data collection and processing, internal investigations and risks assessments, money transmitter licensing, blockchain token offerings, mergers and acquisitions, money transmitter licensing, venture capital financing activities, and general corporate matters.
Following law school, Nathaniel co-founded a legaltech company in Japan, and developed the initial machine learning models and a front end used for an initial product offering. Nathaniel has since leveraged his development experience to communicate with and advise blockchain and machine learning ventures. In addition, Nathaniel has also lectured at Peking University in China, teaching constitutional law and an introductory class on U.S. legal principles, giving Nathaniel a unique perspective into the Chinese market.
Prior to joining Orrick’s New York office, he was an associate at the firm's Tokyo office. In addition, prior to law school, Nathaniel served for four years in the Canadian Army as an enlisted soldier tasked to conduct armored reconnaissance.
Seattle
Lauren represents clients in high-stakes appeals, with a focus on patent litigation. Lauren also joins trial teams as embedded appellate counsel to guide the legal strategy with an eye toward appeal and draft important briefs. She has argued in the Federal Circuit on behalf of a leading video-game developer, where she secured affirmance of the PTAB's decision striking down every claim of a competitor's patent, and in the Ninth Circuit, where she won relief from removal for a client seeking asylum. She has co-authored dozens of appellate briefs, as well as briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court at both the certiorari and merits stages. Lauren also has an active pro bono practice focused on immigration matters and civil rights.
Before joining Orrick, Lauren served as a law clerk to Judge Susan P. Graber of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Judge John R. Blakey of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Lauren graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she received the Salmon Dalberg Award for outstanding member of the graduating class and was a Managing Editor for the Wisconsin Law Review. Before law school, Lauren worked for a major software company in the healthcare industry.
Boston
Over the course of her career, she has represented clients ranging from Fortune 50 companies to start-ups in trademark, copyright, false advertising, and trade secret litigations and at trial. She has worked with leading technology companies and some of the most recognizable brands in the world, including New Balance, Williams-Sonoma, Carnival, and Microsoft. She has tried cases to both judges and juries in federal courts across the United States and is experienced practicing before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the International Trade Commission. Through her trial work, she has developed deep expertise in litigating novel and complex damages issues in IP cases and leveraging survey work.
Sheryl most recently earned a complete victory at trial on behalf of client Carnival in a patent and breach of contract matter related to theft of Carnival intellectual property. Following an 8-day trial in the Southern District of Florida, the jury deliberated for three hours and returned a verdict in favor of Carnival on all counts, awarding $21 million in damages.
She honed her skills in high profile, precedent setting cases. Sheryl represented Aereo against the major U.S. television networks in defense of its novel, industry-disrupting system for providing internet access to over-the-air broadcast television. That case ultimately went to the Supreme Court, which addressed copyright law issues of first impression. Sheryl currently represents Microsoft litigating novel issues related to the intersection of generative AI, copyright, and trademark law.
Having prepared countless cases for trial, Sheryl has a clear understanding of the importance of identifying litigation strategy early on to direct the case in a cost- effective and efficient manner. Sheryl also leverages her wealth of experience to counsel clients on strategies to protect intellectual property when avoiding litigation is a strategic business priority.
Having also litigated a number of patent cases throughout her career, she brings to each matter a unique understanding of the intersection of copyright, trademark, trade secret and patent law. A superb communicator, she is able to explain diverse areas of complex technology to a judge or jury.
Sheryl has been consistently named as one of the leading intellectual property litigators in the world by World Trademark Review 1000, a peer and client survey. In its 2017 publication, WTR 1000 described her as “'highly recommended’ for her ‘helpful and creative advice,’ which is ‘always of first-rate quality.’” In the 2018 edition, WTR 1000 stated that Sheryl “offers significant firepower to any contentious mandate.” In the 2021 edition, WTR 1000 said Sheryl ”puts her heart and soul into driving favorable outcomes.” In 2022 Sheryl and her team were lauded for being “tried and tested” in litigation and “emerging victorious in many forums. And in 2023, they were praised for “steering [clients] through complex litigation,” with work that was quick, efficient and “with the highest level of integrity.”
Sheryl is the Global Chair of Orrick's Women's Initiative and is the Co-Chair of Orrick’s Intellectual Property Business Unit.
She was named a 2017 Woman Worth Watching by Profiles in Diversity Journal. Sheryl was also singled out for Metropolitan Corporate Counsel’s Women in Business and the Law 2017 edition. In 2015, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly named her one of the Top Women of Law and she received a 2015 Leadership Excellence Award from the National Diversity Council.
New York
Before joining Orrick, Jodie served as a law clerk to Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Patricia Millett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She graduated from Harvard Law School and Columbia College.