People

Yufeng (Ethan) Ma Partner

Beijing; Chicago

In addition to specializing in complex IP litigation relating to patent infringement, ITC 337 investigations, trade secrets misappropriation and unfair competition, Ethan has extensive experience advising clients on IP administrative disputes and reexamination, IP strategies, IP due diligence, and IP aspects of strategic transactions, including licensing or transfer, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and collaborations. His clients cover a wide range of industries, including medical devices, hardwares, softwares, internet, semiconductors, electronics, telecommunications, AI, automobile, chemical, materials, energy, etc. His recent clients include Baidu, Tencent, SMIC, JD.com, Micro-Tech, Vivo, Coolpad, Anker, OnePlus, Govee, LANHE, Lovense, Zhejiang Rongpeng, Sansi Electronic Engineering, Yaham Optoelectronics, CreateLED Electronics, Howshow Technology, Huayi Mechanical and Electrical, INFiLED Electronics, Applied Materials, Synopsys, Coilcaft, Hecate, etc.

Over the years, Ethan has represented dozens of Chinese companies in resolving their IP disputes in the U.S. Ethan and his litigation teams won a number of high-profile ITC investigations involving Chinese companies and earned clients’ long-term trust. In one investigation (337-TA-623), his clients are four subsidiaries of a large state-owned company in China, who were sued for patent infringement. The Commission reversed the late Chief Administrative Law Judge’s unfavorable decision and found that Ethan’s clients were not infringing and did not violate Section 337. In another investigation (337-TA-655), he represented the complainant and its subsidiaries in China suing a group of Chinese respondents for trade secret misappropriation. The ITC issued a 10-year exclusion order against these respondents. This landmark decision represents a new development of trade secret law and ITC jurisdiction in the U.S., and was upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Since then, Ethan has won case after case on behalf of his clients. He is also committed to resolving disputes in the most cost-effective and timely way. “Ethan always tries to resolve matters for clients at the lowest cost possible,” said a client who won a case as he recommended Ethan to his peers.

For instance, in 2017, Ethan successfully defended Shenzhen Howshow Technology against Kent Displays, Inc. in an ITC 337 investigation (337-TA-1035) involving alleged infringement of patents relating to liquid crystal e-writers and components. Orrick secured a complete victory for the client by forcing the complainant to unconditionally withdraw after four months of active litigation. The case was named “Deal of the Year 2017 – Disputes and Investigations” by China Business Law Journal.

In another case, Ethan successfully defended Sansi Electronic Engineering, CreateLED Electronics, Yaham Optoelectronics. and other Chinese respondents against Ultravision Technologies in an ITC Section 337 investigation (337-TA-1114) filed on 27 March 2018 involving alleged infringement of patents relating to certain modular LED display panels and components. The complainant was forced to withdraw the complaint unconditionally during the expert discovery period in November 2018, which led to a final termination by the ITC on 21 February 2019.

Prior to joining Orrick, Ethan served as Director of IP, Asia of a world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, where he was in charge of the company’s daily IP matters in China and throughout Asia. Before that, he was a partner and member of the Board at McAndrews, Held & Malloy in Chicago, Illinois. Ethan was the first non-US born lawyer of that firm.

In the past 20 years, Ethan has been committed to building bridges and facilitating understanding between China and the US on IP protection and exchange. In addition to being a frequent speaker at various seminars and conferences in China and the US, Ethan regularly publishes articles and has been interviewed by numerous media. He served as a committee member of the Asian Legal Committee of Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) for many years.

Ethan is also actively involved in the “One Belt One Road” and “Going Out” initiatives led by the PRC government and non-profit organizations. He participated in Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce’s “Going Overseas Service Portal” project, and acts as an expert of Shenzhen Overseas IP Protection and Assistance Expert Pool, a special advisor to Wisdom IP - Overseas Intellectual Property Alliance (WIPA), Nanjing, Jiangsu, an expert in Nanjing Overseas IP Think Tank, Zehjiang Dongyang IP Think Tank, Shanghai International Economic and Trade IP Protection Overseas Expert Pool, and one of the first batch experts in Shanghai Overseas IP Disputes Resolution Expert Pool.

Kathleen Orr Managing Director

Washington, D.C.

Named as one of the Most Innovative Intrapreneurs by Financial Times in 2022, Kate leads efforts with clients and our lawyers to transform the way legal services are delivered through the trifecta of people, process, and technology.  Her work has contributed to Orrick being ranked among the top 10 firms for innovation by Financial Times for nine consecutive years - eight of them in the top three.

Kate also leads CaseStream, Orrick's homegrown litigation and transaction management system, which was recognized by Financial Times as a #1 most innovative New Product and Service.

Kate is a former litigator and represented commercial clients in complex litigation throughout the United States at Orrick. She remains active in numerous pro bono matters and was awarded the first annual Orrick Pro Bono Award. Kate also served as an adjunct professor of Legal Writing and Oral Advocacy at the University Maryland School of Law.

Jared Schwalb Career Associate

Silicon Valley

Jared's prior experience includes financial services and due diligence work at a global consulting firm. While in law school, Jared clerked for a boutique law firm in Silver Spring, MD, as well as completed internships with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, National Security Section and the Department of Justice's Tax Division, Financial Litigation Unit.

Pariya Ghafoori Managing Associate

Washington, D.C.

Pariya represents issuers, sponsors, underwriters, servicers, and other market participants in connection with securitizations and asset-backed securities, in public and private offerings.

Erica Montague Associate

Washington, D.C.

Erica has experience as general counsel representing special districts and developers, specifically assisting a variety of clients and developers with their real estate and land use needs, focusing on commercial and residential project development and related infrastructure and finance matters.

Parth Sagdeo Senior Associate

Silicon Valley

Parth’s practice combines his deep technical knowledge and his passion for zealous oral and written advocacy. With the benefit of his Master’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering, and engineering experience at leading software companies including Microsoft and Synopsys, Parth dives into the technical weeds and distills the issues on which a case will turn. Informed by his experiences clerking at the District of Delaware and the Federal Circuit, he understands how to convey complex technical and legal concepts in a way that persuades juries and judges.

Parth has experience at all stages of trial and appellate practice. His recent achievements include invalidating a patent claim for indefiniteness, obtaining dismissal of tortious-interference and unfair competition claims brought by a competitor against his client, and securing affirmance of an inter partes reexamination decision in an appeal he argued at the Federal Circuit.

Parth graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, where he led the submissions team for the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology and won the Irving Oberman Memorial Award for best student paper in intellectual property. Prior to law school, Parth used his technical background in computer engineering to write, prosecute, and challenge patents for clients like Apple, Becton-Dickinson, Pixar, and Visa.

Tristan Konstantin Allen Managing Associate

San Francisco

Tristan's practice focuses on the representation of public and privately-held companies in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, and other complex business litigation matters. He also maintains an active pro bono practice that includes criminal and civil rights matters.

Tristan graduated Order of the Coif from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. During law school, he externed for the Honorable Joseph C. Spero in the Northern District of California. Before law school, Tristan worked in investment banking.

Charnay Jones Managing Associate

Los Angeles

She drafts and negotiates documents for a range of commercial real estate matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, joint venture structuring, financing and development projects.

Charnay is also active in pro bono matters and spent a year as a Pro Bono Fellow with the global nonprofit Accion International, where she provided in-house counsel support and advised teams across the organization in a variety of legal matters.

Michelle (McGann) MacGregor Senior Strategist

Washington, D.C.

Before joining Orrick, Michelle gained broad experience working with elected leadership at the federal and state government levels. Most recently as Executive Director of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, Michelle was responsible for advancing the Committee’s objectives of providing financial support, leadership development, and strategic assistance to lawmakers nationwide. In her previous leadership positions at the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, Michelle reported directly to Senate and House leadership and was tasked with advancing their objectives by evaluating and managing the nexus of policy initiatives and political impact.

Michelle is a graduate of Amherst College, where she received a B.A. in Political Science.

Emily S. Tabatabai Partner

Washington, D.C.; Houston

Emily provides strategic counseling and advice on privacy, consumer protection and online safety matters to clients across industries, including retail, ecommerce, mobile apps, gaming, social media, advertising technology (adtech), financial services, education, business services and technology. She also represents clients subject to regulatory investigations, including before the FTC and States Attorneys General, Congressional committees and other regulatory agencies and groups.

Emily provides proactive compliance guidance, and regulatory investigation defense, on a variety of privacy and consumer protection laws, including:

• U.S. state privacy laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia and other states
• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
• Online safety laws for kids and teens, including California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AADC), Utah Social Media Regulation Act and others
• Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) and state unfair and deceptive acts and practices (UDAP) laws
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• California’s Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA), New York’s Education Law 2-d and other state student data privacy laws
• Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) and other biometric privacy laws
• Washington My Health My Data Act and other state health privacy laws
• Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA)
• Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR)
• Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA)

Emily is a frequent speaker on data privacy matters, with a particular focus on children’s privacy (COPPA), student data privacy and EdTech and online safety laws for kids and teens. She has been featured as an “Up and Coming” Privacy & Data Security attorney by Chambers USA and Chambers Global. Clients tell Chambers, “She’s been an excellent partner. She has a very good understanding of the practical realities of implementing privacy policies for large companies.” Citing her expertise in the field of educational privacy, student data and EdTech matters, Chambers reports that clients regard her as “very knowledgeable and truly an expert in this space,” with some saying, “On the student data side, she is unmatched,” and The Legal 500 notes that Emily “is the first port of call for child- and student-directed service providers for compliance advice with COPPA, SOPIPA and CalOPPA regulations.”

Emily also has an active consumer protection practice, focused on marketing and promotional issues. She counsels clients on advertisements and endorsements, retail sales and e-commerce, advertising substantiation, SMS and telemarketing, social media and online advertising.

Jason Warrington Managing Associate

Washington, D.C.

His practice focuses on project finance transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Stacy W. Harrison Partner

Los Angeles

Stacy represents numerous clients in consumer class actions and multi-district litigation involving products liability and unfair competition claims. She has represented several retailers in putative class actions asserting claims under California Business and Professions Code Section 17200 and the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act. Most recently, she was lead trial counsel for a consumer products company in which the plaintiff alleged that exposure to asbestos in the client’s products caused their mesothelioma; that settled favorably for the client shortly before opening statements. She also represented Naturex, Inc., a manufacturer of a Green Coffee Bean extract that was advertised on the Dr. Oz Show, in a putative class action alleging unfair competition and false advertising claims, which settled favorably for the client. She also successfully represented Johnson & Johnson in two putative class actions, one in the Southern District of California and the other in the complex court of the Los Angeles Superior Court, which alleged unfair competition and Proposition 65 violations.

Her work for clients in the commercial and residential real estate, banking, and financial services industries focuses on partnership disputes and representing secured creditors in judicial and non-judicial foreclosure actions and bankruptcy proceedings. She has represented numerous real estate developers and property owners, including Ronald A. Simms and the Simms/Mann Institute for Education and Community Development in connection with various disputes. She also has represented financial institutions in bankruptcy proceedings, including adversary proceedings, regarding priority lien disputes and other business issues.

Stacy also represents several energy companies in connection with investigations by and hearings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

In addition, she has represented numerous producers and high-profile artists and talent in accounting and profit-participation, licensing, and other disputes involving the television and motion picture industries. This included a film production company, defeating a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit filed by an individual claiming to have co-written screenplay; well-known artists prosecuting a copyright infringement and right to publicity action for defendants' improper use of performance sound recordings; and a film financier regarding investments in several independent films.

Stacy regularly presents at on-line webinars on a variety of topics affecting litigators worldwide.

While she is always prepared to try any case, Stacy firmly believes that resolution of certain matters outside of court sometimes are in the best interests of her client. As such, she is highly skilled in representing clients in alternative dispute resolution through mediations and arbitrations and was elected an Alternative Dispute Resolution Neutral for the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2006.

In keeping with her commitment to philanthropy, Stacy currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library and the Board of the Jewish Graduate Students Initiative.