London
Leading a “straightforward and solutions-focused” team in London who are “exceptionally good and very highly respected globally”, Nicola is listed and noted for her “business-oriented approach” in Lexology Index and recognised by Chambers and Partners as “an excellent lawyer” who is “extremely responsive, commercially astute and pragmatic” and “an absolute pleasure to work with”, with clients praising her “solution orientated” nature, “very good sense of customer service” and her ability to “get to the heart of a legal problem very quickly” and “simplify complex legal matters into understandable chunks”.
Nicola is also recognised as a Leading Partner by Legal 500 UK. Clients describe her as "responsive, quick, pragmatic, and a joy to work with," making in-house counsel's life "a lot easier." Her calm and sensible advice has been invaluable in stressful employment disputes, earning her the reputation of an "outstanding employment law practitioner." Nicola's strong technical expertise, deep understanding of her clients' businesses, and commercial pragmatism make her a "pleasure to work with."
Furthermore, Nicola is lauded as "superb – clever, technical, accessible, commercial, and a thoroughly decent lawyer and human being," with tremendous respect from peers and clients alike. Her broad range of experience and cost-effective solutions are highly valued, as is her ability to provide expert legal advice and counsel tailored to the practical needs of businesses. Nicola is also trusted for independent investigation work and legal ethics-related advice.
She is a member of the International Committee of the Employment Lawyer's Association.
Singapore
Leveraging more than 10 years of experience advising sponsors, investors, project companies, developers and financiers (including ECAs and commercial banks), Deska excels in getting complex projects across the renewable energy, conventional energy and infrastructure sectors over the line. She is experienced in advising on international cross border financings in Asia and the Middle East.
As a native Indonesian who spent over a decade of practicing law in Indonesia, Deska is adept at navigating Indonesia's intricate regulatory framework and possesses expertise in closing complicated projects for various stakeholders.
Prior to joining Orrick, Deska practiced law at a magic circle law firm in Jakarta and in Tokyo. Deska has also interned at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and worked as an associate at a boutique oil and gas law firm in Indonesia.
Houston
Prior to joining Orrick, John served as a mergers & acquisitions associate in the Houston office of an international law firm.
Silicon Valley
Michael’s practice covers executive agreements, cash and equity-based incentive programs, change in control and severance plans, 409A and other deferred compensation issues and 280G “golden parachute” compliance, as well as compensation and benefits structuring in the context of mergers and acquisitions.
Michael authors the chapter “Executive Compensation and Benefits Issues for Start-ups and Emerging Companies” within Bloomberg BNA’s Benefits Practice Resource Center treatise.
From 2005 to 2010, Michael was a statistician with a Stanford University School of Medicine research group.
Miami
Ken is recognized as a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500 and named “Lawyer of the Year” in Miami for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law by Best Lawyers.
Sacramento; Silicon Valley
Sacramento; Silicon Valley
Blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies have caused business leaders to rethink the way we own, govern and share the benefits of enterprise. James advises entrepreneurs and investors as they pioneer new, more inclusive operating models in professional sports, finance, social media, gaming, agriculture and other industries.
To do this, James draws from two complementary sources of experience. The first is his practice assisting public companies, private equity funds and venture capitalists with registered and unregistered securities offerings; high-stakes M&A; corporate governance; and Exchange Act reporting. The second is his experience advising clients outside the Wall Street and Silicon Valley mainstream, including cooperatives, limited cooperative associations and nonprofit corporations. By combining these two worlds, James is able to offer unexpected legal solutions to blockchain-based companies as they seek venture financing, design and issue tokens, and select business entities for DAOs.
James also appreciates the inherently global reach of blockchain and cryptocurrency. After law school, he spent two years clerking for the US Court of International Trade in New York City. Before that, James lived for two years in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Mariupol. James is fluent in Russian and maintains ties with his friends in the war zone.