June.03.2015
Orrick congratulates partners Lynne Hermle and Jessica Perry on being recognized among the top 75 labor and employment lawyers in California by the Daily Journal.
In profiles of Lynne and Jessica, the publication highlighted their complete and resounding victory on behalf of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in the gender discrimination and retaliation case that “captivated the nation.” Lynne served as first chair and Jessica served as second chair of the trial team that represented Kleiner Perkins. Following 24 days of trial, a San Francisco jury rejected all of former partner Ellen Pao's claims that she was passed over for promotion and terminated because of her gender and complaints about discrimination.
As Lynne told the Daily Journal, “I think it was the perfect storm of a fascinating industry, which people don't really understand, and a complex and interesting issue of gender disparity in the numbers in the industry.” Jessica added, “In a lot of ways, it was a very timely issue. It just happened to be the wrong case, and the wrong plaintiff and the wrong defendant.”
Long a member of the firm’s senior leadership team, Lynne currently serves on Orrick’s Management Committee. This is her fifth consecutive year on the Daily Journal’s list. A newcomer to the list, Jessica serves as Deputy Leader of Orrick’s Litigation Business Unit and the hiring partner in the firm’s Silicon Valley office.