People

Xiang Wang Partner Intellectual Property, Mass Torts & Product Liability

Beijing; New York

Dr. Xiang Wang is the Co-Chair of Orrick’s Global Advisory Board, Partner in Charge for Asia and the head of China IP practice, splitting his time between three offices: Shanghai, New York and Beijing, where he is the Managing Partner.

Xiang has extensive experience in assisting local and foreign-based multinational companies with all aspects of their IP rights in the U.S., China and Asia, including IP litigation and arbitration, patent, copyright and trademark infringements, Section 337 U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) investigations, patent office proceedings including inter partes reviews (IPR), IP due diligence and portfolio counseling, industrial espionage, trade secrets misappropriation, mass torts and product liability, securities litigation, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Alien Tort Statute (ATCA) and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) investigations and compliance. These matters have implicated a vast array of technologies, from software and electronics to renewable energy and medical devices as well as agricultural and building materials, to name just a few. Xiang also works extensively on cybersecurity & data privacy issues for both Chinese and international clients.

Xiang has been particularly active in Chinese state-owned enterprises related U.S. litigation. Clients turn to his strategic and innovative advice thanks to the in-depth understanding of their business needs and political risks, and appreciate that he “understood the environment in the China legal system and can give nuanced advice”.

Xiang has developed the region’s premier IP practice based on his reputation as one of the few IP lawyers who has a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering, a Chinese Certificate of Laws and admission to practice law in New York, Indiana and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Due to its success in patent disputes in the U.S. and China, involving both foreign and Chinese companies, Orrick IP team was exclusively featured in a documentary film “Patent Wars” by the China Central Television (CCTV). 

Xiang is highly regarded for his practical legal advice that results from more than 10 years of experience at medical and electronic device businesses before becoming a lawyer. He also has received four U.S. medical-technology patents in his name. 

Lauren Webb Associate Energy, Infrastructure

New York

Lauren is a member of the Energy and Infrastructure Group. 

Her practice focuses on acquisitions as well as project development and financing in the renewable energy sector.

Margaret Wheeler-Frothingham Managing Associate Intellectual Property, Copyright, Trademark & False Advertising

New York

Margaret Wheeler-Frothingham is a managing associate in the New York office. Her practice covers all aspects of copyright and trademark litigation, as well as counseling, licensing and prosecution.

While Margaret represents clients across a broad range of industries, her practice has a particular emphasis on the music, media and fashion industries. Margaret litigates copyright infringement actions and royalty rate setting proceedings – including before the Copyright Royalty Board, where she obtained one of only two royalty rate reductions ever granted in that court. Margaret represents digital music services, as well as other content users in negotiations and disputes with record labels, music publishers, photographers and other rights holders.

Margaret’s trademark practice includes representing fashion, hospitality and alcoholic beverage companies in trademark and trade dress infringement litigations in federal court and proceedings before the TTAB.

In addition to litigation, Margaret counsels companies ranging from local hospitality venues to multinational fashion retailers on a wide variety of issues, including clearance, licensing, brand protection, digital media issues and DMCA compliance, and right of publicity. She has represented the global trademark portfolios of multinational corporations in connection with international and domestic trademark prosecution, enforcement and litigation. She also assists her clients with licensing and other IP transactions.

Margaret is actively involved in pro bono work. She has counseled individual musicians and artists, as well as nonprofit media companies, on a variety of legal and compliance issues.

Kayla Wieche Associate Technology Transactions, Technology Companies Group

New York

Kayla Wieche is an associate in the Technology Transactions practice at Orrick and a member of Orrick's Technology Companies Group.

Elizabeth Williams Associate Asset Backed Securities, Financial & Structured Products

New York

Elizabeth Williams, an associate in the New York office, is a member of the Structured Finance Group. Elizabeth represents a variety of market participants, including sponsors, issuers and underwriters, in public and private offerings of various asset-backed securities.

Elizabeth has experience with a number of different asset classes, including credit card receivables, auto loan receivables, municipal bonds and commercial mortgages.

Elizabeth was a summer associate in the firm's New York office in 2017.

Neil Wolk Partner Public Finance, Restructuring

New York

Neil Wolk, a New York public finance partner, is a member of the firm’s Public Finance Department. He has extensive experience in the areas of municipal and corporate finance with particular expertise in financing transactions for public power entities and rural electric cooperatives.

Neil has spent the bulk of his career working on both tax-exempt and taxable financings for public power clients including joint action agencies, municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. He has had many roles in these financings including bond counsel, counsel to the underwriters and counsel to credit enhancers.
Over his career, Neil has worked on financings for joint action agencies and municipal utilities such as Gainesville (Florida) Regional Utilities, Intermountain Power Agency, JEA, Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and WPPI Energy. The transactions in which Neil has participated have included public offerings, private placements, system and project financings, tax-exempt and taxable financings, secured and unsecured debt, senior and subordinated debt, fixed rate and variable rate debt and derivatives and he has had extensive experience in drafting documents for all of these types of financings. In addition, he has considerable experience with all types of disclosure issues encountered by electric utilities.
Neil also has been involved in a number of transactions involving the acquisition of utility companies and/or utility properties.
Recently, Neil represented MEAG Power in the financing of its undivided ownership interest in the first new nuclear generating facilities constructed on U.S. soil in over 30 years, which involved both taxable and tax-exempt capital markets debt, along with U.S. Department of Energy-guaranteed debt, and which was selected by The Financial Times as one of the most Innovative Deals of 2011.
Before joining Orrick, Neil was a partner at Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon in New York.

Briggs M. Wright Managing Associate Intellectual Property

New York

Briggs Wright is an associate in the New York office and a member of the Intellectual Property Group. His practice focuses on trademark litigation, counseling and prosecution, as well as copyright and patent law. 

With experience in federal court and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and the United States International Trade Commission, Briggs is involved in every aspect of high stakes litigation running the entire gamut of intellectual property rights.  He also secures and protects companies' portfolios across a variety of business sectors. 

He has also been active in Orrick's pro bono practice, representing clients in copyright and contract issues relating to the production of a documentary film, various trademark disputes representing non-profit entities, and trademark counseling and prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

During law school, he was Senior Editor for the Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law.

Jeff Zhang Partner Corporate, M&A and Private Equity

Beijing; New York

Jinsong (Jeff) Zhang is a partner of the M&A and Private Equity Group, splitting his time between Orrick’s Beijing and New York offices. Jeff represents Chinese and international clients from multiple industries, including financial institutions, Fintech, technology, health care and real estate, in a broad range of M&A, capital markets, corporate governance, regulatory and compliance matters.

Jeff is deeply experienced in representing both Chinese and international companies in cross-border public and private M&A, tender offers, privatizations, spin-offs and joint ventures.

He has a particular focus on advising Chinese companies (state-owned or private) and financial institutions on their outbound investments, regulatory and compliance matters in the United States. His clients cover a wide range of industries, including financial institutions, Fintech, technology, healthcare and real estate.

In addition, Jeff advises Chinese companies on international capital markets transactions, including SEC-registered offerings, private placements pursuant to Rule 144A, and listings in Hong Kong and the United States.

Having practiced for more than a decade in New York, and having served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of CITIC Securities USA, a SEC/FINRA-registered broker-dealer arm of China’s largest full-service investment bank, Jeff offers Chinese clients a unique perspective when advising on U.S. transactional and compliance matters.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jeff was a partner at King & Wood Mallesons in New York. Before his in-house position at CITIC Securities USA, he practiced at two leading global law firms in New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai for many years.

Jeff also serves as a member of the Duke Law School International Advisory Board and the legal counsel to the Chinese Finance Association.

Elisa Zheng Associate Asset Backed Securities, Structured Finance

New York

Elisa Zheng is a member of the Structured Finance Group in Orrick’s New York office.

Elisa represents investment banks, asset managers and issuers in matters involving collateralized loan obligations, securitizations and other structured financial products.

Shasha Y. Zou Senior Associate

New York

Shasha Y. Zou is a litigation managing associate in the New York office. Her practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including in matters involving intellectual property, commercial contracts, and securities.

Shasha's engagements include representing a major biotechnology company in an ICC arbitration proceeding and related proceedings in federal district court in connection with allegations of patent infringement. She also has recently represented a major software company in a jury trial over copyright infringement of source code and defended a satellite service provider in a bench trial against billion-dollar claims brought by the Department of Justice and four state Attorneys Generals related to its telemarketing practices.

Shasha takes an active role in Orrick's pro bono program. She has worked on asylum applications and also obtained a successful settlement on behalf of a client in the Southern District of New York in a copyright matter after the court granted summary judgment on the issue of copyright ownership.