People

Ellen Ehrenpreis Partner

Silicon Valley

Ellen has spent more than twenty years in the tech and venture ecosystem and leverages her broad network and deep understanding of both the tech sector and legal landscape to effectively and strategically advise emerging companies and investors on a wide range of critical needs.

On the company side, Ellen’s clients range from early startups to mature private companies. She advises companies and founders on formation, venture financings, governance, M&A transactions, corporate and securities matters, commercial transactions and litigation strategy. Ellen’s approach is holistic and pragmatic. Her unique skill set and business-driven approach derive from her decades-long career as a Silicon Valley lawyer and her broad experiences earlier in her career as both a successful litigator and business owner.

Over her career, Ellen has represented both private and public companies and has worked with both small startups and large multinational enterprises, as well as the executives, investors and advisors involved in those businesses. As a result, Ellen draws upon a deep knowledge base and set of experiences and insights that allow her to offer practical and seasoned advice to her clients. Ellen also works closely with some of the leading venture capital and growth equity firms, whose principals she advises in connection with financings, equity structuring and corporate governance. Ellen’s company clients have represented a broad swath of the technology ecosystem, including both hardware and software, and, as a result, her industry experience is wide-ranging. Her clients have included companies in the semiconductor, SAAS, renewables, fintech, aerospace, digital retail, online sharing, biotech/biopharma, media, design and data analytics fields, among others. Ellen has a passion for working with companies making an impact in the world.

Patricia L. Eichar Partner

Portland; Sacramento

Ms. Eichar has represented issuers, underwriters and borrowers in taxable and tax-exempt municipal financings for health care organizations, senior living communities, and other types of 501(c)(3) organizations.  In addition, Ms. Eichar has represented various municipal issuers, including the State of California, in the issuance of general obligation bonds, deficit bonds, revenue anticipation notes, lease revenue bonds, enterprise revenue bonds, pension obligation bonds and land-secured bonds, and in municipal lease and redevelopment financing.

As disclosure counsel to myriad public agencies, Ms. Eichar advises on matters including the content of primary offering documents as well as continuing disclosure filings.

In addition to her work in municipal financings, Ms. Eichar has taken on multiple pro bono projects, including prosecuting guardianships for Sacramento's Voluntary Legal Services Program and assisting veterans with appeals of denial of disability benefits before the Board of Veterans Appeals.

Inès El Khettar Associate

Parigi

Inès advises French and international financial institutions (bank and institutional lenders) and sponsors (industrialists, developers, investment funds) on the development and financing of projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors. She is also involved in asset finance transactions.

She was worked on transactions in France as well as on international transactions, in the financing and development of public-private, telecoms, transports and energy projects.

Dan Eliades Senior Associate

New York

Dan represents sponsors, debt providers and equity investors in financings and acquisitions of various energy and infrastructure assets, including renewable power and telecommunications infrastructure.

His experience includes drafting and negotiating documentation specific to project finance, tax equity finance, debt finance, and general corporate matters.

Peter Elias Partner

Santa Monica

He regularly assists in the tax planning and structuring of emerging companies and other transactions relevant to their formation and sale, including founder loan share purchases and secondary sales, “Up-C” IPO transactions, obtaining and optimizing “qualified small business stock” tax benefits, conversions of limited liability companies, structuring and documenting “profits interests” and other favorable equity to founders, as well as M&A, joint ventures, equity and debt financings, buyouts, divestitures, and restructurings. He has significant experience in real estate and related transactions, including structuring and tax planning for private equity investment funds, joint ventures, and like kind exchanges and other tax-advantaged exit strategies, including:

• Tax planning and structuring for private equity and venture capital investment vehicles, including the use of parallel or alternative investment vehicles, co-investment vehicles, or other similar structures to accommodate participation by tax-exempt entities and/or non-U.S. parties.
• Implementing tax efficient structures and exit strategies for U.S. real estate projects, joint ventures or similar vehicles, including recapitalizations, in-kind distributions, leveraged recaps, as well as like-kind exchange structures pursuant to tax code section 1031.
• Providing advice and tax structuring for investment funds and related entities in connection with secondary market purchases of debt securities and debt instruments, including distressed debt, as well as related debt modifications, workouts, foreclosures and/or related resolutions.

Pete has spoken and written extensively in areas involving private equity, venture capital, hedge and real estate funds, real estate joint ventures and distressed debt, and private equity transactions.

Pete also is an adjunct professor at the U.C. Irvine School of Law, having created and taught classes focused on Tax Planning for Real Estate Transactions, for both JD and LLM (taxation) students.

Elizabeth J. Elias Partner

New York

Elizabeth has played a key role in numerous pioneering esoteric deals and has extensive experience in the securitization of commercial PACE liens, musical composition and sound recording copyrights, television, movie and other IP royalties, whole business operating companies, diamond receivables, litigation settlement awards, and PDP oil & gas wellbore interests. In addition to her work in esoteric ABS, Elizabeth represents a wide array of market participants, including sponsors, issuers, underwriters, and service providers, in both public and private commercial mortgage-backed securities offerings. 

John Eliason Partner

Washington, D.C.

John advises major financial institutions (tax equity investors and infrastructure funds), lenders, developers, and sponsors, particularly those in the wind, solar, storage, biomass and energy tech space. He helps clients structure financings for their projects to take advantage of federal and state tax incentives, like the Federal production tax credit (PTC), energy investment tax credit (ITC) and accelerated depreciation (MACRS and “bonus”) using partnership flips, sale-leasebacks, public/private partnerships, and other structuring options. He has been particularly focused on providing clients with the latest guidance and opportunities relating to the Inflation Reduction Act, including with respect to Section 6418 tax credit transfers and Section 6417 direct pay opportunities.

Recognized by Chambers USA and Chambers Global in Band 2 for Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy, clients describe John as “extremely knowledgeable, flexible and can put technical jargon into plain terms.” Client sources also state “he knows the tax equity markets very well and is very commercial.”

Prior to law school, John founded an information management company based in Austin, Texas. He is also a veteran of the Texas Army National Guard.

Alexandria Elliott Senior Associate

Sacramento

Known for a strategic and pragmatic approach, Alexandria collaborates with clients to resolve high-risk matters at the earliest opportunity and with the least business disruption. When early resolution isn't possible, Alexandria is a skilled advocate who fights for her clients every step of the way. Alexandria is valued by her clients for her ability to balance defense strategies with business-minded solutions. Alexandria has successfully defended clients in trial and arbitration and helps clients with all types of employment matters, including whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate, FMLA and CFRA claims, breach of employment contract, and equal pay claims. When she's not litigating, Alexandria enjoys partnering with clients to set them up for success through thoughtful advice and counsel.

Alexandria maintains an active pro bono case load and recently won a prisoner appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to joining Orrick, Alexandria worked as a litigation associate in Kirkland & Ellis's San Francisco office. Before that, Alexandria was a law clerk for the Honorable Bobby R. Baldock of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Gina M. Groh of the Northern District of West Virginia. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she graduated second in her class.

Siegfried Elsing, Prof. Dr. LL.M. (Yale) Partner

Düsseldorf

He has acted as counsel, presiding arbitrator, sole arbitrator, or chairman in more than 300 arbitration proceedings, including ad hoc proceedings and arbitrations under the rules of the leading arbitration institutions.

As counsel, he represents private investors, international corporations, sovereign states, and state-owned enterprises in a range of significant, complex, and often cross-border disputes.

In addition to counsel work and acting as an arbitrator, Siegfried also acts as an expert witness before German courts as well as courts in the United States and the United Kingdom and before regulatory institutions.

His experience includes disputes in the areas of M&A, energy, investment protection, engineering and construction, financing, joint ventures, and intellectual property.

He is admitted to practice as an attorney-at-law in both Germany and New York.

Chambers Global 2024 describes Siegfried as a "star individual" who is "often appointed as arbitrator in complex international arbitrations" and is also "a leading practitioner in the field of investment arbitration" with "extensive experience as an arbitrator in investment law cases".

Siegfried was a member of the Advisory Board of the American Arbitration Association (2009 to 2020) and a member of the Panel of Conciliators of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) (2011 to 2017). He was a member of the Board of the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) (2012 to 2022) and has been a member of the DIS Council (since 2022). He was also Chairman of the Mediation Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) (2007-2008).

He is co-editor of the German Arbitration Journal (Zeitschrift für Schiedsverfahren (SchiedsVZ)). He regularly lectures and publishes on international arbitration and comparative law. Siegfried is also honorary professor at the Faculty of Law at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, where he has been teaching international commercial arbitration and international civil procedure law for 25 years. Since 2013, he represents the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as Honorary Consul in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Siegfried Elsing co-founded the German law firm Hölters & Elsing in 1989 and has overseen the merger with Orrick in 2008.

Hagit Muriel Elul Partner

New York

Hagit represents clients in international arbitrations across the world under the rules of all the major arbitral institutions including the ICDR/AAA, ICC and LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, JAMS and CPR and in cross-border disputes in courts across the United States. She has also served as an expert witness on New York law in proceedings in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Hagit is recognised as ‘a force to be reckoned with’ (Legal 500) who ‘thinks ten steps ahead’’ (Chambers) and has “astonishing legal skills”, including the ability “to analyze and sharpen arguments”. She was recognized as one of a select group of "Distinguished Leaders" by New York Law Journal (2021).

Hagit regularly teaches courses on arbitration and advocacy skills, sits as arbitrator and frequently writes and lectures on topics related to international business disputes. She is a member of the ICC Court of International Arbitration Commission, former chair of the Arbitration Committee of the International Institute of Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), a current member of the CPR Council, ICC Commission, and a founding Board Member of the New York International Arbitration Center.

Lois Emmanuel Associate

Silicon Valley

Carsten Engelings Counsel

Düsseldorf

Carsten advises on all sorts of German tax and accounting issues arising for industry clients, financial institutions and private equity funds. Mainly focusing on corporate and real estate transactions and restructurings. He also advises and represents clients with respect to tax field audits and in tax litigation against the fiscal administration and before German fiscal and civil courts. Prior to joining Orrick Carsten completed his legal traineeship in both national and international law firms.