New York
He has practiced in the area of public finance for more than 15 years, serving as bond counsel, underwriters’ counsel and borrower counsel in various revenue bond financings, including those related to public power, sewer and storm water, tobacco, higher education, student loans, hospitals and multi-family and single-family housing. He is also bond counsel to various issuers relating to their commercial paper programs.
New York
As a Climate Advisor at Orrick, Avani is a key member of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Group. She provides non-legal advice to clients on their climate-related governance, strategy, risk management, and relevant targets and metrics, as well as the identification of relevant ESG issues for a range of companies, the collection and analysis of key climate- and ESG- performance metrics, the preparation of climate- and ESG-related disclosures, and research and writing on emerging climate and ESG trends. She also advises and assists clients in conducting greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) inventories, including identifying emissions boundaries and material categories of Scope 3 GHG emissions.
Prior to joining Orrick, Avani worked as a Corporate Sustainability and Climate Change (CS&CC) Manager at ERM (2021-2023) and as an Air Quality/Sustainability Senior Consultant at Ramboll U.S. Corporation (2012-2021). At both these consulting firms she worked on a variety of air quality and GHG compliance, permitting, and reporting projects, along with ESG due diligence using International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards and Equator Principles. Avani has developed GHG inventories and evaluation of GHG mitigation strategies for a variety of sectors, including city/county municipalities, corporations, airports and seaports, logistical warehouses, and oil and gas facilities.
She has managed and developed Climate Change and Sustainability Reports and Plans, Energy Conservation Plans, and Corporate Social Responsibility Reports, using reporting frameworks such as GHG Protocol, Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), CDP, and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Avani has robust expertise with GHG analysis and reporting, strategy development, policy and regulatory review, and peer benchmarking, for projects located both within the United States and internationally.
Avani has a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (2011) and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, India (2007).
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.
Washington, D.C.; Houston
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:
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.
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.
Silicon Valley; Los Angeles
Silicon Valley; Los Angeles
Robert is a technology litigator and trial lawyer focused on software, security technology, and emerging internet law and digital crimes issues. Robert has helped establish landmark precedent under the Copyright Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, California Penal Code 502, and Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and he has successfully tried multiple cases to verdict, including under the Patent Act. In addition to litigation work, Robert also counsels companies ranging from market leaders to start-ups on issues related to intellectual property, security, and incident response. Robert brings a creative, business-oriented approach to helping clients develop, acquire, and protect their most important assets.
Robert is committed to improving diversity in the legal profession. He co-chaired Orrick's Silicon Valley Diversity Committee for many years and is one of the firm-wide facilitators for Orrick’s Latinx Inclusion Network. Robert is also committed to pro bono work. He received Orrick's Pro Bono Award in 2019 and the Legal Aid Association of California's 2015 Family Law Pro Bono Award. Robert currently serves as a member the board of directors for the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society.
Robert served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger in the Eastern District of California prior to commencing private practice.
Los Angeles
Geoff's experience litigating and advising clients covers a range of substantive areas. He especially focuses on complex issues of constitutional law and civil procedure. He is passionate about partnering with public defenders and using his appellate experience to help death sentenced prisoners.
Geoff received his law degree from Yale Law School. Before joining Orrick, he clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Geoff previously graduated from Yale College and earned a doctoral degree from Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.
Milan
She is Managing Associate in Orrick's Milan office and a member of the firm's M&A and Private Equity Group.
Roberta's expertise extends to assisting both Italian and international companies on M&A transactions for domestic and global growth, as well as advising private equity funds on their investments. She also provides counsel to Italian families in strategic operations involving private equity funds and transactions aimed at expanding their businesses. In addition to her transactional work, Roberta offers general corporate expertise, guiding clients through various corporate governance and commercial law matters.
Roberta has advised on acquisitions in the healthcare sector, including the purchase of medical centers and diagnostic facilities, as well as transactions in the industrial sector. Her experience includes assisting clients in the acquisition of companies specializing in energy efficiency and decarbonization solutions, as well as advising on the sale and purchase of manufacturing and industrial assets.
New York
In his previous role at Orrick, Dick was a partner in the New York office, and a member of the Securities Litigation, Investigations and Enforcement Group. His practice focused on accountants’ liability, securities and commercial litigation, as well as arbitration and international and domestic white-collar criminal law. Dick is now Senior Counsel at Orrick, and while he continues to contribute to the work of those groups, his primary focus is on assisting our pro bono client, the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Dick has been involved in litigation in the state and federal courts of the United States, Europe, Asia and the Americas for more than 40 years. From June 1987 to August 1990, Dick served as Special Representative of the Attorney General, located at the United States Embassy in Rome, Italy. There he represented the Department of Justice in Europe and handled extradition and mutual assistance matters throughout Europe and North Africa, among other duties. In August, 1990, Dick’s contributions to the Administration of Justice in Italy were recognized when he was named “Commendatore al Merito della Republica Italiana”, the Italian Legion of Honor.
Prior to transferring to Rome, Dick served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, from January 1980 to June 1987. Dick received numerous commendations for his work in the United States Attorney’s Office, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Justice for his leadership role in the case known as the “Pizza Connection”. Dick has been fluent in Italian since he was awarded an AFS scholarship for the school-year program in Naples, Italy, where he attended Liceo Classico.
Washington, D.C.
Pat also has experience in the applicability of foreign premerger requirements and filings with regulators in the European Union, Asia and Canada.
Pat served as antitrust counsel to two large industry groups establishing Business to Business exchanges for E-commerce transactions. She currently serves as general counsel to five large trade associations in a wide range of industries. In addition, Pat works with trade groups to set up and run joint purchasing organizations.
Prior to joining the firm, Pat practiced antitrust law for over a decade with Pillsbury Madison & Sutro.
In addition to being admitted in the District of Columbia, Pat is also admitted in California (inactive).
London
Uniquely positioned as a business advisor within Orrick, Raph drives opportunities for clients throughout the technology sector across Europe and Great Britain.
Raph supports existing clients & assisting in identifying new opportunities, drive execution on expanding client relationships. He is also tasked with raising the firm’s profile in key markets, sectors and practices. Prior to joining Orrick, Raph served as Business Development Partner with C4 Ventures, in charge of Fundraising and LP relationships. He also founded & managed the Startupbootcamp IoT Program, which invested in more than 30 early-stage companies. Until 2011, Raph occupied various responsibilities at a leading tech company (U.S.) , closing with the role of Head for iPhone & iPad in Business for Europe based out of London.
An international keynote speaker with a background in sales, marketing & strategic business development, Raph also serves in advisory roles for various companies:
Washington, D.C.
As FBI Deputy General Counsel, Tom oversaw the Bureau’s nationwide civil litigation docket, including employment disputes, Freedom of Information Act cases, Constitutional tort suits, and an array of matters implicating law enforcement and national security equities. He supervised more than one hundred Office of General Counsel personnel, and advised the FBI’s Director, Deputy Director and other executive management officials regarding especially sensitive litigation issues.
Prior to serving at the FBI, Tom spent 25 years with the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Appellate Staff, as an appellate litigator and supervisor. In that capacity, he oversaw the court of appeals and Supreme Court work of the Appellate staff’s attorneys across the full range of U.S. government subject areas, including Constitutional issues, anti-terrorism and national security, Federal Tort Claims Act, False Claims Act, Bivens, personnel and federal labor relations, Freedom of Information Act, administrative law, attorney fees, and government benefits. Tom personally briefed and orally argued more than one hundred cases in all of the federal courts of appeals and several state appellate courts, and drafted dozens of U.S. Supreme Court merits briefs, amicus briefs, certiorari petitions, and oppositions to certiorari petitions. One of the principal architects of the Justice Department’s litigation strategy in high-stakes appeals, Tom was considered one of the agency’s go-to advocates.
Tom received the Justice Department’s John Marshall Award for outstanding appellate advocacy, as well as the Attorney General’s Award for furthering the interests of U.S. national security. He has served as an instructor at the Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute and is also an Adjunct Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law.
Before joining DOJ, Tom clerked for then-Judge (now retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice) Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.