People

Christopher Perry Senior Associate

London

With a significant investor-side practice, Chris has extensive experience advising market leading investors including Kinnevik, VNV, VEF, Amadeus, Coatue, Paypal, Updata, Lightrock, Sony Innovation Fund and Salesforce Ventures with a focus on UK, pan-European and US centred transactions along with a growing practice in emerging markets.

Chris has represented a wide variety of companies at all stages of the growth lifecycle, ranging from early-stage startups to unicorn companies. 

Chris regularly works on complex cross-border transactions and is familiar with a wide variety of transaction structures including tranched financings and ratchets. In addition to equity financing rounds, Chris advises clients on other corporate transactions including bridge financings, secondary transactions, venture debt, cross-border flip transactions and group reorganisations.

As part of a market leading team, Chris works with his colleagues to provide the full breadth of legal services to technology companies including commercial and customer agreements, intellectual property and employment arrangements.

Prior to joining Orrick, Chris trained and worked at a major international law firm where he advised on several large M&A transactions as well as a number of private equity and venture capital investments.

Jessica S. Pers Counsel

San Francisco

Jessica has handled both jury and non-jury trials and injunction proceedings in federal and state courts and has extensive experience in extraordinary writ practice and appeals before California and federal courts.

Additionally, she has advised clients in the computer industry and various manufacturing and service fields on trademark, copyright and antitrust issues, including issues relating to domain name use on the Internet. She has handled cases for major franchisers in the automotive service and home health care industries as well as state and federal antitrust actions against Microsoft and many television and movie studios. Recently, Jessica has had primary responsibility for large consumer class actions settlements arising from antitrust litigation against Microsoft.

Before joining Orrick, Jessica was a shareholder at Heller Ehrman LLP. She was Managing Partner of that firm from 1992 to 1995 and Chair of the Promotion Evaluation Committee from 2001 to 2007.

Jeremy Peterman Senior Associate, Currently on a Racial Justice Fellowship

Seattle

Jeremy represents clients from a wide range of industries in high stakes appeals across numerous subject areas. He has helped major tech companies, biomedical manufacturers, universities, and state governments successfully resolve appeals with novel issues involving intellectual property, employment law, administrative law, class actions, criminal law, sovereign immunity, and securities law.

Jeremy is especially experienced in intellectual property appeals where he employs his generalist background to simplify complex technology for generalist judges. He helped develop the successful appellate strategy in what legal observers have dubbed “The World Series of Copyright Suits.” He also draws from his administrative law background to develop novel strategies for clients to challenge the PTO’s administration of the inter partes review process.

Jeremy has authored merits briefs, cert. petitions, and briefs in opposition in the U.S. Supreme Court, dozens of briefs in both federal and state courts of appeals, and dispositive motions in trial courts. He also maintains an active pro bono practice.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jeremy served as a law clerk to Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and to Judge David Hamilton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Kristin Petersen Of Counsel

Washington, D.C.

She also counsels clients on antitrust-related topics throughout the deal process, including providing guidance on pre-closing diligence, information sharing, and planning.

Additionally, Kristin’s experience includes consideration of foreign merger control filing requirements, preparing responses to government-issued requests for information and advising more generally on antitrust compliance considerations and policies.

Cody Peterson Partner

Los Angeles; Santa Monica

Cody works with founders at every stage, from early formation to financing rounds, acquisitions, and IPOs. He has a particular focus on first-time founders navigating the complexities of startup life, helping them make informed decisions without getting lost in legal jargon.

Before becoming a lawyer, Cody was the COO of a health and fitness e-commerce startup in Las Vegas. That entrepreneurial experience shaped his approach—he brings a “nothing is impossible” mindset and a deep understanding that legal matters are just one piece of the puzzle for founders. His advice is always practical, actionable, and tailored to the realities of running a fast-moving business.

Cody represents both startups and venture funds across industries including e-commerce, fintech, climatetech, future of work, edtech, life sciences, and biotech. He also leverages Orrick’s deep industry focuses and innovative legal tools to help high-growth companies navigate financings, IPOs, and M&A transactions.

An active member of the LA startup community, Cody regularly mentors and coaches founders, including participants in the Plug In Accelerator, a program supporting Black and Latinx early-stage entrepreneurs.

Cody earned his law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College. Before joining Orrick, he was a partner and co-founder of Gunderson Dettmer’s Los Angeles office.

Martina Pfaffinger Senior Associate

Munich

She has particular experience in representing Asian clients from the automotive sector in DIS arbitration proceedings. Clients benefit from her background as corporate / M&A lawyer and her experience with shareholder disputes, management liability cases, post-M&A disputes and other contentious commercial matters. As a trained business mediator, Martina also advises clients on the extrajudicial settlement of conflicts and the avoidance of disputes at an early stage when negotiating and drafting contracts.

Prior to joining Orrick, Martina worked at the Munich office of a leading U.S. law firm and the Munich / New York City offices of a renowned German law firm.

Martina currently writes her doctoral thesis on a subject relating to management liability.

Kyle Pham Managing Associate

Washington, D.C.

Kyle's practice targets the novel issues posed by the intersection of business, technology, and media. Leveraging his entrepreneurial background, he strategically advocates for clients with their specific business concerns in mind. With a focus on advertising and technology, Kyle has experience handling every stage of a lawsuit. He also provides counsel regarding brand protection, helping clients enforce trademarks and assess copyright risks.

As a litigator, Kyle has represented plaintiffs and defendants within multiple jurisdictions. He has litigated claims in state and federal courts, in arbitration, and before the International Trade Commission. Outside the courtroom, Kyle actively advises emerging companies and larger corporations across various industries on how to develop and protect intellectual property. His experience includes trademark prosecution, licensing, domestic industry, and contract disputes.

Kyle also maintains a robust pro bono practice, which includes drafting contracts and negotiating settlements for creative enterprises. Before joining Orrick, he interned at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Pro Bono Institute. While attending the University of Michigan Law School, Kyle represented Detroit-based entrepreneurs at the Community Enterprise Clinic and served as an editor for the Michigan Journal of Race and Law.

Erin Pham Of Counsel

San Francisco

Erin's practice focuses on water, wastewater, public power, solid waste, airport and port financings, primarily in California and the territory of Guam. In addition, Erin has experience working on complex public-private-partnership (P3) transactions.

Erin also serves on the Board of Directors of the Asian Americans in Public Finance.

Renee Phillips Partner

New York

Renee has successfully defended employers in federal and state court litigations as well as administrative proceedings and arbitrations involving claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, whistleblowing, trade secret misappropriation and other employment-related claims. She regularly counsels employers on a variety of employment-related issues and assists clients in creating and implementing human resources policies, whistleblower policies, negotiating and drafting executive contracts, restrictive covenants and other employment agreements, and conducting internal investigations.

Renee is the co-author of the PLI treatise, Corporate Whistleblowing in the Sarbanes-Oxley/Dodd-Frank Era. She regularly writes and speaks on whistleblower and other employment topics.

Jeffrey Philp Partner

New York

Gregoire Piat Senior Associate

Paris

Grégoire advises French and international companies on litigation matters.

Prior to joining Orrick, Grégoire was an associate at Fieldfisher in Paris.Grégoire also worked as an intern in various law firms as Kalliopé and White & Case in Paris as well as in the Paris Court of Appeal and at the legal department of CACEIS Bank in Luxembourg.

Michelle Pichardo Managing Associate

Houston

Michelle focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, project development and general corporate matters for clients in the oil and gas and renewable energy industries.