People

Partner

Geneva; Paris

Hervé represents French and international financial institutions, corporates, sponsors, investors, insurance companies, asset managers and alternative capital providers on French and cross border transactions. He advises on banking, structured finance, securitization, and capital markets transactions.

Hervé has worked on numerous complex, strategic and/or innovative transactions (including many firsts in France and Europe) such as international securitization transactions, covered bonds, corporate structured bonds, project bonds, debt funds and the establishment of dedicated origination and refinancing platforms. He also acted on transactions for financing or refinancing purposes (including liquidity), and for off-balance sheet or regulatory capital purposes. As such, he has developed particular skills in handling multi-jurisdictions and multi-practices transactions.

He has developed a substantial experience in the energy and infrastructure sector in the context of financing and refinancing transactions, using classical bank structures as well as Euro PP, bond and project bond structures, specialized credit institutions and dedicated debt funds.

Hervé is described by his clients as a “key person” for structured finance deals, noting: “when we've got a problem, he's there. We know we can count on him”. Clients further comment: “He is dedicated and innovative, and an expert in is field. We see him as a business partner of ours, rather than a lawyer”.

Hervé is an active participant in drafting securitization and structured finance legislation and regulations in France. Hervé regularly publishes and speaks in relation to structure finance markets and related points of interest and deals.

Before joining Orrick in 2016, Hervé was a partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP where he worked for 20 years, including 18 years as a partner.

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.

Managing Associate

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.

Chris R. Ottenweller Senior Counsel

Silicon Valley

Chris has served as first-chair counsel in more than 75 cases, successfully resolving virtually every one of them; and has tried many cases to judgment, in all types of forums, including jury trials, bench trials, the ITC and arbitrations. His cases involve cutting-edge legal issues and run the full gamut of technologies, including data storage, mobile devices, semiconductors, computers, graphical user interfaces, flash memory and many other technologies.

Chris has been recognized by clients, peers, and multiple publications as a leading lawyer in the IP field. He has been honored by The National Law Journal as one of "50 Intellectual Property Trailblazers and Pioneers," by IP Law360 as an Intellectual Property MVP, by Managing Intellectual Property as an "IP Star," by Chambers USA as a Leading Attorney in Intellectual Property, and by The Daily Journal as one of the "Top 75 IP Litigators" in California. A number of his victories have been profiled by The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, The National Law Journal and National Public Radio.

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.

Xiang Wang Partner

Beijing; New York

Xiang is a Guiding Expert of the China Overseas IP Dispute Response & Guidance Center.

He also serves several consultancy roles for local regulatory authorities, including as IP Guiding Expert of Shenzhen IP Protection Center; IP Guiding Expert of Zhejiang Province IP Protection Center; IP Consultant of Technology Innovation Bureau of Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Management Committee (Jiangsu Province); Expert of IP Dispute Investigation and Appraisal of Foshan Market Supervision and Administration Bureau (Guangdong Province); Expert for Overseas IP Protection and Assistance of Foshan Intellectual Property Bureau (Guangdong Province); and Guiding Expert of Shantou Overseas IP Center and Shunde Enterprise IP Protection Center (Guangdong Province).

Dr. Wang is an arbitrator of Beijing Arbitration Commission and Beijing International Arbitration Center.

Xiang has extensive experience in assisting local and foreign-based multinational companies with all aspects of their IP rights in the U.S. and China, including IP litigation and arbitration, patent infringement, industrial espionage, trade secret misappropriation, copyright and trademark infringement, ITC Sec. 337 investigations, patent office proceedings including inter partes reviews (IPR), IP due diligence and portfolio counseling, technology export control, mass torts and product liability, securities litigation, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other investigations and compliance. These matters have implicated a vast array of technologies, from software and electronics to renewable energy and medical devices as well as agricultural and building materials, to name just a few.

Xiang also works extensively on cybersecurity investigations and data privacy compliance matters for both Chinese and international clients.

Xiang has been particularly active in Chinese state-owned enterprises related U.S. litigation. Clients turn to his strategic and innovative advice thanks to his in-depth understanding of their business needs and political risks. Clients appreciate that he “understood the environment in the China legal system and can give nuanced advice”.

Xiang has developed the region’s premier IP practice based on his reputation as one of the few IP lawyers who has a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering, a Juris Doctor, a Chinese Certificate of Laws, and admission to practice law in New York, Indiana and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Due to its success in patent disputes in the United States and China, involving both foreign and Chinese companies, Orrick IP team was exclusively featured in a documentary film “Patent Wars” by the China Central Television (CCTV).

Xiang is highly regarded for his practical legal advice that results from more than ten years of experience at medical and electronic device businesses before becoming a lawyer. He also has received four U.S. medical-technology patents in his name.

Robert Allsbrook Of Counsel

New York

Colby has deep experience in financial services, asset-backed security and mortgage-related litigation, and has been at the forefront of litigation arising out of the financial crisis.

Prior to joining Orrick, he was a Director and senior litigation counsel at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, where he chaired the firm's Mortgage Securities Litigation Task Force and helped direct the bank's litigation response to the mortgage crisis. He previously practiced law in the New York offices of King & Spalding and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.

John MacKerron Senior Counsel

New York

David Halperin Senior Advisor

Before attending law school, David served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1966-1970, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander (U.S.N.R.) and serving from 1969-70 as a Special Assistant to Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Commander of Naval Forces, Vietnam and later Chief of Naval Operations. From 1970-1971, he served as Personal Assistant to Dr. Henry Kissinger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. After law school, David joined Davis Polk & Wardell in New York from 1974-1976 before moving to the Hong Kong office of Coudert Brothers in 1976. He became a partner of Coudert Brothers in 1983 and joined the Hong Kong office of Orrick in 2005. 

Lu (Echo) Wang Senior Associate

Beijing

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

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.