Orrick's newest partner class represents many of the firm's practice groups, including intellectual property, global finance, litigation, antitrust, tax, corporate and public finance.
"We are thrilled to admit such a diverse group of lawyers to our partnership this year," said Ralph Baxter, Chairman and CEO of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. "We believe that each of them will contribute materially and directly to the pursuit of our strategic objectives and the long-term economic welfare of our firm."
The firm's new partners include:
Brooke Abola. Brooke is a member of the firm’s Public Finance Group and is based in San Francisco. She has significant experience with transportation, water and power revenue bonds in California and Guam. Brooke received her J.D. from Harvard University in 2003 and her A.B. from Harvard in 1998.
Sarah Downie. Sarah is a member of the firm’s Compensation & Benefits Group and is based in New York. She advises plan sponsors, employers, management and executives on all aspects of compensation and employee benefits, including retirement plan and health and welfare plan benefits, and has particular expertise with respect to issues of employee benefit plan fiduciary governance. She also has broad experience in the ERISA implications of various plan investments and investment formats. Sarah received her J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University in 1995.
Elyse Echtman
Elyse is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group and is based in New York. She focuses her practice on commercial litigation, product liability, international arbitration and accountant liability. Elyse received her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A., "with distinction in all subjects," from Cornell University.
John Ewald
John is a member of the firm's Litigation Group and is based in New York. He focuses his practice on litigating complex matters in federal and state trial and appellate courts, with an emphasis on mass torts, product liability and class actions. John received both his J.D. and B.A. from the University of Texas.
Richard Jacobsen
Rich is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group and is based in New York. He represents clients in diverse industries, including many that are highly regulated, such as the finance, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, computer and consumer goods industries. Much of his practice involves the intersection of litigation and public policy advocacy. Rich received his J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2003 and his B.A. from Boston College in 1999.
Antony Kim
Tony is a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Litigation practices and is based in Washington, D.C. He represents clients in investigations before the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, and in litigation, related to strategic mergers and joint ventures, as well as non-merger antitrust conduct matters. Tony also is active in counseling and regulatory investigations involving a broad array of consumer-facing issues, including online privacy, data security and breach response, and sales & marketing. Tony received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2003 and his B.A. from Yale University in 1998.
Alexander Lathrop
Alex is a member of the firm’s Insurance Group and is based in Washington, D.C. He focuses on the resolution of insurance coverage disputes on behalf of policyholders, whether through litigation, alternative dispute resolution, or negotiation. Alex has assisted companies in a wide array of industries to recover losses under every major form of insurance coverage, including Commercial General Liability, Directors & Officers Liability, Employment Practices Liability, and First Party Property Damage/Business Interruption insurance. Alex received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1999 and his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1991.
Khai LeQuang
Khai is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group and is based in Los Angeles. His practice focuses on consumer class actions, unfair competition, and business torts, and also includes a broad range of areas, including products liability, internet law, secured transactions, insurance, antitrust, corporate disputes, and employment litigation. Khai received his J.D. from the University of Southern California (USC) in 1999 and his B.A., magna cum laude, from USC in 1995.
Richard Martinelli
Rich is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group and is based in New York. He has significant experience in patent litigation, patent prosecution and client counseling, and has litigated patents at trial and on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also has counseled clients and rendered opinions on patent validity, infringement and freedom to use. Rich received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School in 2000, and he received a B.S.E.E., cum laude, from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1997.
Nikiforos Mathews
Nik is a member of the firm’s Global Finance Group and is based in New York. His practice focuses on representing financial institutions, governmental and regulated entities, hedge funds and corporate end-users in the structuring and negotiation of a broad range of over-the-counter fixed income, foreign exchange, credit and equity derivative products. He also advises clients on the impact of regulatory changes, including the Dodd-Frank legislation. Nik received his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 1996, where he was an Editor of the Cardozo Law Review, and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Notre Dame in 1993.
Warrington Parker
Warrington is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group and is based in San Francisco. His practice focuses on the representation of defendants and plaintiffs in litigation matters and appeals, including criminal matters, trade secrets misappropriation and commercial disputes. He also has argued numerous cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and California Court of Appeal. Warrington received his J.D. from Harvard School of Law in 1989 and his A.B. from Princeton University in 1986.
Kevin Roche
Kevin is a member of the firm’s Public Finance Group and is based in New York. He has experience serving as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel and borrower's counsel in various revenue bond financings, including those relating to multi-family housing, higher education, public power, sewer and water systems, hospitals and various not-for-profit organizations. His general obligation work includes serving as disclosure counsel to the City of New York, special counsel to the Comptroller of the State of New York, bond and disclosure counsel to Nassau County, NY and bond counsel to various municipalities and authorities in New York. Kevin received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 2000 and his B.A. from Fordham University in 1994.
N. Nell Scott
Nell is a London-based member of the firm’s Corporate group. She regularly advises on international capital markets, M&A and private equity transactions, and her clients have included major investment banks and financial institutions, as well as U.S. and foreign corporations and sovereign issuers. Nell received a J.D. and an LL.M. in International and Comparative law from Duke Law School in 2001 and a B.A. from the University of Washington in 1993.
Jinal Shah
Jinal is a member of the firm’s Corporate Group and is based in London. He is experienced in advising private and public companies and financial institutions on corporate and commercial matters and represents issuers and financial institutions on capital markets transactions, advises on domestic and cross-border acquisitions and disposals and provides general advice on company and commercial issues to corporate clients. Jinal received an L.P.C. from the College of Law of England and Wales in 1999, an LLM from King’s College London in 1998 and an LL.B. from King’s College London in 1997.
Eric Wall
Eric is a member of the firm’s Tax Group and is based in San Francisco. His practice encompasses a variety of federal and state tax issues, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation matters, investment in renewable energy projects and complex tax controversies. Eric received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2002 and a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1999.
Michael Weil
Michael is a member of the firm’s Employment Law Group and is based in San Francisco. He focuses his practice on disputes involving trade secrets, restrictive covenants, employee “raiding” and related business torts. Michael also has defended numerous wage-and-hour class actions and representative actions under state and federal laws, including claims for overtime, vacation, meal and rest break penalties, waiting-time penalties and other alleged Labor Code violations. He also represents and counsels employers on a variety of employment issues, including Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblowing, retaliation, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and gender, disability, race, sexual orientation and age discrimination. Michael received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2000 and his B.S. from UCLA in 1996.