People

Yali Hu Senior Associate

Beijing

Yali assists local- and foreign-based multinational companies with all aspects of their intellectual property rights in China, Europe and the United States, including Section 337 U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) litigation. Yali has extensional experience in patent, trademark, domain name, copyright and trade secret.

Yali’s intellectual property-related services include patent filing and subsequent maintenance affairs for her clients.

John MacKerron Senior Counsel

New York

Martha Wang Managing Associate

Beijing

Martha regularly represents Chinese and international clients in cross-border M&A, private equity investments and financings, joint ventures, foreign direct investments and other compliance matters.

She has represented clients from a broad range of industries, including TMT, financial services, healthcare, consumer products, energy, manufacturing, etc.

In addition, she has experience in handling initial public offerings, debt and equity securities offerings, pre-IPO investments, as well as advising on restructuring, employment, antitrust, and general corporate matters.

Senior Counsel

San Francisco

Before his retirement as a partner, he was also the Partner-in-Charge of Lawyer Development for a number of years. While still practicing, he served at times as the firm’s General Counsel, Executive Director, Peer Review Committee Chair and member of the Partner Compensation Committee. He still acts as an advisor to the firm on matters affecting lawyer development.

Tom concentrated his practice in banking and commercial transactions. He represented banks and other financial institutions in a variety of transactions, including syndicated and single-lender credit agreements (both secured and unsecured), project financings, public finance transactions, and “synthetic” and other lease arrangements. As a lecturer and panelist, Tom frequently spoke at seminars on a range of topics related to his practice.

He served for several years as co-counsel of the International Bankers Association in California. He has been a member of the State Bar of California’s Business Law Section’s Financial Institutions Committee and Uniform Commercial Code Committee. In addition, he has been a member of the San Francisco Symphony’s Business Gifts Committee.

Before joining Orrick, Tom was Vice President and Counsel at California First Bank (now Union Bank of California) in San Francisco. He was a visiting attorney at Clifford-Turner (now Clifford Chance), Solicitors, in London.

Carol Yan Senior Associate

Beijing

Carol’s practice focuses on patent filing and prosecution, patent-related legal advice and patent litigation across a broad range of industries, including chemistry, materials science, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, semiconductor and auto mechanics. Carol has extensional experience in patent, trademark, domain name, copyright and trade secret.

Before joining Orrick, Carol worked with Lung Tin International Property Agent Ltd. and in Jones Day’s Beijing Office.

Mimiao Hu Of Counsel

Beijing

Her work has included trademark and copyright protection strategies, intellectual property litigation, unfair competition, intellectual property due diligence, cybersquatting and related technology issues. Mimiao has also advised clients on export regulation of military and dual-use items and customs regulation in China. In addition, Mimiao works extensively on cybersecurity & data privacy issues for both Chinese and international clients.

Prior to joining Orrick, Mimiao was a senior associate in the Beijing and Shanghai offices of a major PRC law firm.

WC Managing Atty

San Francisco

Ashley works on single plaintiff and class action cases, defending against discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage claims. She also advises employers on employment policies and practices, including compliance with evolving pay transparency laws.

Before becoming a lawyer, Ashley worked in education. She was also a 2020 Pro Bono Orrick Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, where she practiced eviction defense and special education law.

Neil Wolk Senior Counsel

New York

Neil has spent the bulk of his career working on both tax-exempt and taxable financings for public power clients including joint action agencies, municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. He has had many roles in these financings including bond counsel, counsel to the underwriters and counsel to credit enhancers.

Over his career, Neil has worked on financings for joint action agencies and municipal utilities such as Gainesville (Florida) Regional Utilities, Intermountain Power Agency, JEA, Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power), Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and WPPI Energy. The transactions in which Neil has participated have included public offerings, private placements, system and project financings, tax-exempt and taxable financings, secured and unsecured debt, senior and subordinated debt, fixed rate and variable rate debt and derivatives and he has had extensive experience in drafting documents for all of these types of financings. In addition, he has considerable experience with all types of disclosure issues encountered by electric utilities.

Neil also has been involved in a number of transactions involving the acquisition of utility companies and/or utility properties.

Recently, Neil represented MEAG Power in the financing of its undivided ownership interest in the first new nuclear generating facilities constructed on U.S. soil in over 30 years, which involved both taxable and tax-exempt capital markets debt, along with U.S. Department of Energy-guaranteed debt, and which was selected by The Financial Times as one of the most Innovative Deals of 2011.

Before joining Orrick, Neil was a partner at Mudge Rose Guthrie Alexander & Ferdon in New York.

Robert Owen Sr Litigation Career Associate

Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)

Prior to joining Orrick, Robert was a Senior Associate in the Pittsburgh, PA office of the global law firm Reed Smith LLP and a Senior Attorney at Houston Harbaugh, P.C., also in Pittsburgh.  At Reed Smith and Houston Harbaugh, Robert represented clients in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, with a focus on product liability, mass/toxic tort defense, and commercial contract disputes, including insurance coverage matters.  Robert has represented numerous companies in environmental, toxic tort, and asbestos litigation on a national level.  Robert also has represented both policyholders and insurers in insurance contract litigation.  He has extensive experience litigating complex matters in state and federal courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution.

Ben Spitz Counsel

Tokyo

Ben works with innovative technology companies and the investors who back them, focusing on those that operate in the blockchain, web3, NFT, and cryptocurrency sectors or have a relationship to Japan.

Drawing from his in-house experience at a global cryptocurrency exchange, Ben has a keen understanding of the challenges faced by high-growth companies developing transformative technologies and products in a regulated industry. He has also gained insight into both the Silicon Valley and Japanese tech and venture ecosystems, having previously worked in the Palo Alto office of another major law firm before practicing in Japan.

Not admitted in Japan.

Lu (Echo) Wang Senior Associate

Beijing

Her practice focuses on advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets and SEC compliance matters.

Jie Jeffrey Sun Partner

Beijing

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.