People

Robert M. O'Connell Jr. Of Counsel

Boston

His experience includes clearance, registration and protection of trademarks, trade dress and designs; opposition and cancellation proceedings in the TTAB; UDRP and other domain name proceedings; registration and protection of copyrights; negotiation and drafting of a variety of coexistence, licensing and other IP-related agreements; and providing IP support on various M&A and financing transactions, most recently including a groundbreaking series of securitization deals involving music and television rights involving household-name artists.

Businesses ranging from small start-ups to multi-billion-dollar corporations turn to Bob for help developing and implementing cost-effective domestic and global branding and trademark protection plans. They hail from the financial services, food & beverage, apparel, retail and pharmaceutical industries, among others.

Bob’s significant transactional experience includes a trademark and merchandise license agreement for a large resort casino in Las Vegas, and naming rights and sponsorship agreements for a major league sports stadium and a prominent performing arts center.

He also has extensive commercial litigation and dispute resolution experience in both intellectual property and other matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts, in inter partes and appellate matters before the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board, and in UDRP arbitration proceedings. Noteworthy reported cases include: Coach Services, Inc. v. Triumph Learning LLC, 96 U.S.P.Q.2d 1600 (TTAB September 17, 2010) affirmed, 668 F.3d 1356 (Fed. Cir. 2012).

In the 2023 edition of World Trademark Review 1000, a listing of the world’s top trademark practitioners based on peer and client surveys, Bob received top-tier rankings for trademark prosecution and strategy with clients praising him for his “pragmatism, calmness, under pressure and fine-grained, detailed work product. Previously, WTR 1000 reported that Bob “wins effusive praise for his “pragmatic approach and unparalleled attention to detail.” “Simply stated, he is among the most cost-effective, business-oriented lawyers in any specialty.” “He is of incredible value – he matches anybody on expertise and exceeds most, if not all, on responsiveness and efficiency.” In prior years, WTR 1000 reviewers have said: “He never fails to address domestic and global branding issues quickly and comprehensively, causing one client to profess: ‘He is the only lawyer that I would use for trademark work in the Boston area.’” Bob has been characterized as a “distinguished” and “highly respected practitioner” with “a great reputation” in multinational mandates, who is “a trusted adviser in helping to build value in…brands” and “commands respect” particularly in the strategy and commercial field.” He has been listed in WTR 1000 each year since its inaugural edition in 2011, as well as WTR’s Global Leaders short-list since 2019.

Noteworthy past and present client engagements include:

• A famous sports footwear and apparel brand with trademark enforcement and opposition matters;
• The world’s largest retailer with trademark clearance matters across several business lines, as well as complex trademark prosecution and TTAB matters;
• A “super-regional” bank with a portfolio of hundreds of federal and state trademarks and an active TTAB and UDRP enforcement program;
• A global spirits company with hundreds of brands and an extensive enforcement docket;
• A leading global private equity firm;
• A national women’s apparel retail chain with stores across the United States and Canada; and
• A branded pharmaceutical company with pioneering products for both human and veterinary medicine.

Mike O'Donnell Partner

Silicon Valley

Michael applies his broad experience in venture capital financings, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, technology licensing, and corporate spin-out transactions to each engagement. He has undertaken over 300 venture capital financings raising an estimated $7 billion for his clients, recently assisting Auris Health to raise over $650 million in financings before its sale to J&J for up to $5.75 billion.

He also brings extensive experience negotiating strategic alliances, representing clients in significant collaborations with GSK, Amgen, Schering-Plough, J&J, Daiichi, Astellas, King Pharmaceuticals, and most recently Pfizer, Merck, Baxter and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.

Michael was the lead lawyer on the initial public offerings for Illumina, Neurocrine Biosciences, Cytokinetics, Pain Therapeutics, NeurogesX, Sequana Therapeutics, Ciphergen Biosystems, Argonaut Technologies, and Microcide Pharmaceuticals.

Michael was also the lead lawyer responsible for negotiating many notable biopharmaceutical spin-outs, including Onyx Pharmaceuticals (Chiron-Cetus), Tularik (Genentech), X-Ceptor (Ligand Pharmaceuticals), Metabasis (Gensia Sicor), and as well on the reverse merger of Transcept Pharmaceuticals with Novacea, creating a new publicly traded entity.

David O'Donovan Managing Associate

London

David's experience primarily includes renewable energy projects (onshore and offshore wind, solar PV, energy-from-waste and green hydrogen) and other energy transition projects (including carbon capture, utilisation and storage) with a particular focus on M&A, joint ventures and project development. He also has experience advising on governance, regulatory and ESG-related matters.

Anna O'Kelly Managing Associate

London

Anna has experience working with global companies on a wide variety of privacy, cybersecurity and data protection matters. She has a particular interest in emerging technologies and their intersection with ethical and social issues associated with her practice.

Anna has contributed a number of articles and thought leadership pieces on current data protection, privacy and information law issues.

Ejemen Ofoman Managing Associate

New York

Ejemen advises lenders, sponsors, and equity investors on the financing of energy (including renewables) and other infrastructure projects. Leveraging experience gained advising on a diverse range of projects, Ejemen employs a solutions-driven, commercially focused approach in providing legal advice to clients, and in helping them navigate legal challenges associated with their projects.

Prior to joining Orrick, Ejemen spent close to a decade advising on the development and financing of several first-of-its-kind infrastructure projects in Nigeria - including privately financed IPPs, tertiary healthcare facilities, and critical road infrastructure. In many cases, midwifing projects from inception through development, construction, commercial operations, and beyond.

Driven by a strong belief in the transformational impact infrastructure can have on the growth and development of communities, Ejemen is keen to provide pro bono support to financiers and developers of infrastructure projects meant to serve disadvantaged and underserved communities.

In 2024, Ejemen was named a "Rising Star Lawyer" by IFLR1000 Americas.

Alyssa Ohanian Of Counsel

Santa Monica

Alyssa advises public company clients across a broad range of industries regarding equity offerings, compliance with federal securities laws, and requirements of the major U.S. stock exchanges. She assists in-house counsel, management, and boards of directors on SEC and stock exchange disclosure and reporting requirements, director and executive compensation, and corporate governance matters. 

Alyssa also counsels both public and private companies on the design, implementation and taxation of executive compensation and equity compensation arrangements, including executive employment agreements, change in control and severance plans, and cash and equity incentive programs, along with other compensation and benefits matters in the context of ongoing business operations, M&A transactions, spin-offs, and venture capital financings.

Yumiko Ohta Partner

Tokyo

Yumiko also has knowledge related to international trade such as customs rules and export controls.

Before joining Orrick, Yumiko was an associate at Tanabe & Partners and advised clients in corporate transactions and employment law as well as represented clients in civil and family cases. She has experience serving as a statutory auditor for Japanese corporations. Prior to practicing law, she worked at Mitsubishi Corporation for seven years. While there, she was involved in LNG projects and other global business.

Enny Olaleye Associate

Washington, D.C.

Enny provides guidance on matters relating to numerous privacy and cybersecurity laws, including the U.S. state privacy laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia and other states. Her work also includes counseling on compliance with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Enny graduated with honors from The University of Washington School of Law. While in law school, Enny served as the Editor-in-Chief of The Washington Journal of Law, Technology and Arts, Co-President of the UW Law and Business Association, Vice President of the UW Black Law Students Association and participated in the UW Law Mediation Clinic.

Carl Oldenbourg Associate

Munich

He advises start-ups and scale-ups on their foundation, financing rounds and growth phases as well as on internationalization projects. He also advises VCs and corporate VCs on their investments.

Before starting his legal practice, he also worked as a trainee lawyer for a U.S. law firm in its San Francisco office.

Elizabeth Olien Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

Elizabeth represents businesses of all sizes, including financial, health care and educational institutions, as well as individuals, in a variety of business disputes, appeals, and government and internal investigations. Her experience includes resolving contractual issues, matters involving officers and directors of corporate and nonprofit boards, disputes between business partners and disputes between employers and employees. She has experience representing clients across the litigation life cycle, from assessing potential matters through discovery, including managing large-scale e-discovery efforts, taking and defending depositions and working with experts and consultants, to trial and appeal. She has argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the First Circuit, as well as in state and federal trial courts. She was one of the first attorneys to argue remotely before the Massachusetts Appeals Court in May 2020. She also maintains an active pro bono practice.

During law school, Elizabeth was selected to participate in the Boston College Law Massachusetts Attorney General Clinic, serving in the Administrative Law Division. After law school, she briefly returned to assist the Consumer Protection Division with an investigation into allegations of false and misleading statements by a rating agency regarding mortgage-backed securities.

Before law school, Elizabeth was a consultant in the federal services group of a global consulting firm where she designed and implemented business processes to support e-commerce functions and other enterprise information systems. She also worked with the firm’s foundation to develop its first corporate citizenship initiative focused on providing pro bono consulting services.

Prior to working at Orrick, Elizabeth was an associate at Buckley LLP in Washington. Before that, she was an associate at a boutique litigation firm in Boston.

Laurent Olléon Partner

Paris

Laurent intervenes alongside his clients with legal and financial issues, both in terms of advice and litigation situations perspective.

Laurent deals with numerous issues in various fields: the tax consolidation system and, more generally, intra-group relations, the handling of bilateral tax treaties, the taxation of financial transactions, property taxation and local taxation, etc.

His recognized experience in the avoidance of abuse of rights enables corporate tax directors, financial investors and individuals to better secure their investment choices and structuring their transactions. In addition, his intimate knowledge of tax litigation is a major asset for clients.

Laurent has advised many ministries and public institutions on legislative and regulatory developments and their implementation, which gives him an extensive practical vision of both public and private law. His past experience has allowed him to manage and draft legislative bills, which makes him an authority on administrative and parliamentary machinery.

Before joining Orrick, Laurent was a judge of the Conseil d’État and assessor at the Court’s ninth Chamber of the litigation section of the Conseil d’État, worked as deputy Chief of staff of Marylise Lebranchu, the French Minister for the Civil Service, State Reform and Decentralisation and Chief of staff of Anne-Marie Escoffier, Deputy Minister of Decentralisation.

Bola Oloko Partner

New York

Bola has extensive experience representing leading financial services firms and other institutions, acting as counsel to issuers, underwriters, and other capital markets participants in a wide range of transactions.

Bola’s experience also includes advising clients in a variety of real estate capital markets transactions, secondary loan trading transactions (LSTA and non-LSTA), ISDA derivatives transactions, and securitization litigation and disputes.