Brett Cooper Partner

San Francisco

In the corporate finance and securities areas, his experience includes a range of public and private equity and debt financings, representing U.S., Canadian, European and Asian issuers and underwriters. His transactions have included over one hundred SEC registered and Rule 144A public offerings of securities, ranging from investment grade and high yield debt offerings, convertible note offerings, initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings and preferred securities offerings, venture capital financings and issuer tender offers.

In the mergers and acquisitions area, Brett has represented clients in all aspects of mergers and acquisitions transactions involving public and private companies, including friendly mergers, leveraged recapitalizations, tender offers, spin-offs, restructurings and purchases and sales of divisions and subsidiaries.

Ramon Galvan Of Counsel

Los Angeles

Ramon has a wide range of experience in financings involving Native American tribes and tribal entities, including financings for new casino construction projects and casino expansions, and serving as lead counsel for some of the largest tribal financings on the West Coast.

Thomas Coleman Senior Counsel

San Francisco

Before his retirement as a partner, he was also the Partner-in-Charge of Lawyer Development for a number of years. While still practicing, he served at times as the firm’s General Counsel, Executive Director, Peer Review Committee Chair and member of the Partner Compensation Committee. He still acts as an advisor to the firm on matters affecting lawyer development.

Tom concentrated his practice in banking and commercial transactions. He represented banks and other financial institutions in a variety of transactions, including syndicated and single-lender credit agreements (both secured and unsecured), project financings, public finance transactions, and “synthetic” and other lease arrangements. As a lecturer and panelist, Tom frequently spoke at seminars on a range of topics related to his practice.

He served for several years as co-counsel of the International Bankers Association in California. He has been a member of the State Bar of California’s Business Law Section’s Financial Institutions Committee and Uniform Commercial Code Committee. In addition, he has been a member of the San Francisco Symphony’s Business Gifts Committee.

Before joining Orrick, Tom was Vice President and Counsel at California First Bank (now Union Bank of California) in San Francisco. He was a visiting attorney at Clifford-Turner (now Clifford Chance), Solicitors, in London.

Richard A. Martin Senior Counsel

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.

Gaelyn Sharp Of Counsel

Los Angeles; New York

Gaelyn has represented a wide range of financial institutions including fund sponsors, issuers, underwriters, placement agents, investment advisers and investors in connection with a wide range of financing transactions including collateralized loan, bond and debt obligations; synthetic collateralized debt obligations; trade receivables; various derivative instruments and structured finance products; and private equity funds and hedge funds.

Genet Berhane Innovation Attorney Energy and Infrastructure

New York

Genet supports firm efforts to optimize client service delivery and increase efficiencies across practice groups, connecting Orrick attorneys with tools and resources to support their work.

Genet’s practice previously focused on a variety of energy transactions as a managing associate in the firm's Energy & Infrastructure group. She has also worked as Senior Counsel at Clearway Energy and as a Legal Manager at Acumen, a non-profit global venture fund.

Hayley Hurst Trademark Specialist

London

Hayley manages clients' trade mark portfolios and has significant experience in trade mark searching, providing pre-filing guidance, and navigating trade marks successfully through to registration.

She also regularly advises clients in trade mark dispute and infringement matters.

Before moving into private practice, Hayley spent over a decade working in the in-house trade mark teams of a multinational pharmaceutical company and a multinational consumer goods company.

Lynne T. Hirata Of Counsel

San Francisco

She also has extensive experience in public finance transactions as company counsel and bond counsel.

Jason Wu Of Counsel

London

Jason advises emerging UK and European tech companies and leading investors on US venture financings and other corporate matters. As a US-qualified lawyer based in Orrick’s London office, Jason combines a unique understanding of US, UK and European market practices to guide clients through critical financial and commercial transactions.

Jason regularly advises early-stage companies on Delaware flips and works closely with founders and management teams to navigate multi-jurisdictional operational and governance issues. Through his expertise in cross-border transactions, Jason is able to translate parties’ needs to achieve successful outcomes.

Jason is also able to advise clients with a practical, 360-degree view through his previous experience as a commercial litigator. Jason’s prior practice included representing companies in class action, insurance, and trade secrets litigation, in regulatory proceedings, and in a variety of commercial disputes in US and international forums.

Chek-Lhy Luu Senior Associate

Paris

She advises French and international groups on all French employment and labor law matters. In particular, on the following matters: company restructurings, merger and acquisition transactions, transfer of activity, collective and individual relationships, hiring and termination of top managers, litigation.

Prior to joining Orrick, Chek-Lhy was an associate for three years in the Employment, Pensions & Benefits department of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and for four years in the employment team of Linklaters.

Laure Seror Of Counsel

Paris

Laure advises French and international banks and financial institutions as well as sponsors and borrowers on French and cross-border financing transactions. She is particularly active in structured finance (including securitization transactions and debt funds) and energy and infrastructure project transactions. She also regularly advises on real estate finance transactions.

Prior to joining Orrick in 2017, Laure was an associate for five years in the Banking & Finance department of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Siobhan Handley Chief of Staff

New York

In collaboration with the firm’s leadership team, she focuses on designing and implementing programs to recruit, inspire and advance the best legal and staff talent.

Siobhan previously served as Orrick’s Managing Director for Resources. In that role, she spearheaded the development of the firm’s innovative talent model—the first of its kind in a major law firm—which replaces the traditional associate lockstep advancement system with merit-based advancement. As chair of the firm’s Talent Committee, she oversees Orrick’s lawyer training and performance feedback program – which is one of the most rigorous in the market. She also has led the creation of a range of new lawyer and professional staff roles.

Siobhan brings to this role extensive experience on the front line of client service, having been a partner in the firm’s product liability litigation and mass tort defense group. For more than a decade, she was a member of the Orrick team that acted as National Counsel to Union Carbide Corporation in connection with asbestos-related personal injury lawsuits and served as lead trial counsel in cases across the country. Siobhan was one of the key trial counsel in the highly-publicized landmark trial in Texas State Court, Brazoria County, where Kelly-Moore Paint Company sued Union Carbide for $1.4 billion in compensatory damages and $4.2 billion in punitive damages that resulted in a complete defense verdict. In addition, she served as trial counsel for significant product liability cases for other clients including Wyeth and Flexible Products.