People

Dan Williams Senior Associate

San Francisco

Dan is experienced in Hatch-Waxman litigation, including disputes involving drug treatments for cancer and HIV. Dan is also experienced in biologics litigation and counseling, representing clients on matters involving expression vectors, antibodies, gene therapies, and CAR T-cell therapies. Dan’s experience includes litigating patents directed to recombinant DNA technology, complex manufacturing processes, small molecule compounds, crystalline forms, methods of treatment, oral dosage formulations, injectable formulations, and fixed dose combination products.

Dan has contributed to numerous victories on behalf of our life science clients, including a complete win in a multi-patent Hatch-Waxman trial for a client’s blockbuster cancer therapy, favorable claim constructions in numerous cases, and obtaining a special master’s report and recommendation for attorneys’ fees for the opposing parties’ exceptional discovery misconduct. Dan has courtroom advocacy experience, including presenting to the district court for Markman proceedings.

Manley Williams Partner

Washington, D.C.

Manley has extensive experience working with clients to develop credit programs, simplify credit agreements, adapt procedures for online and mobile environments, and implement, improve and amend customer rewards programs. She also helps companies sell their products over time, whether traditional banks with credit cards, online lenders with installment loans, startups with charge cards or merchants with installment plans. She helps companies navigate the federal and state law governing credit, licensing, prohibitions on unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) and limitations on lending to the military and compliance with antidiscrimination laws.

She helps institutions evaluate fair lending issues in judgmental underwriting, advises financial institutions where to locate their card issuing banks to benefit from state laws on the exportation of interest rates and assists merchants and emerging companies with implementing their credit programs. Manley assists lenders in revising and refining key operational processes, disclosures and customer agreements necessitated by changing legal standards. She also conducts training for in-house counsel on legal developments in the credit card industry, including compliance with emerging UDAAP standards.

Prior to joining Orrick, Manley was a partner at Buckley LLP. She was also counsel with Wilmer Cutler Pickering, Hale and Dorr LLP, and a staff attorney at the Federal Reserve Board’s (FRB) Legal Division and Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, where she advised financial institutions on compliance with regulations including Regulations Z (Truth in Lending Act (TILA)), B (Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)), E (Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)), and CC (Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks).

Manley organizes and hosts card roundtables at which industry leaders discuss emerging issues in a congenial environment. She has a particular interest in financial literacy and is a frequent presenter at public schools in the greater Washington, D.C., area, instructing students and teachers in understanding and using credit and debit cards, mobile phone plans and other common consumer credit vehicles.

Ronald Williams Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

In his government enforcement practice, Ron routinely defends a broad range of clients in the financial services industry before federal and state regulators, including matters initiated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state regulators. Ron has experience responding to Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs), managing large-scale discovery, and advising clients on regulatory risks. 

In his litigation practice, Ron represents businesses in class actions and complex commercial disputes in federal and state courts. Ron effectively drafts briefs and discovery requests, prepares witnesses for depositions, manages discovery, and conducts complex legal research on a range of issues. 

Ron maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on criminal justice reform. He has helped draft legislation to severely limit the use of solitary confinement in District of Columbia correctional facilities, drafted an amicus curiae brief on behalf of an individual charged with homicide seeking to exclude expert testimony, and reviewed innocence claims for an incarcerated individual. 

A fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Orrick and in the legal profession, Ron serves on Orrick's DEI committee in D.C. 

Prior to joining Orrick, Ron was an associate at Buckley LLP and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. He also clerked for the Honorable Peter G. Sheridan of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Yvette Williams Project Attorney

Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)

Yvette works with litigation attorneys and third party vendors to manage the review and production of documents relevant to investigations and litigation. Yvette's work includes using early case assessment technology to analyze, categorize and cull data. She also manages teams of skilled professionals performing document review, redaction, analysis, production and drafting privilege logs. Yvette assists the litigation team to prepare for trial, including drafting deposition summaries, factual memoranda and exhibit charts. She also works with practice office attorneys on transactional tasks, including contract review and due diligence.

Prior to joining Orrick, Yvette clerked with Judge David R. Janes in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of West Virginia and was an associate at Bailey & Wyant in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Ed Williams Of Counsel

Washington, D.C.

Ed Williams assists clients with complex matters focusing primarily on litigation in appellate tribunals, including the United States Supreme Court, and challenging legal issues at trial. Clients have relied on Ed’s exceptional knowledge to navigate class action lawsuits, certiorari and merits stage briefs before the United States Supreme Court, contract disputes, trade secrets misappropriation matters, and complex litigation matters that defy traditional categories.

Simon Willis Partner

Londra

Simon has wide experience of acting for major financial institutions, companies and professional firms in complex litigation, investigations and proceedings by domestic and overseas regulators, professional disciplinary proceedings, ad hoc governmental inquiries and internal investigations. In particular he has acted for those subject to investigations by a wide range of regulatory bodies including the Financial Reporting Council, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and others. He has considerable experience of advising clients on risk management and reputational risk arising from contentious matters.

Simon has been recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as: “an outstanding litigation solicitor”, who is “highly experienced in conducting heavy litigation”, and “one of the best lawyers operating in the Accountant’s liability space”. His clients describe him as “tactically astute and painstaking" and “tough, hardworking, well informed and highly tactical in his thinking.” with a “winning combination of legal knowledge and practicality”.

Julia Wilson Associate

Londra

Julia often works on cases with a multijurisdictional focus and has represented clients from the UK, Italy, Canada and Mexico in disputes seated around the world. She has worked on arbitrations overseen by most of the major arbitral forums including ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL and governed by the laws of numerous countries, including England and Wales, US (New York) and Mozambique. She also acts for sovereign states in actions brought against them by private investors. Her practice represents clients in all stages of disputes – from pleadings to trial including advising in relation to alternative dispute resolution methods.

Julia has published articles on arbitration matters, including the upcoming reform to the English Arbitration Act 1996.

Ariel Winawer Senior Associate

San Francisco

In addition to representing clients in state and federal courts nationwide and in arbitration, Ariel also counsels public and private companies and their directors and officers on a wide range of issues relating to corporate governance and litigation risk and strategy. On the regulatory side, Ariel represents institutions and individuals in connection with investigations by the DOJ, SEC, FINRA, and other state and federal agencies. She also has defended clients in several high-profile SEC and DOJ enforcement actions.

Ariel additionally maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigration and civil rights matters.

Blake Winburne Partner

Houston

Blake is recognized both nationally and globally by Chambers (Chambers USA and Chambers Global 2008-2024), including in Band 1 for Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional, Projects. Chambers sources report that he has "strong commercial acumen, executive presence and excellent, long-standing stature." Blake is also recognized in the "Hall of Fame" for Energy Transactions: Electric Power by Legal 500 and has been named one of the "world’s leading energy and natural resources lawyers" by Euromoney (2009-2020).

Blake advises clients on energy sector mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, and joint ventures, and on the development, structuring, and financing of large-scale energy projects in the United States and internationally. He regularly represents multinational energy companies, large private equity funds, project developers and sponsors, borrowers and debt issuers, investment banks, and other capital providers and investors in the energy industry.

Blake has significant experience in the electric power sector, including fossil fuel-fired, simple and combined-cycle and co-generation facilities, as well as wind, solar (central station and distributed), landfill gas, biomass and other renewable energy projects. He also represents clients in transactions involving oil, natural-gas and refined-products pipelines, gathering and processing systems and storage facilities (tank farms and underground), exploration and production investment platforms and operations, electric power and natural gas transmission and local distribution systems and alternative fuels production and marketing arrangements. 

Kasey Winshall Managing Associate

New York

Kasey represents tech startups throughout all stages of their lifecycle. She advises on formation, general corporate and governance matters, and a broad range of transactions, such as venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions. Kasey also advises venture capital investors on investment in their portfolio companies. 

Prior to joining Orrick, Kasey was an associate in the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group at Fox Rothschild LLP in New York.

Jill Winter Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

Jill maintains an active pro bono practice that includes assisting inmates with post-conviction relief. She has also co-authored U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs in support of a criminal defendant at both the certiorari and merits stages.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jill was an associate at Buckley LLP. She previously clerked for the Honorable Harvey Bartle, III in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Christopher Witeck Partner

Washington, D.C.

Chris has an active practice representing financial services entities in negotiating a wide variety of corporate transactions, including company M&A, asset purchases and critical vendor and other third-party relationships. His clients include banks, mortgage companies and servicers, marketplace and other lenders, fintech and emerging payments providers and other business entities in the financial services industry.

Chris’ M&A work emphasizes transactions that involve regulatory risks and concerns or novel structures at the forefront of industry trends. He also represents buyers and sellers of mortgage loans and other consumer lending assets, including interests such as mortgage servicing rights. He regularly negotiates many varieties of servicing and subservicing contracts.

He also advises clients on outsourcing, joint venture and bank partner agreements, particularly in the fintech and e-commerce arena, providing years of experience addressing “true lender” issues. He also advises clients on loan repurchase and indemnity matters as well as corporate governance and compliance matters.

His regulatory practice focuses on advising lenders and servicers on matters involving the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), including affiliated business arrangements, portfolio retention transactions and vendor management issues.

Chris is recognized by Chambers USA for Fintech: Payments & Lending, which cited his capabilities “advising on regulatory compliance, commercial contracts matters and transactional work, with notable expertise handling M&A in the financial services sector.”

He was previously Co-Managing Partner and a member of the partner board at Buckley LLP. Before attending law school, he worked at the U.S. Department of State.