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506 items matching filters

420189

Practice:

  • Technology Companies Group
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Fintech
  • Technology & Innovation

Rachel Leigh Senior Associate

London

Rachel is known for her work with early-stage and high-growth technology companies, partnering closely with founders to support their financing needs. Rachel helps businesses scale by connecting them with specialist expertise within the firm, including intellectual property and employment law.

Rachel also represents corporate acquirers in acquisitions and joint ventures, and advises growth companies on bolt-on acquisitions and exit strategies. Her experience includes working with both trade acquirers and private equity houses.

Rachel’s clients include notable companies such as Butternut Box and Inforcer, whom she advises on financing and general corporate matters.

385894

Practice:

  • Technology Companies Group
  • Mergers & Acquisitions

Carsten Bernauer Partner

Düsseldorf; Munich

A special focus is on the comprehensive support of start-up technology companies and their investors. In this context, he accompanies his clients through all stages of growth with the aim of providing fast and efficient support in the implementation of their growth plans and investment strategies.

His clients benefit from his extensive experience in structuring, managing and coordinating complex transactions, including all other advisors involved in the transaction. In international transactions, he has access to Orrick's comprehensive technology, private equity and venture capital platform.

Carsten Bernauer also advises on national and international corporate transactions, in particular in the field of technology, as well as on corporate restructurings.

After many years working for an American and an English commercial law firm, Carsten Bernauer joined Orrick's Düsseldorf office in 2019.

411563

Practice:

  • Technology Companies Group
  • Mergers & Acquisitions

Christopher Sprado, LL.M. (University of Virginia) Partner

Düsseldorf

Christopher has profound experience in advising multinational corporations and international investors on their most important transactions and strategic challenges. His clients particularly value his pragmatism and his ability to break complex issues down to the essentials and to find efficient solutions.

Prior to joining Orrick in 2021, Christopher worked at Linklaters LLP for more than 10 years. During such time, he had the opportunity to undertake client secondments at two large German-listed companies.

740

Practice:

  • White Collar, Investigations, Securities Litigation & Compliance
  • Internal Investigations
  • Securities Litigation, Class Actions and Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits
  • Trials
  • White Collar
  • Strategic Advisory & Government Enforcement (SAGE)

Amy Ross Chief Practice Officer Litigation and Litigation Counsel

San Francisco

As Chief Practice Officer of the Strategic Advisory & Government Enforcement Business Unit, which encompasses attorneys with litigation, regulatory, transactional and legislative policy backgrounds in 18 Orrick global markets, Amy advises on the strategic planning, operation and management of the Unit. Her responsibilities include oversight of the Unit's financial performance, advancement of the Unit’s strategic initiatives, business planning and execution.

Amy's practice focuses on the representation of public companies, directors and officers in securities class actions, SEC and DOJ investigations and enforcement actions and shareholder derivative actions. She has extensive experience in litigation involving compliance breaches of fiduciary duty and securities law violations, and she has conducted dozens of corporate investigations of all types all over the world. 

Amy has represented the following companies and/or individuals associated with the following companies: McKesson Corporation, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. and Olympus Corporation.
740

Practice:

  • Technology & Innovation Sector

Karen G. Johnson-McKewan Senior Counsel

San Francisco

Karen focuses on litigation that crosses the boundaries between traditional legal practices, and therefore requires inventive and strategic approaches. These solutions, tucked in the creases between law and industry, are why leading technology and Fortune 500 companies hire Karen to resolve their most complex litigation matters.

Over the past 36 years, Karen has first-chaired state and federal trials, and arbitrated more than a dozen disputes. She has managed intellectual property and commercial disputes for companies such as Oracle, NVIDIA, Netflix and VMWare.

In addition to her legal background, Karen’s relationship management skills give her clients a significant advantage. She knows how to pull together and lead the best team, from multiple disciplines within Orrick, and often involving multiple law firms. Able to unite what were, and will be, competing firms into a single powerful unit takes a special type of leadership, one which Karen has demonstrated time and again.

349281

Practice:

  • Technology & Innovation Sector
  • Technology Transactions
  • Strategic Advisory & Government Enforcement (SAGE)
  • Technology Companies Group

Ramin Tohidi Partner

Silicon Valley

Ramin helps clients maximize their intellectual property and technology portfolios in a variety of ways, including drafting, negotiating, and advising on development, production, supply, procurement, and other technology licensing arrangements. He represents both mature and emerging companies in a variety of industries, including in SaaS, software, AI, hardware, information technology, business process outsourcing, enterprise resource planning, and data intelligence.

Ramin also counsels companies in developing artificial intelligence (AI) policies and deploying AI tools, and he also advises clients on open-source licensing and intellectual property issues in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions.

According to Chambers USA, Ramin is “an excellent, practical, client- and business-oriented tech transactions attorney”, and “someone clients can work with as a tech expert, a business confidant and, of course, a legal expert." Chambers USA ranked him as an Up and Coming Partner, and Legal 500 ranks him as a Rising Star in 2021 and 2022 for Technology: Transactions.

SeoJung Park Partner

Silicon Valley

SeoJung brings experience advising U.S. and International private equity funds in all phases of their operations, including formation, acquisition, financing, restructuring and exiting portfolio investments. She also counsels private and public companies, banks, and financial institutions on the U.S. tax aspects of various financings, capital markets and other transactions.

740

Practice:

  • Technology & Innovation Sector
  • Employment Law & Litigation
  • Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation

Julie Totten Partner

Sacramento; San Francisco

In doing so, Julie closely collaborates with each client, gathering an in-depth understanding of their specific tensions, challenges and objectives. Legal 500 noted she “truly understands corporate politics and works with in-house counsel to understand the intersections of legal advice and business objectives.” Julie then draws upon nearly three decades of experience to guide clients towards the best possible resolution. Her client-focused approach is one of many reasons she was selected to lead Orrick’s global employment practice, which Chambers ranks as one of the country’s foremost practices and describes Julie as “a big thinker and a thought leader.”

Julie has experience defending both class actions and individual plaintiff cases. She has successfully defended clients in trial and arbitration and helps clients with all types of employment matters, including complex wage-and-hour class, collective and representative actions; pay equity and promotion cases; whistleblower retaliation actions, discrimination, harassment and retaliation litigation and trade secret and non-compete matters. She also guides clients through systemic government investigations and audits. Julie is proactive in helping clients avoid litigation by assisting them with the development of policies and practices designed to minimize exposure, including advice and counselling work in the areas of AI and DEI in selection and recruiting.

Julie is honored to be a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment and a member of the American Employment Law Council. She also served as a Council Member of the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section.

388098

Practice:

  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Private Equity
  • Energy & Infrastructure
  • Infrastructure

Marc Diab Maalouf Senior Associate

Paris

Marc advises investment funds, industrial groups, listed companies, and startups, both French and international, on all aspects of business law, particularly in the context of acquisitions, disposals, mergers, reorganizations, and strategic partnerships. 

He is particularly active in the infrastructure, renewable energy, and new technology sectors, both in France and internationally.

In 2025, the international guide Legal 500 EMEA named him in the Key Lawyer category in Private equity: LBO and commented "high-quality deliverables; clear, didactic communication; strong proposals; proactive" and "serious while being relaxed in interactions, appreciable in the execution phase under pressure".

449088

Practice:

  • Technology Companies Group
  • Technology & Innovation
  • Life Sciences & HealthTech
  • Mergers & Acquisitions

Josh Beser Partner

New York

As a partner in Orrick’s top 5 ranked Technology Companies Group, Josh Beser is the first call for high-growth company and venture investor clients. Focused on guiding startups from seed stage through late-stage financings and strategic exits, he brings the perspective of a former general counsel who has scaled e-commerce businesses from the inside. This includes helping Away, for whom he continues to serve as primary outside corporate counsel, raise over $200 million and achieve a $1.4 billion valuation.

Josh is particularly passionate about building high-growth companies in regulated environments, helping his clients synthesize a wide range of potential legal and regulatory issues to drive growth, product innovation, fundraising, expansion, and M&A, while navigating founder transitions and board dynamics.

In doing so, he draws on his Orrick colleagues' deep regulatory expertise across AI, digital health/healthtech, fintech, consumer and retail innovation, energy and infrastructure, gaming, space, life sciences and other verticals.

Josh works closely with founders, executives and boards in:

  • Digital Health and Health Tech – Partnering with Orrick’s healthtech regulatory team, Josh is primary outside counsel to digital health and healthtech startups at all stages, including telehealth platforms, AI/ML in diagnostics, and care delivery innovation.
  • Consumer Brands and Retail Innovation – As a former high-growth consumer brand General Counsel, Josh is uniquely positioned to understand and support high growth brands and the platforms supporting them across retail, logistics and fulfillment, such as Away, Studs, Skims, Blueland and Packsmith.
  • Fintech – Partnering with Orrick’s fintech and financial advisory team, Josh is primary outside counsel to high-growth fintech companies in areas such as consumer finance and embedded payments.

Josh also regularly advises leading VCs and strategic investors active in these markets.


“Working with Josh is different because it really feels like he has my back. I know I’m getting great, practical advice from someone who’s been there.”

— General Counsel, Late-stage consumer brand


Operator Insight. Founder-Focused.

Before joining Orrick, Josh served as General Counsel at two high-growth, late-stage startups where he built and led legal, compliance, people and operations functions. This hands-on experience gives him a deep understanding of startup dynamics and what it takes to scale responsibly.

He has served as a key leadership voice during periods of hypergrowth, board transitions, crisis response, and internal investigations — bringing valuable market-wide perspective and judgment to fast-moving situations.

  • Advised 25m Health on incubations, investments and strategic projects, including a joint venture in the consumer wellness/medical aesthetics space.
  • Advised Ataraxis AI, an AI-powered personalized medicine startup,since inception, including on its Series Seed and Series A financings and commercial and regulatory matters.
  • Provided product and corporate counsel to Alan Meds, a scaling telehealth company, including equity and debt financing matters.
  • Provided corporate counsel to SimpliFed, a scaling digital health company focused on virtual lactation consulting and women’s health.
  • Advised Misfits Market in growth financing and M&A matters.
  • Supported Crossbeam in its Series C financing and its merger with Reveal to build a cross-border go-to-market data platform.
  • Represented a late-stage fintech company on its role in the largest prepaid card program in the United States, as well as corporate and financing matters.
  • Represented Meadow, an education fintech, since inception, including in its Series Seed and Series A financings and commercial and regulatory matters.
  • Represented Studs in growth equity and debt financings and strategic growth initiatives.

Leadership & Community

Josh is active in New York’s tech and venture ecosystem as a mentor, panelist and investor. He is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from digital health innovation to scaling the legal function as a business driver.

740

Practice:

  • Energy & Infrastructure Sector
  • Energy & Infrastructure
  • Energy
  • Infrastructure
  • Renewable Energy
  • Wind Energy
  • Solar Energy
  • Mergers & Acquisitions

Victoria Boyne Partner

New York

Vicki negotiates project financings, procurement, acquisition and sale of energy and infrastructure projects. She quarterbacks complex mergers and acquisitions as well as project developments that require coordination with a host of different parties and advises on debt and equity financings for renewable and conventional energy projects. Well versed in public-private partnerships (PPP/P3) and securities offerings, Vicki guides clients through the legal and business challenges of large infrastructure projects.

Vicki is recognized nationally by Chambers USA, where clients state that she “is terrific to work with,” and she “always makes herself available and is extremely knowledgeable, intelligent and able to get the best out of everyone she works with.”

A distinctive aspect of Vicki’s practice is her dual focus in both the infrastructure and renewables sectors. She leverages this unique perspective in her client relationships with project developers, sponsors, issuers, lenders and governmental authorities.

Passionate about strategizing to get a project to completion, Vicki helps clients build consensus and find creative solutions with achievable outcomes. Whether it’s for the development of a major airport expansion, the equity or debt financing of a wind farm, or the acquisition of a geothermal facility portfolio, Vicki counsels clients on challenging issues and the broader process, providing commercial advice that considers all stakeholders involved.

1125

Practice:

  • Finance Sector
  • Tax

Richard Chirls Partner

New York

With more than 30 years of experience, Richard is widely recognized as one of the nation’s foremost authorities, having broad experience with tax exempt financings and related transactions involving governmental and not-for-profit entities.  His skill and stature in the public finance community was recognized by the National Association of Bond Lawyers’ highest award for his career of distinguished service in public finance. 

Richard focuses on new products, including the development of new and creative financing techniques for governments, non-profits and investment bankers. He regularly works on transactions throughout the country.  However, in his home office in New York City, he leads the relationship with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, serving as counsel on well over 100 transactions over a period of more than 20 years and has headed the tax work in connection with every financing of a cultural facility relating to museums and performing arts in New York City over this same period.  Richard has worked on the tax aspects of several of the largest and most complex public private partnership (P3) transactions in recent years.  He frequently acts as special tax counsel to issuers and underwriters of municipal finance issues.