People

Meredith Dawson Partner

New York

Meredith joined the firm as a summer associate in the New York office in 2016. Through years of hands-on experience and collaborative client relationships, she has developed a multifaceted understanding of financing structures in credit and lending. Meredith’s transactional experience includes acquisition and leveraged finance facilities; direct lending transactions; first lien, second lien and first-out/last-out unitranche facilities; recurring revenue loans; and asset-based and other specialty financings across a variety of industries.

Christopher De Los Reyes Senior Associate

New York

Chris focuses in a variety of cross-border employment matters, including corporate immigration and workforce mobility strategies for multinational organizations. From startup ventures to large Fortune 500 companies and international conglomerates, he has represented clients across a diverse range of industries, including technology, banking and financial services, energy, manufacturing, retail and e-commerce, insurance, logistics and transportation, and academic institutions, among others. 

As a member of Orrick's Global Employment Team, Chris focuses on international comparative employment law and assists clients on matters such as compliance, HR policies, global offer letters/employment contracts, separation agreements, etc. 

Having practiced U.S. immigration and nationality law for many years prior to joining the Firm, Chris bolsters Orrick's capabilities and subject matter experience in the ever-changing corporate immigration space. To this end, he routinely advises HR and management teams on I-9 compliance, procurement of work authorization for foreign national talent, and the immigration-related impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other types of corporate restructuring. Chris has successfully assisted companies with obtaining nonimmigrant visas for H-1B Specialty Occupation Professionals, L-1 Intracompany Transferees, E-1/E-2 Treaty Traders and Investors, TN NAFTA professionals, F-1 Students, J-1 Exchange Visitors, B-1/B-2 Temporary Visitors, and O-1 Extraordinary Ability Individuals. He also has extensive experience with the PERM labor certification process, immigrant visas, legal permanent residency (green card) applications, and naturalization/citizenship applications. 

Tamir Jonathan Debbi Senior Associate

New York

Tamir’s practice focuses on a range of transactional matters involving intellectual property and innovative technologies, with an emphasis on advanced software applications as well as life sciences. Tamir has significant experience and counsels clients on structuring and negotiating complex technology commercialization agreements, such as SaaS and other software agreements, medical device and pharmaceutical royalty arrangements, and other general corporate and technology dealings.

Prior to joining Orrick, Tamir was an associate in the Technology Transactions Group at Morrison & Foerster in Silicon Valley, where he maintained a technology practice focused on cross-border transactions involving emerging-growth companies and venture capital, and advising startups on their operations, acquisition and exit strategies.

Jose DeJesus Analyst

New York

Jose DeJesus is a paralegal in the Finance Business Unit and the Public Finance practice group. He has participated in financings in which the firm has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and borrower counsel for various tax-exempt and taxable municipal and project financings.  He works mainly for the Energy and Infrastructure Group.  His duties include preliminary drafting of documents and UCC financing statements, preparation for and assisting with closings as well as post-closing matters.  He has been with the firm since 1995 and has been working as a paralegal since 1984.

Mike Delikat Partner

New York

He is also the founder of the firm’s Whistleblower Task Force. He previously served as the Managing Director of Orrick’s Litigation Division. The practice group under Mike’s leadership was chosen as one of the top national employment law practices by Law 360.

Chambers USA and Chambers Global has ranked him in Band 1 since it began publishing its rankings, noting he is "a giant of the employment bar, widely regarded as an expert in whistleblowing matters and sex harassment claims,” “sought out by premier clients to handle high-stakes employment litigation and investigations,” and "one of the best lawyers on the East Coast for financial institutions."

Mike has an active trial, arbitration, and appellate practice and handles a number of high-visibility class action and impact cases. He is regularly retained by boards of directors and audit committees to conduct high exposure internal investigations of corporate wrongdoing.

John Donaleski Partner

New York

John represents sponsors, debt providers (commercial banks, debt funds and other financial institutions (including ECAs and DFIs)), and equity providers (energy and infrastructure and private equity funds) in financings and acquisitions for various energy and infrastructure assets, including renewable power (including solar and wind), conventional power and a broad range of other infrastructure assets (including smart city and telecommunications infrastructure and oil and gas).   

Notably, he is experienced with a wide array of debt financing structures (including those placed in the commercial bank / term loan A, term loan B, private placement and direct lending markets), involving single-asset and multi-asset portfolios, whether in the form of senior secured project-level financings, or in the form of back-leveraged holdco and super holdco financings.

Tyler Dorf Managing Associate

New York

Tyler's practice has a focus on warehouse lending, secured credit facilities, and publicly registered and privately placed asset securitization transactions. His experience extends to various asset classes, encompassing marketplace consumer loans, solar loans, residential mortgages, student loans, credit card and charge card receivables, auto loans, and esoteric assets, including proved developed producing (PDP) oil and gas wellbores.

Before joining Orrick, Tyler was an associate in Chapman and Cutler LLP's Asset Securitization Department.

Maya Dudley Managing Associate

New York

Leila Dwyer Associate

New York

She has served as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and borrower’s counsel for financings on behalf of school districts, municipalities, colleges and universities and housing projects.

Prior to joining Orrick, Leila practiced in a Chambers recognized public finance group at another firm.

Dan Eliades Senior Associate

New York

Dan represents sponsors, debt providers and equity investors in financings and acquisitions of various energy and infrastructure assets, including renewable power and telecommunications infrastructure.

His experience includes drafting and negotiating documentation specific to project finance, tax equity finance, debt finance, and general corporate matters.

Elizabeth J. Elias Partner

New York

She has extensive experience in the securitization of commercial PACE liens, music, TV and other intellectual property rights, whole businesses, diamond receivables, litigation settlement awards, and PDP oil & gas wellbore interests.  Elizabeth’s experience further extends to representation of a variety of market participants, including sponsors, issuers, underwriters and service providers, in public and private offerings of commercial mortgage-backed securities.

Hagit Muriel Elul Partner

New York

Hagit represents clients in international arbitrations across the world under the rules of all the major arbitral institutions including the ICDR/AAA, ICC and LCIA, SIAC, HKIAC, JAMS and CPR and in cross-border disputes in courts across the United States. She has also served as an expert witness on New York law in proceedings in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Hagit is recognised as ‘a force to be reckoned with’ (Legal 500) who ‘thinks ten steps ahead’’ (Chambers) and has “astonishing legal skills”, including the ability “to analyze and sharpen arguments”. She was recognized as one of a select group of "Distinguished Leaders" by New York Law Journal (2021).

Hagit regularly teaches courses on arbitration and advocacy skills, sits as arbitrator and frequently writes and lectures on topics related to international business disputes. She is a member of the ICC Court of International Arbitration Commission, former chair of the Arbitration Committee of the International Institute of Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), a current member of the CPR Council, ICC Commission, and a founding Board Member of the New York International Arbitration Center.