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2704 items matching filters

Practice:

  • Employment Law & Litigation
  • Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation
  • Internal Investigations
  • Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Class Action Defense

Ernan Kiselica Managing Associate

Orange County

Before joining Orrick, Ernan served as a law clerk for the Honorable Mary H. Murguia of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable David G. Campbell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Ernan earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where he served as Executive Editor on the California Law Review. He also earned a Masters in Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Austria) and a B.S. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University.

740

Practice:

  • Mass Torts & Product Liability
  • Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Trade Secrets Litigation
  • International Arbitration & Dispute Resolution
  • Class Action Defense
  • 3D Printing

Christopher Vejnoska Senior Counsel to the Office of General Counsel

San Francisco

In his practice, Chris has been a first chair trial lawyer with more than 30 years of experience handling high stakes, precedent-setting cases, particularly in the products liability arena. His most recent products liability engagements included serving as trial counsel for a large talc company, including trying to conclusion one of the very first mesothelioma cases against it, and leading a cross-office international and national team defending multiple Chinese companies in a historic MDL. At times, a client asked Chris to lead five or more trial teams in products cases in a single year.

Chris also has acted as national counsel for companies facing thousands of mass tort product liability claims and complex, multiparty class action litigation, and has counseled multinational companies entangled in lengthy, enterprise-threatening litigation and negotiated legal and business solutions involving billions of dollars. He has extensive experience in complex and commercial litigation, ranging from insurance recovery disputes to trade secrets issues, and has significant experience in assisting foreign aerospace companies with international arbitration disputes with first-tier aircraft manufacturers.

Earlier in his career, Chris represented large public companies in mergers, acquisitions, strategic investments and private financings; private companies in initial public offerings; and emerging growth companies in general corporate matters. Chris' transactional experience also offers clients a unique perspective on risk mitigation strategies to avoid costly litigation in the future.

Chris also chaired Orrick’s Risk Management Committee and served on its Operations Team.  Prior to joining the firm, Chris was a partner at Clifford Chance and a partner at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, where he was a member of the Policy Committee, a member of the Executive Committee, Chair of the Risk Management Committee and Chair of the Hiring Committee.

Practice:

  • Cyber, Privacy & Data Innovation
  • Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Class Action Defense
  • Trials
  • Life Sciences & HealthTech

Whitney-Ann Mulhauser Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

Whitney-Ann counsels and represents individual and corporate clients through all stages of litigation with a focus on cybersecurity and privacy issues, including data breach class actions. She has extensive experience in state and federal court and before arbitral tribunals. She can be trusted to jump into a case at any stage to help drive strategy and obtain favorable results. In addition to routinely helping clients obtain early victories through successful motions practice, she has served as a key member on multiple trial teams, including obtaining an important defense verdict after a multi-week trial for a high-profile client.  She was named a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in 2026 for her work in Commercial Litigation, Class Action Defense, and Mass Torts.

Whitney-Ann formerly taught a practical course on civil discovery in federal courts as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

Whitney-Ann was previously a litigation associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. After law school, she served as the judicial law clerk to the Honorable Judge Ivan D. Davis, United States Magistrate in the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria division.

Whitney-Ann maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on immigration relief for children, families fleeing violence at home, and civil rights and housing issues.

460279

Practice:

  • Infrastructure
  • Renewable Energy
  • Energy & Infrastructure
  • Energy

Rebecca Caspar-Vazzoler Career Associate

New York

She supports clients in the energy and infrastructure spaces through development, financing, construction and operation of their projects, often working to develop novel and bespoke legal solutions. 

Practice:

  • Employment Law & Litigation

Hélène Boukez Of Counsel

Paris

With over 15 years' experience in employment law, Hélène leverages her expertise to advise clients across all aspects of non-contentious and contentious employment law.

In particular, she assists companies of all sizes with restructurings, helping them to choose the most appropriate legal structure to bring their plans to fruition, as well as their strategic approach to employees, staff and union representatives, employment authorities and other stakeholders.

Hélène also advises employers on the management of sensitive situations, such as senior departures, the management of RPS issues, particularly in the event of alerts requiring investigations, and the management of relations with employee and union representatives.

As required, she also directly assists employers in their negotiations with unions or in mediations.

Her approach combines technical excellence with a strategic dimension, focusing on pragmatic, operational solutions.

Hélène is committed to providing comprehensive support, tailored to the specific needs of each company and considering the particularities of each case.

432596

Practice:

  • Financial & Fintech Advisory
  • Strategic Advisory & Government Enforcement (SAGE)
  • Fintech

Melissa Klimkiewicz Senior Counsel

Washington, D.C.

She frequently assists Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgagees with their program approval efforts, annual recertifications, compliance with and understanding of program rules and self-reporting obligations, audits by the Quality Assurance Division (QAD), inquiries from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and enforcement actions by the Mortgagee Review Board (MRB). Melissa performs similar work related to the Ginnie Mae, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 184, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA Department) and U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service loan programs. Her work also includes assisting clients with False Claims Act (FCA)-based risk assessments arising from participation in government lending programs. She represents both mortgage and reverse mortgage/Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) lenders and servicers.

In addition, Melissa’s practice focuses on the mandatory purchase of flood insurance requirements under the Flood Disaster Protection Act, which includes regularly advising lenders and servicers on the ins and outs of the federal banking agencies’, FHA’s and the government sponsored enterprises’ (GSE) flood insurance-related regulations and guidance. She also assists clients with satisfying Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other regulators’ expectations for providing assistance to consumers impacted by presidentially declared disasters.

Melissa frequently counsels clients in matters arising under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), Mortgage Acts and Practices Rule (MAP), the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act (SAFE) and related state licensing laws, state regulation of real estate brokers and property managers, and a range of other federal and state consumer financial laws impacting lending and servicing.

Melissa has been recognized by The Legal 500 in the Financial Services: Litigation practice area. She is a former Co-Chair (2014-2017) and Co-Vice Chair (2011-2014) of the Housing Finance Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee. She also is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association and National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association.

Prior to joining Orrick, Melissa was senior counsel and a former partner at Buckley LLP. Previously, she was an associate at Howrey LLP and was a law clerk at Buckley Kolar LLP while attending law school.