People

Cynthia Larsen Partner

Sacramento

She has handled appellate matters in the U.S. Supreme Court, various federal appellate courts and in the California Supreme Court and appellate courts. She is a veteran trial attorney and has applied her experience as a former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney to serving corporate and governmental clients. She recently served for five years as the partner-in-charge of Orrick’s Sacramento office. She also served for several years as head of Orrick’s Litigation Training Program and as vice-chair of the firm’s Litigation Division.

Before joining Orrick, Cynthia was an attorney at Condon & Forsyth in Washington, D.C. from 1982 to 1985. Prior to that, she was a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where she served in the Honors Program and specialized in civil trial work. Representative cases handled by Cynthia on behalf of the United States include: Sweet v. United States, 528 F.Supp. 1068 (D.S.D. 1081), aff’d, 687 F.2d 246 (8th Cir. 1982) (trial counsel); Pike v. United States, 652 F.2d 31 (9th Cir. 1981) (trial and appellate counsel); Gaspard v. United States, 544 F.Supp. 55 (E.D.La. 1982); Marek v. United States, 639 F.2d 1164 (5th Cir. 1981) (trial counsel).

Cynthia frequently writes and lectures on litigation topics. She serves as a pro tem settlement conference judge for the Sacramento Superior Court and as a federal court mediator.

In addition to being admitted in California, Cynthia is also admitted in Idaho (inactive) and the District of Columbia (inactive).

Thomas Wyatt Laryea Counsel

Washington, D.C.

Thomas formerly served as Assistant General Counsel at the International Monetary Fund, where he was responsible for the IMF’s legal relations in finance and economic surveillance with each of its member countries. As the only senior IMF lawyer in private practice, he offers distinctive insights to asset managers, real money investors and hedge funds on sovereign debt and restructurings as well as large scale corporate restructurings and project financings. His practice bridges legal and strategic advice on the transactional, public policy and dispute resolution aspects of international finance and investment.

Thomas has advised on several recent high-profile sovereign debt restructurings, including representing the Argentina Creditor Committee on the restructuring of $65 billion of Argentina’s foreign currency bonds. He also recently represented the Steering Members of the Committee on Bondholders in the reprofiling of Belize’s bonds.

He is recognized as a key lawyer in the Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Municipal category of The Legal 500 US 2022 directory. A client remarked that he “provided invaluable advice on the IMF policies, individual personalities and missions which helped us to understand the sovereign’s priorities with the IMF” that “will then frame our negotiations with the sovereign.” “Thomas is highly respected in the sovereign restructuring space.”

Thomas is an active thought leader and has published numerous articles on sovereign debt and international finance.

Nicholas Laveris Of Counsel

New York

Nicholas A. Laveris is Of Counsel in Orrick's Restructuring Group. Nick advises investment banks, commercial banks, broker-dealers, hedge funds and other financial institutions on legal issues related to the purchase and sale of domestic and international par and distressed assets, including bilateral loans, syndicated loans, loan participations and derivative structured products.

Nick also represents clients in the purchase and sale of claims in bankruptcy, including administrative claims and trade claims. In addition, Nick represents clients in the purchase and sale of securities and other equity instruments arising out of restructurings and bankruptcy proceedings. Nick has extensive experience in working on transactions under the LSTA and LMA regimes, as well as negotiating bespoke documentation. Nick's work involves transactions throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and the United States. Nick is an active member of the Loan Syndications and Trade Association and the Loan Market Association.

Prior to joining Orrick, Nick was an associate at Mayer Brown LLP.

Joe Lawlor Partner

Houston

He assists global energy companies, private equity funds, renewables developers, management teams, and integrated oil and gas companies with complex commercial transactions in the renewables and oil and gas industries. He represents his clients in connection with the development, repowering, acquisition, and divestiture of wind, solar and energy storage projects, the acquisition and divestiture of upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas projects, the formation of joint ventures, and other corporate governance and legal due diligence matters.

Amanda Lawrence Partner

Washington, D.C.

She is a trusted adviser to and first call in high-stakes litigation and enforcement matters, including government investigations, regulatory examinations, class action and complex litigation, and internal investigations. Her matters include investigations, examinations, and enforcement actions before the CFPB, FTC, federal and state bank regulators and state attorneys general, including defending a leading bank in one of the CFPB’s first enforcement actions—a joint investigation and enforcement action with the FDIC.

Amanda also represents clients in bet the company litigation, including financial institutions and lenders in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) matters, consumer class actions and other complex civil litigation matters.

Amanda is well versed in all aspects of her clients’ business and is known for providing thoughtful and practical advice. She leverages her experience with litigation and enforcement agencies to stay ahead of regulatory trends impacting the finance and fintech industries. Key among these is data monetization and regulators’ heightened focus on how data is collected, used, stored and transferred. Amanda’s practice started in the cyber and privacy spheres, and today she helps clients manage compliance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and Regulation P, the Safeguards Rule, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Amanda formerly served as a member of Orrick's Management Committee. Prior to joining Orrick, Amanda was a partner at Buckley LLP, where she was a member of the partner board. She also has an active pro bono practice.

Maiten Le Brishoual Senior Associate

Paris

Maïten advises clients on French and international development, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and real estate investments. She also advises companies and high net worth individuals on the management and transfer of their assets, management incentives, tax audits and litigations.

She also has a strong experience on M&A Insurance/Contingent Tax Risk.

Prior to joining Orrick, Maïten worked in a leading French law firm.