People

Luigi Colombo Senior Counsel

Milan

He has assisted some of the most important Italian groups in a judicial and extra-judicial advisory capacity, including general corporate and corporate governance.

Prior to joining Orrick, Luigi was a partner at Studio Legale Tributario in Milan, a law firm associated with Ernst & Young International.

Catherine Conners Associate

Boston

Catherine's practice focuses on buy-side and sell-side mergers and acquisitions, both domestic and cross-border. She practices across a variety of industries, including energy, technology and software, healthcare and life sciences. As a member of the firm's EnergyTech team, Catherine focuses on advising companies developing next-generation technologies in energy storage, carbon capture, alternative fuels and agtech.

Brett Cooper Partner

San Francisco

In the corporate finance and securities areas, his experience includes a range of public and private equity and debt financings, representing U.S., Canadian, European and Asian issuers and underwriters. His transactions have included over one hundred SEC registered and Rule 144A public offerings of securities, ranging from investment grade and high yield debt offerings, convertible note offerings, initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings and preferred securities offerings, venture capital financings and issuer tender offers.

In the mergers and acquisitions area, Brett has represented clients in all aspects of mergers and acquisitions transactions involving public and private companies, including friendly mergers, leveraged recapitalizations, tender offers, spin-offs, restructurings and purchases and sales of divisions and subsidiaries.

Dean Corrado Associate

New York

Dean represents private and public companies, as well as private equity funds and their portfolio companies in all aspects of their business.

Dean regularly advises clients on a variety of transactions, including domestic and cross-border stock and asset acquisitions, leveraged buy-outs, strategic add-ons and carveout transactions. He works across a wide range of geographies and industries, including a primary focus in the tech, finance, energy and infrastructure sectors.

Katie Cotton Partner

London

She represents clients in the technology, Internet, digital media and marketing, artificial intelligence, fintech, e-commerce and hardware and software industries, and also represents clients in the energy & infrastructure, consumer products, hospitality and financial services sectors.

Katie's experience includes public and private mergers and acquisitions, earn-outs, carve-outs, asset acquisitions and disposals, recapitalisations, management buy-outs and take-private transactions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and minority investments. She has extensive experience with cross-border transactions and is particularly well-known for acting on sales of venture-backed companies to major international trade and financial buyers.

Filippo Cristaldi Special Counsel

Milan

Filippo Cristaldi has extensive experience in M&A transactions, both at national and transnational level, mainly in favour of private equity funds and industrial companies. 

Filippo Cristaldi also advises on corporate law and has extensive experience in the field of international contracts.
Before joining Orrick, Filippo Cristaldi has provided consultancy at the Vita Samory, Fabbrini e Associati and, previously, at the Rucellai e Raffaelli, Italian law firms based in Milan.

Raniero D'Aversa Partner

New York

Ron is the designated restructuring counsel to many leading financial institutions such as The Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of America, Citibank, Commerzbank, Toronto-Dominion Bank and The Bank of Nova Scotia. He has represented clients in bankruptcies, workouts, DIP loans, distressed debt transactions, bankruptcy litigation, derivatives and distressed acquisitions. Ron has represented interests of financial institutions and investors in such restructuring and bankruptcy cases as Ocean Rig, Seadrill, CHC Helicopter, Erickson, Indiana Toll Road, Pocahontas Parkway, Eagle Bulk, Spyglass Films, American Airlines, Republic Airlines, Chemtura Corporation, Quebecor, AbitibiBowater, North Las Vegas, Ritchie Risk-Linked Strategies, Star Diamond, Lehman and Mesa Airlines.

In the Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Corporate category of The Legal 500 US directory, Ron’s clients praise his “practical and strategic approach.” Another noted, “Each time I discuss an issue with [him], I am both amazed at his ability to understand my concerns and his complete knowledge of the subject. He puts me at ease and there is never a time that I cannot reach him.” Regarded as a leader in financial restructurings by clients and peers alike, Ron understands every phase of a bankruptcy and restructuring matter and knows how to effectively position a client to control opposition and maximize results.

Alexander Dartsch Counsel

Düsseldorf

Alexander has many years of experience in advising national and international energy suppliers, global corporations and institutional investors across the entire value chain in the energy sector.

His work primarily involves advising on offshore wind, onshore wind, photovoltaic, and battery storage projects. He supports clients through all phases of a project, from establishing joint ventures for collaborative project development to acquiring project pipelines and investing in existing projects.

During a secondment, Alexander served a leading institutional investor specializing in infrastructure investments. He is recognized by Legal 500 Germany for his expertise in energy transactions (2023).

Alexander also advises on the drafting and negotiation of long-term power supply agreements (PPAs) for the procurement of electricity from renewable energy sources and on the associated regulatory and supervisory issues.

He has also advised on a large number of fundamental issues in the energy industry and represented clients in official and court proceedings. These include matters such as remuneration for power plant operators for redispatch measures, maintaining operational readiness of system-relevant coal-fired power plants, and the regulation of hydrogen networks.

Karen Dempsey Senior Advisor

San Francisco

Karen is involved in a full range of corporate legal projects for high growth technology companies including venture financings, public offerings, public company securities law compliance matters and mergers and acquisitions. She also regularly advises public companies and board of directors on corporate governance issues. Karen's clients include private and public companies in the biotechnology, real estate, finance and Internet related industries. She also represents underwriters in initial public offerings and follow-on offerings and venture capital firms in investment transactions.

Karen is a frequent speaker on corporate and securities law topics including Initial Public Offerings, Corporate Governance and Sarbanes-Oxley matters. She is also Co-Editor of Part III of Venture Capital & Public Offering Negotiation, published by Aspen Law & Business.

Before joining Orrick, Karen was a shareholder at Heller Ehrman LLP and was chair of their firmwide corporate governance practice group.

Adrian Dengler Counsel

Munich

Adrian represents clients in domestic and cross-border transactions, in particular local and international companies, private equity/venture funds and growth companies.

In addition Adrian acts as a business angel for several venture capital start-up companies.

Mariangela Di Giandomenico Partner

Rome

As expert in Italian Administrative and Public Law, she has focused her career on advising private and public Italian and foreign companies, corporations and public administrations on public law regulatory and litigation matters, providing particular assistance in M&A transactions.

Mariangela has extensive experience working in all the areas of administrative law, especially in public contracts, urban planning and real estate, electronic communications, energy, aerospace and defense, life sciences, transportation and infrastructure, regulated services and also in litigation before Administrative Judge, Constitutional and European Court.

With an extensive background litigating before administrative law judges, Mariangela is a recognized leader in shaping public law policy in Italy. She has collaborated with the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the president of the Commission for Administrative Reform, overseeing the drafting of bills, parliamentary reports and regulatory proposals.

During her career, she has worked in both international and Italian law firms, as well as in boutiques specialized in administrative law.

She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Italiadecide Association and oversee the Observatory on Public Contracts of the Association. She teaches at Master’s degree courses in administrative law as well as courses in public institutions

She is also an author of numerous publications in the field, rapporteur at conferences and public seminars and a researcher for private and public associations.

She is authorized to practice in the higher courts.

In 2021 Mariangela has been included by Top Legal among the best lawyers specialized in public procurement and concessions. In 2022 she was named infrastructure and PPP lawyer of the year by Legalcommunity.

Marc Diab Maalouf Senior Associate

Paris

Marc advises investment funds, industrial groups, listed companies, and startups, both French and international, on all aspects of business law, particularly in the context of acquisitions, disposals, mergers, reorganizations, and strategic partnerships. 

He is particularly active in the infrastructure, renewable energy, and new technology sectors, both in France and internationally.

Before joining Orrick in 2019, Marc interned at various leading international law firms in Paris.