"This year's incoming partner class is comprised of a diverse group of lawyers representing a variety of our practices and offices," said Chairman-Elect Mitch Zuklie. “We are confident that each attorney will contribute enormously to our strategic goals and continue to achieve exemplary results for our clients.”
The new partner class includes attorneys from the firm’s energy and infrastructure, intellectual property, real estate, white collar & corporate investigations, structured finance, banking & debt capital markets, and securities litigation & regulatory enforcement practices. They are spread out over seven of the firm’s global offices.
"Each attorney wields tremendous expertise in his or her field. Equally important, they have consistently demonstrated the values and entrepreneurial spirit that are hallmarks of the firm. I could not be more pleased with the selection of this year’s group of new partners," stated Chairman Ralph Baxter.
The firm's new partners include:
Nicholas George
Nicholas is a member of the firm’s Energy and Infrastructure Group, and is based in Paris. He primarily counsels government entities, financial institutions, and industrial corporations in transactions involving Africa. Nicholas received his LL.M. from University College London in 1991, and his B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1990.
Gianrico Giannesi
Gianrico is a member of the firm’s Structured Finance Group, and is based in Rome. His practice is focused on structured finance, with an emphasis on principal finance, securitization, and asset finance. Gianrico has advised Italian and international arrangers on CMBS, RMBS and CBO transactions as well as on transactions related to trade receivables, healthcare receivables, tax receivables and NPL’s. Gianrico received his degree from Università degli Studi di Tor Vergata in 1999.
Rachel Gould
Rachel is a member of the firm’s Real Estate Group, and is based in New York. She dedicates her practice to the representation of opportunity funds, investment banks, financial institutions, schools and universities in multi-jurisdictional and multi-property real estate and structured finance-related transactions. She earned her J.D. from Northeastern University in 2002 and her B.A. from Wheaton College in 1997.
Scott Iyama
Scott is a member of the firm’s Emerging Companies Group and is based in Silicon Valley. Scott focuses on the representation of high growth technology and life science companies, their founders and investors. His practice includes corporate counseling of emerging companies in their formation, financing and strategic transactions. Scott received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, a M.S. in Biology and B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from University of California, San Diego.
Courtney Linn
Courtney is a member of the firm’s White Collar & Corporate Investigations Group, and is based in Sacramento. His practice focuses on regulatory and white collar enforcement matters, particularly matters involving asset forfeiture, money laundering, and the Bank Secrecy Act. A former federal prosecutor, Courtney has handled numerous complex financial crime cases involving fraud, money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act violations, mortgage lending and asset forfeiture. He received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Davis in 1990 and his A.B. from the same institution in 1987.
Randolph Perry
Randy is a member of the Real Estate Group, and is based in Los Angeles. His practice focuses on real property acquisition and disposition and real property secured financing. Randy has previously assisted private equity funds, investment banks, financial institutions, non-bank financial institutions, pension funds, opportunity funds, and developers in the acquisition and disposition of real property, sale of distressed loan portfolios, and mezzanine and permanent financings. He received his J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Loyola Law School in 2003 and his B.S. in Business Administration with a joint emphasis in Real Property Development and Finance from the University of Southern California in 1999.
B.J. Rosen
B.J. is a member of the firm’s Banking & Debt Capital Markets Group, and is based in New York. Specializing in leveraged finance, he advises top tier investment banks on syndicated credit facilities and high yield bond offerings for acquisition finance transactions, dividend recapitalizations, corporate refinancings and debtor-in-possession financings. He received both his J.D. and B.A. from Columbia University.
Diana Rutowski
Diana is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, and is based in Silicon Valley. She concentrates her work on intellectual property litigation, and has extensive experience in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and commercial contract litigation for clients in the fields of internet services, biotechnology, computer software and hardware, mobile application software and services, GPS technology, and consumer products, among others. Diana also has expertise in U.S. and international trademark and copyright counseling and prosecution, advising clients on branding strategies and representing clients in proceedings before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Arizona.
Siddhartha Venkatesan
Siddhartha is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, and is based in Silicon Valley. He focuses on highly complex, high stakes patent and trade secrets litigation on behalf of technology companies located in Silicon Valley and internationally. Siddhartha has represented clients in federal and state court as well as before the International Trade Commission. He received his J.D. from New York University in 2004 and his B.S. from Cornell University in 1999.
Michael Weed
Michael is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group, and is based in Sacramento. He has substantial experience in commercial disputes, trade secrets and intellectual property litigation, environmental litigation, securities litigation, water law and administrative law. Michael has also defended statutory and constitutional challenges to various public finance projects, and successfully prosecuted numerous validation actions to confirm the legality of bonds for public agencies throughout California involving a wide variety of projects, such as sports stadiums and public works projects. He received his J.D., with great distinction, from University of the Pacific in 1998 and his B.A. from University of Redlands, 1986.
Peter Braun
Peter is a member of the firm’s Energy and Infrastructure Group and is based in Frankfurt. His practice specializes in both national and international matters of public procurement law, as well as privatizations, public private partnerships (PPP) and regulatory compliance. Peter received his LL.M. from University of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1998 and his Ph.D. in Law from University of Nottingham in 2001.
Agnès Dunogué
Agnès is a member of the firm’s Securities Litigation & Regulatory Enforcement Group and is based in New York. She focuses her practice on securities and complex commercial litigation, as well as appellate litigation. Agnès has represented investment banks, other companies, and directors and officers in numerous securities matters in state and federal courts. She has also advised clients in the context of mergers and acquisitions, and has represented companies in investigations by the SEC and New York Stock Exchange. Among other engagements, Agnès currently represents a major investment bank in several litigations in connection with its underwriting of residential mortgage-backed securities. She received her J.D. from Yale in 2004, and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Harvard in 1998.