Among the attributes that contributed to his Hall of Fame selection were:
Recognized and sought out for his ability to apply his unusually extensive and diverse experience to solve problems as they arise and develop new programs or financial structures, and for his expertise and judgment in securities laws and disclosure.
Dedicated to helping bring about projects and programs (whether sponsored by public entities, nonprofit corporations or for-profit enterprises) that provide a public benefit and make people’s lives better.
Having led the development of the housing and healthcare practices at Orrick, his recent focus has been on governmental transactions, all manner of non-profit corporations, public private partnerships (P3), portfolio sales, securitizations, energy and water efficiency programs, student, senior and workforce housing, pool programs, new financial structures and programs and applications of Public Finance Authority (created in Wisconsin to finance any type of project or program in any state or territory).
Some of those new financial structures and programs have included pension obligation bonds, variable rate lease financing, and, more recently, joint powers authority ownership structure (turning private activity projects or projects not generally eligible for tax-exempt financing into tax-exempt governmental purpose bonds; for example, for middle income workforce housing), and energy and other infrastructure as a service (P3, simplifying procurement, off balance sheet).
Responsibility for legislation crucial to the scope and operation of California public finance, including California Health Facility Financing Authority, California School Finance Authority, changes to joint power authority law that helped propel California Statewide Communities Development Authority and California Municipal Finance Authority into two of the most prolific issuers in the country, local agency refunding law, authorizations for swaps, investment agreements and other derivative products, creation of security interests, streamlining validation actions, and in several other states including Hawaii and creation of Public Finance Authority in Wisconsin.
Chair of Orrick’s Public finance department for several decades through 2020, during which he presided over the growth of the department from one office with 12 lawyers in San Francisco to 10 offices and over 100 lawyers and paralegals around the country, consistently ranked (for more than 2 decades now) as number one bond counsel and disclosure counsel, and within the top four underwriter counsel, for bonds issued by state and local governments throughout the United States. During this period, he also held a number of other leadership positions at Orrick, including several terms on its Executive Committee and on the Management Committee of Orrick’s wholly owned subsidiary, BLX Group, LLC (providing the public finance community with a variety of non-legal services).
In addition to his selection by The Bond Buyer for its Public Finance Hall of Fame, Roger is ranked Band 1 by Chambers, and as Acritas Star Lawyer by Acritas, as Dealmaker of the Year (twice) by American Lawyer, as “best,” “super,” “most honored,” “preeminent” or “lawyer of the year” by several other publications, and declared “the Bond King” in a cover article by California Lawyer.
With a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the technology and innovation market, Livia regularly advises early and late-stage companies on both single and multi-tranche investment rounds, secondaries, bridge financings, LBOs, buyouts and other types of exits, mergers, and corporate reorganisations. She has worked with international innovative companies from their inception and has also advised many of the key venture capital and private equity investors in the Italian and international markets.
Alongside her focus on technologies, she has acquired specific experience in the healthcare sector by working alongside one of the world-leading groups in the laboratory analysis sector, from its entry onto the national scene to the consolidation of its leadership position in Italy through M&A transactions.
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.
Katie's litigation experience includes reviewing documents, assisting with trial and witness preparation, drafting motions, oppositions, and replies, and preparing expert reports. Katie has also worked with appellate teams, assisting with briefs and preparing for oral argument before the Supreme Court. Her trademark prosecution and transactional experience includes trademark clearance, applications, oppositions, drafting cease and desist letters in both copyright and trademark matters, and representing parties on both sides of Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy disputes.
Katie is a graduate of the Franklin Pierce University of New Hampshire School of Law. While in law school, she externed for the Honorable Joseph Laplante of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. She also participated in the IP & Transactional Clinic and published a paper on trademark registrability for political slogans. She focused her studies on the Intellectual Property and Sports and Entertainment fields, obtaining specialization certificates in Intellectual Property Law, Sports Law, and Entertainment Law. Katie also received the Sports and Entertainment Institute's Entertainment Award in 2020.
Able to quickly understand complex technology in the litigation context, Travis is particularly well-suited to resolve patent disputes involving semiconductor processes and circuits such as NAND flash memory, microcontrollers, wireless payment technologies, and related areas. After earning advanced degrees in electrical engineering, and before embarking on his legal career, Travis worked at Intel Corp. and co-founded a fabless semiconductor design company.
Travis has used his distinctive skillset to litigate technically complex patent cases to verdict, and obtain favorable settlements for several of the world’s leading technology companies such as Microchip, Synopsys, AT&T, and SanDisk. Travis has successfully first chaired patent and non-patent jury cases to verdict in federal and state court, including while on secondment to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Travis has handled numerous appeals before the Federal Circuit, and, as a registered patent attorney, served as lead and back-up counsel in post-grant proceedings (inter partes review and ex parte reexamination) at the PTO.
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.
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