People

Shane D. Anderson Senior Associate

Los Angeles

Shane has experience working on patent disputes in Federal Court and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board for globally-recognized companies in the domains of software, communications, consumer electronics, and other high-tech fields.  He understands what it takes to be successful in complex patent litigation and wields his unique experience and education to gain the best result possible for his clients.  Prior to joining Orrick's Intellectual Property Group Shane practiced in Silicon Valley as an associate at a global law firm and focused on patent litigation.

Prior to law school, Shane was an electrical engineer and worked both in Japan and Canada, developing test systems, embedded hardware, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software.  Shane also worked as an educator in rural Japan, an experience that informs his ability to explain complex topics both clearly and persuasively.

Shane also has a passion for community service and pro bono representation.  Among his efforts, he assisted with the representation of plaintiffs in a Voting Rights Act, Section 2, litigation, and advised a small business owner and drafted agreements and contracts.

Kevin M. Askew Partner

Los Angeles

Kevin has extensive experience defending securities class actions, including on behalf of high-profile clients in the technology and finance sectors. He also regularly represents clients in shareholder derivative suits, including actions alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and failures of oversight.

Kevin has handled a wide range of other complex litigation matters, including contract disputes, civil RICO actions, and cases related to corporate breakups.

Clients also turn to Kevin when they face scrutiny from government regulators. Kevin represents companies, and their officers and directors, when they receive subpoenas in connection with investigations by the SEC and other agencies. And when necessary, Kevin defends his clients in regulatory enforcement actions, including cases brought by the SEC and state Attorneys General.

Kevin devotes significant time to pro bono matters. Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project awarded Kevin its annual Pro Bono Award in recognition of his representation of an asylum seeker in a long-running Immigration Court matter.

Kevin has authored articles on securities-related topics in numerous publications, including the Daily Journal, the National Law Journal, and Bloomberg BNA.

Allen Babajanian Senior Associate

Los Angeles

 Allen focuses on technology and intellectual property-related transactions, with a particular emphasis on drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including:

• hardware, software, content, and data licensing agreements;
• IT-focused services agreements, including consulting, development, hosting, and cloud computing agreements, including software-as-a-service and platform-as-a-service arrangements; and
• technology and intellectual property development, acquisition, and disposition agreements.

In addition, Allen counsels clients on intellectual property issues in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions.

John Badalich Managing Associate

Los Angeles

John represents clients in complex litigation matters in both federal and state courts. In the span of less than 10 months across 2022 and 2023, John was a member of the team on three separate high-profile jury trial wins for the NCAA - including the first to take on claims the NCAA is responsible for concussions and CTE in college football. With significant experience in high-stakes litigation matters, John litigates cases on behalf of technology companies, sports associations, investment firms, retailers, colleges and universities, and individuals. John is also active in pro bono matters, primarily focusing his practice on representing veterans before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Taylor Marie Moustris Barokh Senior Associate

Los Angeles

She advises opportunity, investment and private equity funds, institutional investors and developers on commercial real estate transactions including joint venture structuring, financing, development, acquisitions, sales, lease agreements, and other corporate real estate activities. Taylor is familiar with structuring and drafting corporate organizational agreements, financing, acquisition and disposition documents. She has experience with a variety of asset types, including commercial, mixed-use and residential properties. Further, she regularly advises startups, growth stage companies and not-for-profit organizations on their leasing transactions.

Marc Bauer Partner

Los Angeles

Marc partners with government bond issuers, nonprofit organizations, and universities, and has experience assisting leading affordable housing professionals, public power agencies, private universities, museums, and charter schools with their financing goals. Marc provides reliable, sought-after advice to issuer and underwriter clients in transactions involving both long- and short-term, fixed and variable rate obligations, commercial paper, credit and liquidity enhancement, and revenue bonds.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Marc was an economics consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP and Arthur Andersen LLP.  Marc obtained his JD/MBA at the University of Southern California.

Isaac Sawlih Behnawa Managing Associate

Los Angeles

Isaac draws upon his technical background in contextualizing complex issues into the elements of legal claims. He has represented some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies in cases involving technologies including video-on-demand, tax depreciation and deferred tax software, and gaming systems. He also has assisted in prosecuting several patents, has advised on AI-related business strategy, and has worked on cases involving patented designs, false advertising, unfair competition, computer hacking, and securities fraud.

Prior to joining Orrick, Isaac served in the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army National Guard.

Isaac is also an enthusiastic participant in Orrick's pro bono efforts. He has drafted international law memoranda, assisted in various civil rights litigation efforts for large pro-bono clients, analyzed noteworthy qualified immunity decisions to determine whether an appeal is necessary, and helped refugees with immigration paperwork.

Alan Benjamin Senior Counsel

Los Angeles; Santa Monica

He counsels clients nationwide on complex financial transactions and restructurings, including secured and unsecured loan transactions, project financings, leveraged buy-outs, dividend recapitalizations and insolvency matters.

In the California Banking & Finance category of Chambers USA, clients commend Alan, describing him as “a guru for gaming work" and noting “his extensive financing practice includes particular expertise in lending transactions involving Native American tribes.”

In addition to his practice responsibilities, Alan has held numerous firmwide positions, including recently as a member of Orrick's Board of Directors and as practice group leader of the firm’s Banking & Finance group. He was the Chair of the Firm’s Finance and Audit Committee from 2010 through 2019.

He is licensed to practice in California.

Lisa Bixby Senior Associate

Los Angeles

Lisa focuses on appellate litigation. Her practice spans a wide range of subject areas, from complex commercial litigation to white collar criminal defense. She has authored dozens of appellate briefs—winning results in federal and state courts of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court—and has successfully argued before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits. Lisa’s practice also extends to trial work, with an emphasis on dispositive motions, preserving appellate issues, and developing creative legal strategies.

Lisa maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on criminal law and civil rights.

Before joining Orrick, Lisa served as a law clerk to Judge Richard A. Paez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She also worked as an appellate attorney at the MacArthur Justice Center, where she litigated cutting-edge constitutional and statutory issues in federal and state appellate courts on behalf of incarcerated people and victims of police misconduct.

Christina Bouchot Partner

Los Angeles

Christina counsels clients on their most critical employment and compliance issues, whether that means addressing founder disputes, drafting employment policies, making recommendations on the use of restrictive covenants, advising on compliance with wage-and-hour laws, or making recommendations on reductions in force. She also handles investigations and complaints involving allegations of sexual harassment, whistleblowing and discrimination. While she has experience representing companies in many industries, she has a particular focus on technology companies and private equity firms, and understands the nuances of their cultures and unique employment challenges.

Christina also has ample experience supporting and advising on corporate transactions. This includes analyzing the impact of employment considerations on deal strategy and structure, drafting and negotiating employment agreements, non-competes and separation agreements and providing advice on post-closing workforce integration.

Christina is very active in the legal community within the Employment Bar and within various Hispanic and Women’s Lawyer’s Associations.

Alexander Bulkin Managing Associate

Los Angeles

Alex represents project sponsors, developers, and private equity investors on a wide range of transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors with a particular focus on renewable energy matters. He regularly advises clients on the development, construction, operation, purchase and disposition of solar, battery storage, wind, biomass, waste-to-energy, and other renewable energy projects.

Alex’s experience encompasses the full range of agreements for projects, including those related to engineering, procurement and construction; equipment supply; operations and maintenance; asset management; long-term services; off-take; interconnection; mergers and acquisitions; and public-private partnerships.

Alyssa Caridis Partner

Los Angeles; Santa Monica

Alyssa represents companies in all stages of litigation — from pre-suit investigation, through trial, and on to appeals court. In 2023 alone, she was a key member of Orrick teams that won two jury verdicts, three ITC proceedings, and numerous IPRs and dispositive motions.

She draws upon her engineering degree from Harvey Mudd College to engage with technical professionals and quickly grasp new technologies. She brings experience with technologies ranging from medical devices, streaming media systems and software to projects in the aerospace, automotive, and nuclear energy industries.  She also has experience in litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act, successfully defending generic challenges to patents protecting blockbuster medical therapies.  Most recently, Alyssa has been involved in both litigation and counseling involving the legal questions raised by the rapid growth of AI.

The Daily Journal recognized Alyssa as one of the Top Women Lawyers in California in 2023 and both Bloomberg Law and Daily Journal named her to their 40 Under 40 lists.

For Alyssa, IP protection is more than business; it’s personal. For more than a half-century, her family patented mechanical technologies that they developed into a thriving business, inspiring her love of science and technology as well as her desire to protect innovative ideas. Alyssa calls Southern California home, but remains loyal to the sports teams of her Bay Area childhood.