People

Dan Williams Senior Associate

San Francisco

Dan is experienced in Hatch-Waxman litigation, including disputes involving drug treatments for cancer and HIV. Dan is also experienced in biologics litigation and counseling, representing clients on matters involving expression vectors, antibodies, gene therapies, and CAR T-cell therapies. Dan’s experience includes litigating patents directed to recombinant DNA technology, complex manufacturing processes, small molecule compounds, crystalline forms, methods of treatment, oral dosage formulations, injectable formulations, and fixed dose combination products.

Dan has contributed to numerous victories on behalf of our life science clients, including a complete win in a multi-patent Hatch-Waxman trial for a client’s blockbuster cancer therapy, favorable claim constructions in numerous cases, and obtaining a special master’s report and recommendation for attorneys’ fees for the opposing parties’ exceptional discovery misconduct. Dan has courtroom advocacy experience, including presenting to the district court for Markman proceedings.

John (Jay) Williams Partner

Washington, D.C.

Jay has represented clients before the Department of Justice (DOJ), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and other state regulators, including state attorneys general. He is focused on the compliance issues surrounding government-insured mortgages and other credit products and works with his clients to conduct compliance and consumer protection reviews to mitigate risk.

Jay has extensive experience assisting clients in matters involving complex electronic discovery issues, such as large-scale document collection, developing effective document retention policies and using cutting-edge technology (including artificial intelligence) to reduce review and production costs.

Active in pro bono work, Jay has represented clients before the U.S. Parole Commission and handled multiple matters with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee. He is a current board member of the Interfaith Action for Human Rights, was a founding board member of the Greater D.C. Diaper Bank, and coaches Capitol Hill Little League baseball teams.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jay was a partner at Buckley LLP. He also was a litigation associate at Venable LLP, where he represented clients in complex commercial litigation and arbitration. During law school, he served as a clerk in the Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Ronald Williams Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

In his government enforcement practice, Ron routinely defends a broad range of clients in the financial services industry before federal and state regulators, including matters initiated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and state regulators. Ron has experience responding to Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs), managing large-scale discovery, and advising clients on regulatory risks. 

In his litigation practice, Ron represents businesses in class actions and complex commercial disputes in federal and state courts. Ron effectively drafts briefs and discovery requests, prepares witnesses for depositions, manages discovery, and conducts complex legal research on a range of issues. 

Ron maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on criminal justice reform. He has helped draft legislation to severely limit the use of solitary confinement in District of Columbia correctional facilities, drafted an amicus curiae brief on behalf of an individual charged with homicide seeking to exclude expert testimony, and reviewed innocence claims for an incarcerated individual. 

A fervent advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Orrick and in the legal profession, Ron serves on Orrick's DEI committee in D.C. 

Prior to joining Orrick, Ron was an associate at Buckley LLP and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. He also clerked for the Honorable Peter G. Sheridan of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Yvette Williams Project Attorney

Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)

Yvette works with litigation attorneys and third party vendors to manage the review and production of documents relevant to investigations and litigation. Yvette's work includes using early case assessment technology to analyze, categorize and cull data. She also manages teams of skilled professionals performing document review, redaction, analysis, production and drafting privilege logs. Yvette assists the litigation team to prepare for trial, including drafting deposition summaries, factual memoranda and exhibit charts. She also works with practice office attorneys on transactional tasks, including contract review and due diligence.

Prior to joining Orrick, Yvette clerked with Judge David R. Janes in the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit of West Virginia and was an associate at Bailey & Wyant in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Ed Williams Of Counsel

Washington, D.C.

Ed Williams assists clients with complex matters focusing primarily on litigation in appellate tribunals, including the United States Supreme Court, and challenging legal issues at trial. Clients have relied on Ed’s exceptional knowledge to navigate class action lawsuits, certiorari and merits stage briefs before the United States Supreme Court, contract disputes, trade secrets misappropriation matters, and complex litigation matters that defy traditional categories.

Simon Willis Partner

London

Simon has wide experience of acting for major financial institutions, companies and professional firms in complex litigation, investigations and proceedings by domestic and overseas regulators, professional disciplinary proceedings, ad hoc governmental inquiries and internal investigations. In particular he has acted for those subject to investigations by a wide range of regulatory bodies including the Financial Reporting Council, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and others. He has considerable experience of advising clients on risk management and reputational risk arising from contentious matters.

Simon has been recognised in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners as: “an outstanding litigation solicitor”, who is “highly experienced in conducting heavy litigation”, and “one of the best lawyers operating in the Accountant’s liability space”. His clients describe him as “tactically astute and painstaking" and “tough, hardworking, well informed and highly tactical in his thinking.” with a “winning combination of legal knowledge and practicality”.

Julia Wilson Associate

London

Julia often works on cases with a multijurisdictional focus and has represented clients from the UK, Italy, Canada and Mexico in disputes seated around the world. She has worked on arbitrations overseen by most of the major arbitral forums including ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL and governed by the laws of numerous countries, including England and Wales, US (New York) and Mozambique. She also acts for sovereign states in actions brought against them by private investors. Her practice represents clients in all stages of disputes – from pleadings to trial including advising in relation to alternative dispute resolution methods.

Julia has published articles on arbitration matters, including the upcoming reform to the English Arbitration Act 1996.

Ariel Winawer Senior Associate

San Francisco

Ariel represents companies and individuals in a broad range of civil and criminal matters, including government enforcement and regulatory investigations, internal investigations, securities class actions, and shareholder derivative actions.

Ariel also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigration and civil rights matters.

Blake Winburne Partner

Houston

Blake is recognized both nationally and globally by Chambers (Chambers USA and Chambers Global 2008-2024), including in Band 1 for Projects: Power & Renewables: Transactional, Projects. Chambers sources report that he has "strong commercial acumen, executive presence and excellent, long-standing stature." Blake is also recognized in the "Hall of Fame" for Energy Transactions: Electric Power by Legal 500 and has been named one of the "world’s leading energy and natural resources lawyers" by Euromoney (2009-2020).

Blake advises clients on energy sector mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, and joint ventures, and on the development, structuring, and financing of large-scale energy projects in the United States and internationally. He regularly represents multinational energy companies, large private equity funds, project developers and sponsors, borrowers and debt issuers, investment banks, and other capital providers and investors in the energy industry.

Blake has significant experience in the electric power sector, including fossil fuel-fired, simple and combined-cycle and co-generation facilities, as well as wind, solar (central station and distributed), landfill gas, biomass and other renewable energy projects. He also represents clients in transactions involving oil, natural-gas and refined-products pipelines, gathering and processing systems and storage facilities (tank farms and underground), exploration and production investment platforms and operations, electric power and natural gas transmission and local distribution systems and alternative fuels production and marketing arrangements. 

Kasey Winshall Managing Associate

New York

Kasey represents tech startups throughout all stages of their lifecycle. She advises on formation, general corporate and governance matters, and a broad range of transactions, such as venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions. Kasey also advises venture capital investors on investment in their portfolio companies. 

Prior to joining Orrick, Kasey was an associate in the Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group at Fox Rothschild LLP in New York.

Jill Winter Senior Associate

Washington, D.C.

Jill maintains an active pro bono practice that includes assisting inmates with post-conviction relief. She has also co-authored U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs in support of a criminal defendant at both the certiorari and merits stages.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jill was an associate at Buckley LLP. She previously clerked for the Honorable Harvey Bartle, III in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Christopher Witeck Partner

Washington, D.C.

Chris has an active practice representing financial services entities in negotiating a wide variety of corporate transactions, including company M&A, asset purchases and critical vendor and other third-party relationships. His clients include banks, mortgage companies and servicers, marketplace and other lenders, fintech and emerging payments providers and other business entities in the financial services industry.

Chris’ M&A work emphasizes transactions that involve regulatory risks and concerns or novel structures at the forefront of industry trends. He also represents buyers and sellers of mortgage loans and other consumer lending assets, including interests such as mortgage servicing rights. He regularly negotiates many varieties of servicing and subservicing contracts.

He also advises clients on outsourcing, joint venture and bank partner agreements, particularly in the fintech and e-commerce arena, providing years of experience addressing “true lender” issues. He also advises clients on loan repurchase and indemnity matters as well as corporate governance and compliance matters.

His regulatory practice focuses on advising lenders and servicers on matters involving the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), including affiliated business arrangements, portfolio retention transactions and vendor management issues.

Chris is recognized by Chambers USA for Fintech: Payments & Lending, which cited his capabilities “advising on regulatory compliance, commercial contracts matters and transactional work, with notable expertise handling M&A in the financial services sector.”

He was previously Co-Managing Partner and a member of the partner board at Buckley LLP. Before attending law school, he worked at the U.S. Department of State.