Orrick Promotes Two to Partner in London


2 minute read | January.14.2025

  • Orrick’s team in London promotes two new partners, Alex Sobolev and Emma Zarb.
  • Alex is part of Orrick’s Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation team, and Emma is part of the firm’s Employment Law team.

Orrick’s London office leader Mark Beeley said: “We are excited to recognise the talent of these exceptional lawyers and propel the growth of our London practice.”

Over the past year, Orrick’s London office has welcomed three new partners in its Energy and Infrastructure, Banking and Finance, and Antitrust Groups. They include Alfred Weightman, who joined the global renewable PPA team from the leading Eastern European solar PV developer GoldenPeaks Capital; Mae Morter, a rising star in debt financing advisory, formerly with Weil Gotshal; and Victoria Newbold, who joined Orrick’s Antitrust & Competition practice from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

Orrick’s New London Partners

  • Alex Sobolev is a cyber, privacy and data innovation lawyer. He advises clients across the tech sector on European and UK data protection, online safety, and consumer matters, with a focus on compliance, security, and risk mitigation.
  • A lifelong technology enthusiast, Alex takes the time to understand each client’s technology and business operations before offering tailored compliance and risk management strategies.
  • Recognized by Legal 500 for his expertise in IT and Telecoms as well as Data Protection, Privacy, and Cybersecurity, Alex’s practice sits at the intersection of critical business and compliance challenges in today’s digital landscape. His work addresses key areas such as data utilization, security, safety, and artificial intelligence.

Alex said: "Where every company is a data company, a data problem isn't just a risk point: it's a business problem. As the pace of technology development accelerates, those problems are becoming further and further beyond what legislators contemplated when they wrote today's data protection laws. That's why it's such an interesting space: our role as a data team is to apply law that's out of date practically the moment it's written to problems no one ever thought of and come out with a business solution that works with companies' strategy."

  • Emma Zarb advises clients on all aspects of employment law, including contentious, advisory and transactional matters.
  • She focuses on litigation in the Employment Tribunal and the High Court, advising foreign employers on entering the UK market, and compliance matters relating to pay equity, anti-harassment and the Modern Slavery Act.
  • Recognized by Legal 500 for her “masses of gravitas and great client skills,” Emma serves as Vice Chair of the Industrial Law Society and has an active pro bono practice. 

Emma said: “I look forward to continuing to help clients navigate employment law issues, particularly at this exciting time where there are radical reforms proposed to UK Employment Law with the introduction of the Employment Rights Bill.”