Los Angeles
Jade is recognized nationally and globally by Chambers USA. Clients describe her as a “trusted advisor” and as being “smart, easy to work with and commercially - minded.”
She has worked on a broad range of financing structures, including fixed and variable rate, tax-exempt and taxable, letter of credit and liquidity supported bonds, tenders, exchanges, senior/subordinate, project finance, direct purchases, and 144A and Section 4(a)(2) offerings.
Some of Jade’s notable clients include the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Port of Los Angeles, and The Broad, as well as some of the most active underwriters in the market.
She has recently been recognized by Bloomberg Law’s They’ve Got Next: 40 Under 40, as well as a Rising Star by The Bond Buyer and as one of the Women of Influence by The Los Angeles Business Journal. She is also actively involved in community development, serving on the board of directors of GRID110, a nonprofit focused on supporting early-stage entrepreneurs in Los Angeles.
Previously, Jade served as legal counsel to the California State Treasurer’s office.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Joshua has closed over 150 financing transactions aggregating tens of billions for state and local government capital programs, nonprofit capital projects, energy production and transmission facilities, airport systems, healthcare systems, surface transportation systems, water systems and affordable multifamily rental housing projects, among others. He regularly serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, disclosure counsel, and borrower’s counsel and has experience with all the major financing products available in the market. His expertise includes tax-exempt and taxable financings, commercial paper, credit and liquidity-enhanced transactions, fixed, variable, and multi-modal debt, senior and subordinate structures, as well as tenders, exchanges, conversions and reofferings. Joshua also works closely with our Band 1-ranked (Chambers USA) infrastructure group and is experienced in alternative delivery and public-private partnership (P3) transactions across various segments of the infrastructure sector.
New York
Having long represented issuers of asset backed securities and drawing on that experience, today, in addition to issuer representation, Leah’s practice includes a significant focus on investor-side representation. Leah represents both issuers and investors in complex deals of first impression and brings a unique, creative approach to securitization transactions, with deal execution as top priority.
Leah and her team have pioneered proved developed producing (PDP) oil & gas wellbore securitizations, acting as investor counsel on substantially all of the transactions that have been executed in the market to date. Also a pioneer of the C-PACE market, Leah regularly advises the top C-PACE issuers in both 144A and 4(a)(2) transactions, including Greenwork Lending’s first Rule 144A Commercial PACE securitization which was recognized as the 2022 Esoteric ABS Deal of the Year by GlobalCapital. Leah also advises on novel IP securitizations related to musical composition, sound recording copyrights, television and other royalties. Most recently, Leah represented the investors in the groundbreaking securitization by Syco Entertainment of intellectual property in the “Got Talent” franchise.
Leah’s experience further extends to a wide variety of other esoteric assets, including tax liens, diamond receivables, participations, tax credits, solar and wind ground leases and whole business operating company securitizations.
Recognized in Band 1 of Chambers USA Nationwide Securitization: PACE, Leah is described by clients as “one of the best lawyers that I have worked with” and someone who “fights tooth and nail for her clients.” Resources for the Legal 500 USA directory have called Leah “the best there is in esoteric financing products and bonds,” and note they are “incredibly impressed with the gender diversity on the team. Extremely ethical – name carries a lot of weight with investors.”
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)
Benjamin uses a process-driven approach and machine learning technology to review contracts, amendments, company charters, board and shareholder materials, corporate filings, investor materials, and related documents to prepare detailed analyses for a variety of client needs. Examples of this work include due diligence matrices tracking red flag provisions; corporate audits identifying potential issues for acquisitions, sales, or flips; financing packages; and drafting documents. He also assists privacy and data security teams to manage privacy law programs, including drafting privacy policies and data subject request protocols, coordinating personal data inventory reviews, and reviewing data privacy agreements.
Prior to joining Orrick, Benjamin worked as a Corporate and Discovery Attorney for WilmerHale.
San Francisco
Jason advises both public and private companies on compensation and benefits issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions, including pre-signing negotiations, executive and equity compensation and post-closing employee integration issues. Jason assists companies with compensation and benefit issues that arise with respect to their initial public offerings.
Jason's practice also focuses on counseling clients on all aspects of employee benefits related to the design, implementation, operation and any related fiduciary obligations with respect to tax-qualified retirement plans, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans, nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements with a particular focus on Code Section 409A compliance and employee welfare benefit plans, including compliance with HIPAA, COBRA and other health laws.
Prior to attending law school, Jason served as a Sergeant in the United States Army.
New York
Dennisse represents investors, issuers, underwriters, and other market participants across a broad spectrum of securitization and structured finance transactions. She has experience with a wide variety of asset classes, including commercial PACE liens, credit and charge card receivables, PDP oil and gas wellbore interests, and student loans.
Washington, D.C.
Before joining Orrick, Brenna clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Prior to clerking, Brenna was an associate at Covington & Burling LLP, where she focused on litigation and investigations.
Brenna graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, magna cum laude, and was elected to Order of the Coif. During law school, Brenna served as the Managing Online Editor for the Michigan Journal of Law Reform, a research assistant to Professor Nina Mendelson, and a student-attorney for the International Refugee Assistance Project and Criminal Appellate Practice Clinic.
San Francisco
San Francisco
Prioritizing the importance of client relationships and formulating viable solutions tailored to each client’s unique strategic goals, Rich works extensively in the healthcare, energy prepay and public utilities and affordable housing housing sectors. He serves as the lead tax attorney on dozens of transactions each year. This substantial deal volume has given Rich experience with myriad complex and unique tax issues associated with such transactions and allows him to provide clients with practical guidance and market-tested advice.
Healthcare: Rich has focused on healthcare transactions for over two decades. Clients range from large systems such as Kaiser and Sutter to single-site hospitals. Deals include multibillion green bond deals to finance environmentally friendly improvements, complex acquisition financing deals, workout deals for financially distressed systems, smaller equipment financing deals, and everything between.
Energy Prepay and Public Utilities: Rich has served as tax counsel on many gas and electricity prepayment transactions for clients which include Black Belt Energy District and Southeast Energy Authority. Rich has worked with the Bonneville Power Administration and a California Electric Utility Company for over 20 years on a range of financing programs primarily aimed at financing and refinancing Bonneville’s nuclear generating resource and the California Electric Utility Company's generation, distribution, and transmission facilities. In addition, Rich has an extensive history working on deals for the San Diego County Water Authority and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
Affordable Housing: Rich focuses on the tax-exempt financing of all types of housing projects, including 100% affordable projects that combine tax-exempt bonds with low-income housing tax credits, workforce housing projects that cater to middle income tenants, and mixed income housing.
Aside from transactional work, Rich is also an advocate, representing governmental issuers, conduit borrowers, and investment banks in IRS and other regulatory proceedings, including tax-exempt bond audits, voluntary closing agreement program (VCAP) requests, and requests for private letter rulings. Rich has successfully closed IRS examinations relating to multifamily housing, healthcare, solid waste, and arbitrage matters. He has been involved in numerous regulatory and legislative projects and has found that a strong working relationship with IRS and Treasury Department personnel facilitates obtaining good results.
Rich served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) from 2011 to 2021 and, in 2019-20, was President of NABL. Rich has written and lectured extensively on the tax aspects of public finance transactions, having served as editor of the Federal Taxation of Municipal Bonds Deskbook, chaired the National Association of Bond Lawyers Bond Attorneys Workshop, and served on several other panels at industry seminars and roundtables. Rich became a fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel in 2018.
San Francisco; Sacramento
San Francisco; Sacramento
Justin's practice is focused primarily in the following areas:
Justin is on the Board of Directors of the California Housing Consortium and is a past Chairman of the Bond Buyer's California Public Finance Conference. He speaks frequently at conferences and other industry events.
Justin is known in the affordable housing community in particular for being a solution-oriented lawyer who understands the business fundamentals of affordable housing and real estate finance as well as being fully versed in the applicable laws and regulations. He frequently collaborates with developers and other participants in the development of new financial structures and products designed to lower overall financing costs for housing providers and thereby increase both the supply and quality of available affordable housing.
San Francisco
San Francisco
Nathan represents and advises the firm on all issues regarding claims and is responsible for managing the firm’s complex litigation strategies. He retains and supervises outside defense counsel, coordinates coverage and related issues with the firm’s insurance carriers, and ensures the effective and efficient defense of claims against the firm. Nathan is also a member of Orrick’s Risk Management Committee, responsible for promoting risk awareness and prevention through risk management training, internal firm publications, and risk management audits.
Prior to taking on his current role, Nathan was a member of Orrick's Complex Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. With over two decades of litigation and trial experience, Nathan has practiced before state and federal courts and has arbitrated matters before The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the International Center for Dispute Resolution.
Nathan joined Orrick as a summer associate in 2001. In 2007, he took a brief leave of absence to work as a prosecutor in the San Francisco County District Attorney’s Office.
San Francisco; Silicon Valley
Recognized as a leader in Securities Litigation by Chambers USA, clients praise Jim as, “a spectacular relationship manager” and tell the publication, “Jim is one of the first people I will call to think through an issue. I would use him for any securities matters.” Jim is also regularly featured among Benchmark Litigation’s list of the nation’s Leading Litigators.
Jim is a frequent lecturer on securities and class action litigation and an editor for the Securities Reform Act Litigation Reporter. Jim is past chair of the Embarcadero YMCA Board of Managers and remains active in YMCA philanthropy. In his spare time, he enjoys time with his family and is a recreational long course triathlete.
San Francisco
Cathy also engages in complex commercial litigation including employee mobility, breach of contract, and fraud cases. Her matters are often high-profile and industry-changing. Cathy's practice also includes trade secrets investigations as well as counseling on joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, third-party vendor relationships, and emerging technology to help minimize the risk to companies. Cathy has significant experience in actions arising from the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), which created the first federal civil misappropriation of trade secrets claim in May 2016. Cathy has helped shape DTSA law on behalf of her clients through her involvement in some of the earliest DTSA litigation. Many of her trade secrets cases involve parallel criminal proceedings.
For her achievements, Legal 500 recognized Cathy as a "Leading Lawyer" in trade secrets in 2024 and 2025. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association also honored Cathy as a 2019 Best Lawyer Under 40. This annual list recognizes individuals within the APA community who have achieved prominence or distinction in their field and demonstrated a strong commitment to the APA community or civic affairs.
Cathy also regularly speaks and writes about trade secrets issues. She previously served as the Co-Vice Chair of the Trade Secrets Interest Group of the California Lawyers Association's (formerly of the California State Bar) Intellectual Property Section and she writes an annual column about trade secret hot topics in the CLA's "New Matter" publication.
Cathy is very active within the firm and her community. Cathy previously served as the Hiring Partner for the San Francisco office. Orrick selected Cathy to serve as the firm's 2020 Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and Cathy previously served as the Co-Chair of the Asian American Bar Association's Judiciary Committee, which is focused on increasing representation on the bench.
Cathy also maintains an active pro bono practice. Cathy's dedication to pro bono service was demonstrated by her work in an asylum merits hearing representing a Salvadoran religious activist persecuted by gangs in El Salvador. For her work on this matter, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights honored Cathy with the Father Cuchulain Moriarity Award. In addition, the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco recognized Cathy as an Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service in 2014 through 2020 for her work with helping homeless clients remove outstanding warrants barring them from access to housing and employment.