People

Maria Teodorescu Associate

Monaco

She acts on corporate transactions including leveraged buy-outs, management buy-outs, minority participations and expansion or growth financings as well as M&A transactions, often with cross-border aspects.

Before joining Orrick, she had been an associate in the private equity group of a U.S. headquartered law firm. As part of her legal clerkship, Maria worked for another U.S. law firm and a leading German law firm, among others.

Guido Testa Partner

Milano

In qualità di partner basato nell'ufficio di Orrick a Milano e membro senior del gruppo M&A e Private Equity, Guido è apprezzato per la sua conoscenza delle dinamiche peculiari di queste operazioni.

Nel campo delle operazioni di M&A, assiste regolarmente aziende, società di investimento e family offices nella strutturazione e negoziazione di fusioni, acquisizioni e alleanze strategiche, sia a livello nazionale che cross-border. La sua esperienza spazia in molteplici ambiti, e di recente si è particolarmente concentrato sui settori industriale e sanitario, dove è noto per la capacità di gestire con successo anche le operazioni più sofisticate con una spiccata attenzione alle dinamiche di business.

L’attività di Guido nel private equity si concentra sull’assistenza a fondi di investimento e, soprattutto, ad imprenditori. Guido è un advisor legale molto stimato dagli imprenditori italiani, che affianca per tutte le decisioni più strategiche in materia di diritto societario e governance. È apprezzato per la sua capacità di agire come business partner, offrendo consulenza continuativa sia nelle operazioni quotidiane, che nelle strategie di lungo periodo e nelle operazioni straordinarie. I clienti si affidano alla sua profonda conoscenza del settore, alla sua visione commerciale e al suo approccio pragmatico per affrontare con obiettività tutte le questioni legali legate alle diverse decisioni aziendali. Inoltre, assiste i fondi di investimento nella strutturazione e nell'esecuzione di acquisizioni e cessioni, aiutandoli a identificare opportunità, gestire rischi legali e raggiungere obiettivi strategici nel mercato italiano.

Guido vanta inoltre una significativa esperienza nella consulenza per la creazione e la gestione di partnership strategiche e joint ventures, affiancando i propri clienti nel perseguimento di opportunità di crescita e innovazione in mercati altamente competitivi.

Guido ha svolto un ruolo strategico in numerose operazioni cross-border, assistendo regolarmente aziende internazionali e fondi che investono in Italia, nonché aziende e fondi italiani che cercano opportunità all'estero, garantendo un'esecuzione fluida e un'efficace coordinazione dei deal.

Guido è riconosciuto da Legal 500come Leading Partner nel Private Equity. È inoltre classificato in Chambers Europe per Private Equity e per Corporate/M&A: Mid-Market, a conferma della sua forte reputazione e della sua expertise nel mercato legale italiano.

Dahl Thompson Partner

Houston

Dahl represents project sponsors/developers, private equity investors, utilities and strategic investors in all stages of structuring, financing, acquiring and disposing of energy projects and companies, including the negotiation and drafting of purchase and sale, joint development, shareholder, partnership and LLC operating, debt and equity financing, security and credit agreements. Over the last decade, Dahl has successfully closed transactions relating to projects totaling many thousands of megawatts and many billions of dollars in asset value.

Gerard Walsh Partner

Los Angeles

Jerry is particularly recognized for his work in connection with the acquisition, restructuring and realization of distressed debt in the real estate and hospitality markets. Clients seek him out for the most complex distressed debt transactions, including securitized and mezzanine debt intercreditor workouts and the establishment of mezzanine debt lending platforms. Jerry led a multidisciplinary Orrick team in one of the most sophisticated real estate debt transactions that was restructured in 2013, involving a series of complex transactions and multi-state litigation. Recognized as a key lawyer in the 2022 Real Estate category, a client told The Legal 500 US that Jerry is “smart, responsive and extraordinarily helpful and collaborative.”

In addition, Jerry leads Orrick’s hospitality practice and advises global opportunity, hotel and pension funds and advisors in connection with the acquisition, repositioning and disposing of hotel portfolios throughout the United States. He advises on acquisitions, joint ventures, financing, rebranding, disposition and negotiation of hotel management agreements, shared services and amenities agreements, and franchise agreements, including termination of hotel management and franchise agreements involving brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, St. Regis, Renaissance, Luxury Collection, Westin, Kimpton and other Sheraton/Starwood brands.

Jerry's representative clients include Cisco Systems, Inc., Cornerstone Advisers LLC, JMA Ventures, LACERA, The Newhall Land and Farming Company, Walton Street Capital, and Westbrook Partners.

Before joining Orrick, Jerry was a partner with a magic circle firm and chairman of the real estate group of a prominent national law firm.

Ashley Walter Partner & Chief Sustainability Officer

Seattle

As Orrick’s Chief Sustainability Officer, he also oversees Orrick's strategic sustainability initiatives. Ashley focuses on developing innovative methods of supporting clients in achieving ESG objectives, including designing novel systems to manage supply chain risk; forming and guiding management-level ESG Steering Committees; and helping clients address the ESG requirements of major customers by engaging with those customers on our clients’ behalf.

Ashley is a co-founder and past chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Law Committee of the ABA Business Law Section, has co-chaired the Practising Law Institute's annual ESG program for the last four years, and is heavily involved in ESG initiatives at Stanford Law School, where has served as a moderator at the Stanford Directors' College, has lectured on ESG at business law courses, has taught the course “Corporate Social Responsibility,” and will be teaching the course “Law and Governance in ESG Strategy” in the spring of 2025. Prior to Orrick, Ashley founded the corporate social responsibility practice at a Silicon Valley-based law firm.

How I help clients:

• Customer ESG Engagement: Engaging with clients’ major customers in response to ESG inquiries or requirements
• Supply Chain Risk: Developing responsible sourcing systems for high-risk supply chains
• ESG Goal Management: Advice regarding retaining, modifying or withdrawing ESG goals
• ESG Steering Committees: Forming and guiding management-level ESG Steering Committees
• ESG Due Diligence: Conducting ESG due diligence with a focus on post-closing program building
• Quarterbacking Compliance: Creating and advancing a project plan for regulatory compliance, including working with third-party consultants

Rob Warfield Partner

New York

He has experience representing financial institutions, sponsors, investors, and lenders in energy and infrastructure financings, acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions.

Prior to joining Orrick, Rob was a member of the legal investments team at a global investment firm in New York, where he supported private equity and credit investments across infrastructure and other asset classes. He also worked in private practice at leading international law firms.

Justin Yi Partner

Santa Monica

Justin focuses his practice on complex business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, reorganizations, recapitalizations and minority investments, as well as general corporate and securities law matters. Justin represents corporations, private equity firms and investors across a wide range of industries, including technology, media, entertainment, healthcare, food and beverage and apparel.

Jeff Zhang Partner

Pechino; New York

Being recognized by Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Jeff has received clients’ praises as “an experienced lawyer, who understands the client’s business, both internally and externally", and his "understanding of the client’s business model, industry, customers and strategic objectives enables him to advise and guide clients on highly complex and sensitive matters”. Other clients comment that Jeff “develops the best strategies and solutions for clients” and “works very hard and is recognised by clients for his ability.” In addition, he is “dedicated to serving his clients and is able to leverage off the firm’s global network to provide services in specialized areas.” (Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2019 - 2023)

Jeff’s practice focuses on China-related inbound and outbound mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions. He has extensive experience with share and asset acquisitions, growth capital and buyout transactions as well as tender offers, privatizations, restructurings, spin-offs, strategic alliances and joint ventures.

In addition, Jeff advises multinationals, financial institutions and private equity funds on their general corporate, capital markets and regulatory compliance matters.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jeff was a partner at the New York office of an international law firm. Earlier in his career, Jeff practiced in New York, Hong Kong, and mainland China with two major international law firms, and also served as the Head of Legal and Compliance of the U.S. operations of a leading Chinese investment bank, where he gained tremendous experience in helping Chinese clients navigate regulatory and compliance issues in the U.S.

Jeff serves on the International Advisory Board of Duke Law School, where he was also appointed as a Senior Lecturing Fellow. In his leisure time, Jeff serves on a volunteer basis as the Chief Legal Officer of The Chinese Finance Association (TCFA), a non-profit professional organization headquartered in New York with more than 7,000 members globally.

Kyle Zhu Senior Associate

New York

Kyle represents public and private companies and private equity funds in various domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions transactions on both the buy-side and sell-side. Kyle is also experienced in advising clients on representation and warranty insurance and venture financings. As part of Orrick’s fintech and artificial intelligence working group, Kyle analyzes and creates thought leadership on novel legal issues related to crypto, web 3.0 and artificial intelligence.

Kyle is passionate about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. He serves as a leader on Orrick’s New York Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and Orrick’s Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Inclusion Network. He is also a Vice Chair of the Corporate Law Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York.

Partner

Pechino

Jeffrey has extensive experience representing both Chinese enterprises in fund raising and investing abroad and foreign investors investing in China.

He regularly represents issuers and underwriters in the U.S. and Hong Kong public securities offerings, including initial public offerings (IPOs) and Rule 144A/Regulation S offerings for PRC-based companies.

In addition, he is experienced in handling complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, strategic alliances, joint ventures and regulatory compliance matters for numerous foreign investors and Chinese companies. He also counsels global private equity funds on their investment activity throughout Greater China and across Asia.

Some clients he has represented include Bright Food, JD.com, Trina Solar, China Sunergy, Perfect World, ReneSola, Tudou, Pactera Technologies and some international investment banks and private equity funds.

Jeffrey is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer for China M&A by prestigious legal publications such as Chambers Asia, Asia-Pacific Legal 500 and IFLR1000. Clients recognizes him as “an excellent business partner, above his legal counsel role”, who “gives practical advice not only based on legal proficiency, but really helpful for our business”.

Prior to joining Orrick, Mr. Sun worked with a major international law firm, and he was a former partner in a local law firm based in Shanghai.