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:
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
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.
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.
Houston; Austin
Houston; Austin
In public finance matters, Cathleen has served as bond counsel and special tax counsel for a variety of transactions, including health care facilities, multifamily housing, airport, ports, transit authorities, non-profit organizations, public utilities, hospitality projects, as well as tobacco revenue securitizations. In addition to tax-exempt financings, Cathleen also represents clients in IRS audits and non-profit corporation tax matters.
New York
She has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and borrower’s counsel for financings on behalf of school districts, municipalities, colleges and universities and housing projects.
Prior to joining Orrick, Leila practiced in a Chambers recognized public finance group at another firm.
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.
Houston
Matt's practice is centered on project development and mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) in the energy industry, with a particular focus on electric power and midstream projects. He regularly advises clients on the development, construction, operation, purchase and disposition of conventional power, renewable and midstream projects. His experience includes each stage, from early development, construction, offtake agreements, through commercial operation, financing, repowering and disposition. Matt also regularly represents clients in the development, structuring and construction of large natural gas pipeline, renewable and gas-fired power projects in Mexico.
Matt’s experience encompasses all manner of revenue and construction contracts; equipment supply and warranty agreements, long-term parts and services agreements; operating and maintenance agreements; electric interconnection and transmission agreements; fuel supply and transportation agreements; and ownership, joint venture and equity participation agreements.
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.
Washington, D.C.
Lauren has extensive experience advising clients on compliance with environmental and natural resources laws, including:
She represents clients in matters before federal, state and local agencies, including the U.S. EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public utilities commissions, state natural resources and environmental agencies and other resource protection authorities. She has advised clients on wind and transmission projects in areas of significant tribal interest, facilitating constructive tribal engagement and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Her work includes transactions, project development and permitting, litigation, agency proceedings and enforcement actions. She has advised on environmental and land use matters for projects representing tens of thousands of megawatts of capacity and billions in investment, including a new $1.7 billion 550-mile double circuit transmission line spanning 12 counties.
Prior to Orrick, she was Assistant General Counsel at Xcel Energy, serving as lead environmental counsel for their solar, wind, energy storage, electric generation and transmission projects; an enforcement attorney at the EPA; and an advisor to an independent oil and gas company on exploration, production and development. At the EPA, she enforced environmental laws and regulations and ensured state hazardous waste programs met federal requirements.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Lowell's practice centers on drafting and negotiating a wide range of documents related to renewable energy project development, including power purchase agreements (PPAs), virtual PPAs, energy storage service agreements, tolling agreements, and engineering, procurement, and construction contracts. He also supports clients with interconnection, transmission, and regulatory matters. Leveraging his regulatory and appellate expertise, Lowell delivers comprehensive, forward-thinking advice to help clients anticipate and overcome obstacles.
Before joining Orrick, Lowell served as a junior partner at a boutique law firm where he led the representation of developers of solar, wind, hydroelectric, generation-plus-storage, and biomass projects. His work involved negotiating offtake agreements, navigating complex regulatory environments before state utility commissions and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and engaging in extensive appellate practice related to renewable energy project development under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act.
Prior to practicing law, he served as a climate policy analyst for an international non-governmental organization in Washington, D.C., where he advanced U.S. climate policy on refrigerants and contributed to amending the Montreal Protocol to phase-out hydrofluorocarbon super greenhouse gases.
New York
Sumaia is experienced in inter partes review proceedings and IP due diligence, including matters involving pharmaceuticals, software, electronics, and medical devices. She also has a strong technical background from her prior work as a systems engineer, and has supported projects involving complex technologies.
Singapore
His deep project finance experience ranges from renewable energy projects to power, oil and gas, LNG, petrochemicals, infrastructure, telecommunications, and water projects in Asia-Pacific, Australia, the Middle East, Russia, South America and in numerous countries throughout Africa.
Adam has an extensive track record in Southeast Asia and is recognized as a leading practitioner in the market. Chambers Asia Pacific 2024 ranks him as a Band 1 lawyer for Projects, Infrastructure & Energy for Vietnam, and clients comment that “Adam delivered exceptional client service, demonstrating a deep commitment to understanding and addressing our needs with responsiveness and attention to detail.”
Adam relocated to Singapore in 2025 after spending nearly three decades working in key energy and infrastructure hubs in Asia, including Tokyo, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Sacramento
Chris has experience in acquisition, disposition and financing of large portfolios of commercial real estate; distressed debt; negotiation of joint ventures for development projects; construction contracts; data center leasing/co-location; office leasing; and transactions involving multi-family housing.
Chris is very involved in Orrick’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and has served as a co-chair of the San Francisco DEI Committee for many years. She is also involved in diversity efforts at UC Berkeley School of Law and has previously served on its Alumni Board and the Board of the East Bay Community Law Center.
Chris was resident in the firm's Tokyo office from 1999-2002.