People

Dr. Sven Greulich, LL.M. (Cantuar), EMBA Partner

Düsseldorf

Sven advises technology companies on complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital as well as growth investments, and provides general corporate counseling.

His clients include technology companies of all stages and their investors. Supported by a global and cross-practice team, he also counsels major corporations and scale-ups on international expansion and growth projects and has a special focus on in- and outbound German/US investments and joint ventures.

Sven is passionate about building a bridge for his clients from Germany to the US and other international technology hubs and to help them succeed in the international market. With a dual background in business and law, an entrepreneurial spirit, and experience in over 300 M&A transactions and financing rounds across many industries, Sven has a unique perspective, which inspires him to find the best strategic and commercially viable solution for his clients.

Sven volunteers with entrepreneur groups at the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management and the RWTH Aachen and regularly lectures at the WHU and the RWTH incubation and innovation centers on venture capital financings, start-up growth and corporate venture capital.

Sven's work has been repeatedly awarded, inter alia

• Chambers ranks him as one of the top 3 venture capital lawyers in Germany (2025);
• the leading German market publication JUVE lists him as "frequently recommended" for M&A, private equity, as well as corporate advice and - since 2019 - ranks Sven as one of Germany's top 15 attorneys for venture capital, the highest recognition for this category awarded by JUVE (2024/2025);
• Legal500 Deutschland includes Sven as "frequently recommended" for M&A (mid-sized deals) as well as private equity (mid-sized deals) and ranks him as a "leading individual" for venture capital (2025); and
• in the 2017 edition of its Innovative Lawyers Report Europe, the Financial Times named Sven's work to connect start-ups with Germany's Mittelstand (mid-sized companies) a standout “for making bridges between Silicon Valley and Germany”.

Christopher Sprado, LL.M. (University of Virginia) Partner

Düsseldorf

Christopher has profound experience in advising multinational corporations and international investors on their most important transactions and strategic challenges. His clients particularly value his pragmatism and his ability to break complex issues down to the essentials and to find efficient solutions.

Prior to joining Orrick in 2021, Christopher worked at Linklaters LLP for more than 10 years. During such time, he had the opportunity to undertake client secondments at two large German-listed companies.

Dr. Johannes Rüberg, EMBA Partner

Monaco

This includes venture and growth financings in all stages and general corporate counseling. His practice further focuses on advising strategic and financial investors on mergers and acquisitions.

Germany's leading legal directory JUVE lists Johannes as frequently recommended for both corporate law and venture capital, including a competitor's testimonial "very good expertise, pleasant cooperation" (2024/2025). Legal 500 Deutschland lists Johannes as a "recommended lawyer" for venture capital (2024), including the testimonials "very supportive and a pleasure to work with", "extremely conscientious", and "quick response time" in its 2022 edition. Since 2021, he has been recognized by Germany's leading business daily Handelsblatt as a "Ones to Watch" lawyer for corporate law.

In addition to his work as a lawyer, Johannes has completed the joint Executive MBA program by U.S.-based Kellogg University and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany’s leading startup university.

Onur Öztürk Counsel

Monaco

He regularly advises founder teams on the establishment of a two-tier U.S./German holding structures, be it in connection with their admission to a U.S. accelerator or be it for better access to early-stage financing opportunities in the richer U.S. funding ecosystem.

During his legal training, Onur had been with the M&A practice of a Big Four accounting firm and the legal department of a major German technology company in Germany and Canada. In 2022, Onur worked from our San Francisco and Menlo Park offices for three months to take a deep-dive into the Silicon Valley's start-up ecosystem.

Kjell Tönjes Associate

Düsseldorf

He advises start-ups and scale-ups from inception through early-stage financing rounds and in their growth phases, as well as on internationalization projects. In addition, he advises institutional and corporate investors on venture capital investments.

Kjell also advises on national and international M&A and private equity transactions with a focus on technology.

Prior to joining Orrick, he had been a lawyer with one of the big 4 firms in Düsseldorf, where he focused on venture capital. During his studies, Kjell had been a research associate with a Berlin-based venture capital boutique for several years.

Jamie Kamen Baroff Senior Associate

New York

Jamie's practice focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, advising companies on formation and equity financings, and corporate governance matters.

David Schwartz Partner

New York

David is recognized as a trusted advisor who delivers valued execution and results.

• Thomson Reuters has recognized David as a Stand-out Lawyer.
• BTI Consulting has ranked David as a Client Service All Star.
• Chambers has ranked David for his M&A work, with clients noting he is “on top of cutting-edge trends and ideas", "proactive, engaged and personable", and possesses a “depth of legal expertise” and “creative solutions to thorny problems” that “make him our go-to."
• Legal500 has ranked David as a Leading Partner for M&A. He has also been featured in Legal500's US M&A Powerlist, with clients noting he "is an incredible relationship partner. His dedication to understanding our business and our ways of working is complimented by his proactive approach to providing innovative solutions and ideas."

Karthik Kumar Partner

Singapore

Karthik has a strong focus on the renewable energy sector with extensive experience in solar, onshore and offshore wind, biomass, and waste-to-energy projects across the region. Karthik is highly regarded in the market for his in-depth regulatory knowledge and significant transactional experience. Clients laud him for his commercial approach and deep regional background.

He has extensive experience advising developers, sponsors, borrowers and financial institutions, including banks and multilateral lending institutions, on a wide range of renewable energy projects in jurisdictions such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Philippines, China and Australia.

Karthik is a top-ranked lawyer in the Chambers Global and Asia Pacific directories as well as by Legal 500 and India Business Law Journal. Clients describe him as a “top-notch lawyer” and is “known for his project finance capabilities, particularly in the renewable energy segment.” They also note that he “deeply understands the business needs and stakeholder expectations and has time and again proven to have our 100% confidence in his counsel.” Clients extol his India-focused project finance practice, commending him for his "second to none" knowledge of Indian law and practice and noting a particular acquisition of an Indian company where "his ability to understand unique local issues" was "amazing." 

Michael Tardif Partner

Singapore

Michael’s practice services a broad range of industry sectors, including conventional power, renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric), infrastructure, oil & gas and mining across Asia, Australia and the US. His project finance experience covers the complete toolkit of complex transactions from corporate and acquisition financing, structured/leveraged finance transactions and derivatives, including hedging arrangements.

Michael has notable experience in transactions involving multilateral lenders and export-credit agencies which are often crucial supporters of project financings in developing countries in the region.

Ranked in Band 1 in the Chambers Asia Pacific guide for Indonesia Projects & Energy lawyer for seven years in a row, Michael is also recognized as a “Leading Individual” by Legal 500 Asia Pacific.

Adam Moncrieff Partner

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.

Minako Wakabayashi Partner

Tokyo

Minako has significant experience advising international and domestic sponsors and developers on complex and innovative projects. She was called upon by the Japanese government in structuring the renewable Feed-in-Tariff scheme in Japan and prepared the government’s model contracts for specific contracts (power purchase contract/interconnection contract), which are a key component of the Feed-in-Tariff scheme in Japan. Recently, she has also been handling numerous corporate PPA projects.

She was appointed as Auditor of the Japan Wind Power Association (JWPA) in May 2022.

Minako practiced at Orrick’s New York office in 2004-2005. She also worked as a public prosecutor in Japan for four years and served as a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Supervising Committee for Public Bidding (Tokyo-to Nyusatsu Kanshi Iinkai) for eight years. She is serving as Audit of Veritas In Silico Inc since March 2022.

Gohshun Kawamura Of Counsel

Tokyo

He focuses on the development, acquisition and financing of solar, wind and other renewable energy projects in various regions of Japan. He has experience related to the FIT/FIP system and other laws and regulations related to the electric power industry, as well as negotiations with relevant government agencies, and the preparation and negotiations of related contracts.

In addition, he is involved in establishing schemes and negotiating contracts for the corporate PPAs of non-FIT renewable energy projects, as well as preparing on-site PPAs and general terms and conditions for electricity retailers.

He is the co-author of Orrick’s “Japan Renewables Alert".

Prior to joining Orrick Tokyo Office, he was an assistant judge at the Tokyo District Court and the Matsuyama District Court, where he gained experiences in a variety of cases, including civil, administrative and criminal matters.