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.
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.
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
She also manages teams of skilled professionals performing document review, redaction, analysis, production and drafting privilege logs. Jessica assists the litigation team to prepare for trial, including drafting deposition summaries, factual memoranda and exhibit charts.
Prior to joining Orrick, Jessica practiced criminal law and family law in Pennsylvania.
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.
Houston; Miami
Tyler structures and negotiates a broad range of strategic transactions on behalf of sponsors, investors and lenders, including tax equity, cash equity, and debt financings, tax credit transfers, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures at both the company and project levels. He also negotiates project contracts for renewable energy projects and transactions with respect to the financing and development of satellites, data centers and other digital infrastructure assets.
Orange County
Michael has worked on matters for companies including Canon Inc., Ricoh, Panasonic, eBay, eBay Enterprise, Foxconn, Robert Bosch, Realtek, Anker, Fujitsu Limited, and NVIDIA Corporation covering technologies such as eCommerce, Bluetooth, automotive technology, optical networking and telecommunication, graphics processing, and signal equalization.
Prior to law school, Michael was a mechanical engineer with M-E Engineers, Inc., in Culver City, Calif., where he designed the HVAC systems, including sizing equipment and devising airflows, for hospitals, sporting venues, and office buildings. His projects included Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, Calif., and Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif.
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Melissa works with the firms various practice groups to increase efficiency and reduce costs for client services. Her work is primarily transactional, concentrating predominantly on financing matters. Her project portfolio encompasses a spectrum of tasks, including M&A due diligence reviews, capitalization table audits, corporate audits, and various projects associated with disclosure obligations.
Prior to joining Orrick, Melissa dedicated her practice to real estate and the intricacies of oil and gas law, specifically within the Appalachian Basin.
New York
Ian represents governmental issuers, banking institutions, and non-profit organizations across a wide range of public finance sectors. He has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel or borrower’s counsel for financings on behalf of colleges and universities, public power agencies, and housing and infrastructure projects, all benefiting communities across the State of New York and around the country.
Prior to joining Orrick, Ian practiced at another nationally recognized public finance firm handling financings for single-family and multifamily housing, as well as tobacco revenue securitization.
San Francisco
Rachel has defended financial services, technology, and retail industry clients on a broad range of employment law issues in federal and state courts and administrative agencies in California and throughout the country. She has significant experience with single plaintiff and class action litigation involving wage and hour claims, collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and representative actions under the California Private Attorneys General Act.
In addition to her extensive litigation practice, Rachel also provides employers with advice and counsel on employment law issues, including best employment practices, at-will employment, compensation and equity, reductions in force, and employee classifications.
Rachel maintains an active pro bono practice by providing advice and counsel on employment matters to non-profit organizations, as well as volunteering with a number of non-profit organizations committed to advancing the right to vote and voting accessibility.
Genf
Vanessa is “a leading arbitration practitioner…well known for her consistently excellent dispute resolution work” (Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration), and acts as counsel in international arbitration proceedings before the ICC, LCIA, the Swiss Arbitration Centre and other international fora and subject to a variety of procedural and substantive laws (including English, French, Italian, Qatari, New York, Mexican, Swiss and Tunisian law). Vanessa's experience spans a variety of industries including construction, life sciences, food and beverages, financial services, insurance and aviation. Most recently, Vanessa has conducted an arbitration on behalf of a sub-contractor involved in the construction of part of an international airport and was successful in representing a Swiss not-for-profit foundation supporting advanced clinical research in rare pediatric diseases.
Described by clients as an "excellent" lawyer who delivers "very high-quality legal services" (Legal 500), Vanessa has also represented parties in setting aside proceedings before the Swiss Supreme Court and regularly acts as party-appointed arbitrator, sole arbitrator of chair in arbitrations worldwide.
Vanessa serves as a member of the ICC's Commission on Arbitration & ADR and in addition to her activities in the field of arbitration, Vanessa advises on export control regulations and economic sanctions administered by the U.S., the European Union and Switzerland, including matters relating to customs regulations, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, anti-money laundering rules and anti-boycott requirements and regularly provides advice to clients on Swiss substantive law, particularly in contract law.
Prior to joining Orrick, Vanessa practiced for Swiss and international firms based in Geneva and Miami.
Washington, D.C.
Chris has represented numerous individual defendants in parallel proceedings involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), the SEC and state attorneys general investigations, as well as administrative and/or regulatory enforcement litigation with agencies such as the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
His broad range of experience includes conducting internal investigations and the defense of criminal and/or grand jury investigations involving accounting fraud, disclosure issues, internal controls and corporate governance, tax fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, antitrust violations, mail and wire fraud, theft of trade secrets and a wide array of environmental crimes. He has been involved in all aspects of the SEC’s enforcement program including the Wells process and the emerging issues surrounding the agency’s whistleblower programs and employee protections thereunder.
His environmental practice ranges from conducting internal investigations to trial defense, with a strong focus on the unique suspension and debarment issues that arise under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) program. In addition to his civil and criminal enforcement experience, Chris is proficient with lender liability issues, environmental due diligence, toxic tort ligation, superfund cost recovery and contribution actions and compliance planning for environmental health and safety issues.
Chris is recognized in Chambers as a Recognized Practitioner in D.C. White Collar Crime & Government Investigations, in Legal 500 for Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense, and Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Compliance Law, and Litigation - Securities.
Prior to joining Orrick, Chris was a partner at Buckley LLP.
New York
Jim is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer in legal publications such as Chambers USA and Benchmark Litigation. Chambers notes Jim is "able to handle a wide range of mass torts and class actions, including particular strength in toxic tort-related mandates.” Clients told the publication that Jim “is extremely professional, with excellent brief writing and oral arguments,” calling him “a great guy and a great lawyer."
Jim has served in a variety of management roles at Orrick, including Managing Director of Litigation, Member of the Executive Committee and Board, Lead Director, and as a member of the firm’s Management Committee.
Jim has written and lectured on complex litigation and mass tort subjects at a variety of law schools and seminars.
Before joining Orrick, Jim was a partner at Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine LLP.