Austin
Experience matters. Lawyers must help generalist judges and lay juries quickly grasp intricate topics in unfamiliar areas. Jeff has written software, managed engineers, run a business, and helped judges at all levels decide cases and draft opinions. He uses this diverse background to translate complex technical, commercial, and legal concepts into simple and persuasive language that courts, juries, and clients can comprehend.
Jeff's practice focuses on appeals of all stripes, intellectual property litigation, and complex commercial litigation. He has represented clients in industries ranging from computer hardware and software, to cellular telephony, oil and gas, real estate, construction, and many others. In the process, he has assisted clients on matters involving alleged breach of contract, negligence, patent infringement, and trade secrets, as well as in federal appeals on a variety of issues. Jeff also has represented clients before the International Trade Commission in product exclusion investigations, and before the Patent and Trademark Office in the prosecution of patent applications and inter partes review proceedings.
Prior to joining Orrick, Jeff served as a law clerk for Justice Neil M. Gorsuch on the U.S. Supreme Court and, several years earlier, for then-Judge Gorsuch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Between his clerkships, Jeff worked as an associate at two major national law firms, where he engaged in a mixture of commercial litigation, patent litigation, patent prosecution, and appeals. Before law school, Jeff designed and wrote software in Silicon Valley, managed engineering teams at a high-technology startup company that later went public, and founded his own real estate investment and brokerage practice.
Austin
Jerry has been active in traditional bond financings for governmental entities such as school districts, cities, counties and special-purpose districts, advising them on general obligation, ad valorem tax-secured financings and special or limited obligation financings, such as utility system revenue-secured financings, conduit financings, financings for state agencies and financings for entities authorized to act on behalf of the State of Texas and its political subdivisions, including tax and revenue anticipation and general obligation and special-purpose facility revenue financings.
Austin
Julia is passionate about working with founders who think outside the box to grow their companies and become the next big thing across a wide breath of industries and across the globe. Julia has advised early-stage companies in several dozen equity and convertible financings.
Julia also represents investors and venture capital firms on their investments in early and high-growth technology companies.
Austin
Trudie advises renewable energy developers, private equity funds, and investors on complex transactions across the renewable energy sector, with a focus on debt and tax equity financings, joint ventures, and project acquisitions and sales.
Austin
Montana primarily represents emerging growth companies, venture capital funds and other strategic investors in a wide array of corporate matters, including early and late-stage venture funding rounds, formation and corporate governance, securities issuances and mergers and acquisitions. Montana's practice spans commercial industries, with significant experience representing frontier technology companies and "dual use" companies such as those in the defense, nuclear and space industries.
Prior to practicing law, Montana served in the U.S. Air Force.
Select engagements Montana has advised on include:
*Please note: Montana’s experience includes that prior to joining Orrick.
Houston; Austin
Serving two of Texas’s major markets, Ryan’s versatility sets him apart. He has deep industry knowledge of the energy, technology, and financial services sectors, and understands where his clients' business and legal strategies intersect. Ryan regularly represents clients across the United States in federal and state courts and in front of arbitration panels. Ryan’s energy representations include hydrocarbon producers, explorers, transporters, and refiners. Ryan’s financial services experience includes representation of institutional banks and mortgage servicers. In addition, Ryan represents and counsels leading tech companies, including SAAS and cybersecurity providers.
Ryan seeks efficient outcomes for his clients and has a track record of prevailing at the summary judgment stage. In other cases, Ryan has efficiently negotiated with opposing counsel to reach early, favorable settlements. In the event a case is not fit for early resolution, Ryan is also a seasoned trial lawyer with experience trying cases to juries, the bench, and arbitration panels.
Ryan also maintains an active pro bono practice and works closely with the Houston Bar Association, including as a former chairman and member of its Habitat for Humanity Committee.
Houston; Miami; Austin
Houston; Miami; Austin
Barbara represents state and local governmental, nonprofit and for-profit corporations, and other market participants in the issuance of qualified 501(c)(3) private activity bonds for eligible residential rental projects for affordable and middle-income housing, as well as related infrastructure financing, including tax and revenue anticipation notes (TRANs). She serves as special tax counsel to one of the largest sports authorities in Texas, with the goal to promote local and community development, including maintenance and expansion of the city’s stadiums and parks.
She also has significant experience representing nonprofit organizations. Formerly an attorney with the Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, Barbara has represented clients before the IRS in a variety of matters involving tax-exempt bonds, including audits and private letter ruling requests. She has participated in all facets of the tax analysis associated with the issuance of governmental purpose bonds, certain tax credit bonds, qualified 501(c)(3) bonds, qualified residential rental bonds and qualified small issue bonds.
Barbara has served on the Steering Committee and has chaired the Working Capital panel and the Bond Direct Purchase - Advanced Tax Topics panel for the Bond Attorneys’ Workshop, the oldest and largest annual gathering of bond lawyers.
Austin; Houston
Austin; Houston
Amanda has advised on more than $5 billion of both publicly-offered and privately-placed charter school financings. Her work on these financings extends across the country, including Texas, Florida, Tennessee, California, Arizona and New York, among many others. Amanda works with a first-of-its-kind nonprofit social impact fund that leverages private charter loans to the public market. Since their creation in 2018, Amanda has worked on documenting more than $1.7 billion in loans to high-performing charter schools who do not otherwise have access to long term, low cost financing. Amanda and team are tasked with working with the local borrower’s counsel for each new borrower and each new state to create a financing structure that meets the long term needs of the borrower, while conforming with state charter law and the clients lending requirements. Amanda has also created structures to help with taxable refundings, to finance around existing new market tax credit structures and many other needs of the borrowers.
Amanda also represents banks and other financial institutions in connection with direct purchases of tax-exempt bonds and the issuance of letters of credit and other liquidity facilities in connection with tax-exempt transactions.
Over the course of her career, Amanda has prepared, negotiated and reviewed contracts, loan documents, amendments, closing documents, default letters, demand letters, payoff and buyout agreements, intercreditor subordination agreements, and federal tax lien subordinations. She also has reviewed client contracts and MSA agreements in the oil and gas, construction, medical, retail and transportation industries, and she has addressed regulatory and compliance issues for the finance industry and oil and gas industry. Amanda previously served as an in-house attorney for a national financial services company. She also has served as a staff attorney for Judge Jaclanel McFarland of the 133rd Civil District Court in Harris County, Texas, and as assistant district attorney for the Harris County District Attorney’s office.
Houston; Austin
Michael regularly engages in his clients' most complex and sophisticated matters involving eight, nine and ten figure exposure. Whether it be securing billion-dollar summary judgments or obtaining full dismissals for energy companies in mass tort cases, Michael defines success as winning, and doing so in a manner that enhances and protects the reputation and prospects of his clients.
Michael understands how courts think and what they want. He managed a federal court civil docket for two years and drafted judicial opinions for the highest levels of the Texas judicial system. He regularly assists his clients navigate their most complicated legal obstacles, and does so with bottom-line clarity.
Austin; San Francisco
Austin; San Francisco
Alex’s work encompasses a broad range of industries and corporate matters, including formations, compensation, venture capital financings, debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, strategic transactions, IPOs and corporate governance.
Alex’s prior company-side representations include Carta, Docker, GitLab, 6Sense, Branch Metrics, LTK (fka rewardStyle), Quizlet, Niantic, Gen Digital (fka Symantec) and Streamlit, among others.
Alex also has represented leading venture capital firms and strategic investors, including GGV Capital, Menlo Ventures, GV, NEA, Insight Venture Partners, Fidelity Growth Partners, Merck Research Venture Labs, Trinity Ventures and Comcast Ventures.
Alex started her practice in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices of Fenwick & West LLP and another major national law firm. Prior to her career in law, Alex managed international development programs in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.