People

Alessandro Vittoria Partner

Milan

His activity is mainly focused on advising startups, scale-ups and late-stage companies, funds and investors in a wide range of venture capital transactions, as well as in M&A and private equity transactions, across multiple industries including tech and deep tech, agri-tech and food, fintech, life sciences and digital health. At Orrick, Alessandro has been involved in several landmark transactions, including the first Euro 100 million investment round in Italy in Prima Assicurazioni, a USD 100 million Series C round in Everli and a Euro 320 million Series D Round in Satispay.

During his career, Alessandro has developed a very deep experience in public and private domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, joint ventures, sale of businesses and corporate reorganization in a broad range of industries. He has also developed significant skills in corporate advisory, also related to listed companies, and in commercial and real estate contracts (including construction contracts). He has also occasionally assisted SGRs in the formation of investment funds and the regulation of relationships among partners.

Alessandro joined Orrick in 2018. Previously he had worked with BonelliErede, in their Milan office. In 2006-2007, Alessandro had been a visiting lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell, in New York .

Olivier Vuillod Partner

Paris; Paris Tech Studio

Olivier advises startups and high growth technology companies throughout their lifecycle, from formation to financings, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures, as well as venture and growth capital investors. He has significant cross-border and U.S. transaction experience in venture capital markets. Olivier also advises on complex cross-border M&A transactions in the tech sector. Outside his practice, he lectures on venture capital at the EDHEC Business School. Olivier has worked in Orrick’s Paris, San Francisco and Menlo Park offices.

Olivier’s company-side representations include Aledia, Alice & Bob, Another Brain, Bellman, Dataiku, Finary, Ganymed Robotics, Gatewatcher, Highlife, Murfy, Myr.ai, Payfit, SESAMm, SiPearl, Tehtris, Upowa, Volta Medical, Xelan, XXII, Yescapa.

In addition to his company-side representations, Olivier has represented leading venture capital firms and other strategic investors, including Airbus Ventures, Alven, Astanor, Bpifrance, ETF Partners, Felix Capital, NGP Capital, One Peak, Princeville Capital, Raise Capital, Seedcamp.

Before joining Orrick, Olivier worked in the Corporate department of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher Paris.

Ashley Walter Partner & Chief Sustainability Officer

Seattle

As Orrick’s Chief Sustainability Officer, he also oversees Orrick's strategic sustainability initiatives. Ashley focuses on developing innovative methods of supporting clients in achieving ESG objectives, including designing novel systems to manage supply chain risk; forming and guiding management-level ESG Steering Committees; and helping clients address the ESG requirements of major customers by engaging with those customers on our clients’ behalf.

Ashley is a co-founder and past chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Law Committee of the ABA Business Law Section, has co-chaired the Practising Law Institute's annual ESG program for the last four years, and is heavily involved in ESG initiatives at Stanford Law School, where has served as a moderator at the Stanford Directors' College, has lectured on ESG at business law courses, has taught the course “Corporate Social Responsibility,” and will be teaching the course “Law and Governance in ESG Strategy” in the spring of 2025. Prior to Orrick, Ashley founded the corporate social responsibility practice at a Silicon Valley-based law firm.

How I help clients:

• Customer ESG Engagement: Engaging with clients’ major customers in response to ESG inquiries or requirements
• Supply Chain Risk: Developing responsible sourcing systems for high-risk supply chains
• ESG Goal Management: Advice regarding retaining, modifying or withdrawing ESG goals
• ESG Steering Committees: Forming and guiding management-level ESG Steering Committees
• ESG Due Diligence: Conducting ESG due diligence with a focus on post-closing program building
• Quarterbacking Compliance: Creating and advancing a project plan for regulatory compliance, including working with third-party consultants

Montana Ware Senior Associate

Austin

Montana primarily represents emerging growth companies, venture capital funds and other strategic investors in a wide array of corporate matters, including early and late-stage venture funding rounds, formation and corporate governance, securities issuances and mergers and acquisitions.

Select engagements Montana has advised on include:

• Represented Stripe in its $6.5 billion Series I round
• Represented Solugen in its $350 million Series C and $200 million Series D financings
• Represented Merama in its $225 million Series B and $80 million Series B follow-on financings
• Represented Next Insurance in its $250 million Series C financing, $250 million Series D financing and $250 million Series E financing
• Represented Coatue Management in its investment in the $100 million Series B financing of Mercury Technologies
• Represented D1 Capital Partners in its investment in the $450 million Series D financing of Andruil
• Represented Inspire Semiconductor in its $2.5 million Series A financing and acquisition of Greenfield Acquisition (TSX:GAC.P), a publicly-traded SPAC, by way of a reverse merger
• Represented Codecademy in its $525 million acquisition by SkillSoft (NYS: SKIL), a New Hampshire based provider of educational software
• Represented Envisics in its $50 million Series C financing
• Represented Supabase in its $30 million Series A and $80 million Series B financings
• Represented Coatue Management in its $17 million investment in LiveControl
• Represented a Brazilian digital entrepreneurship platform in its Series A financing
• Represented a cloud software company in its Series C investment in an enterprise blockchain company
• Represented a talent management software provider in multiple financings
• Represented a cloud software company in its $30 million Series B investment in an open source SQL database
• Represented the investment arm of a global financial services company in its Series A investment in an intelligence platform using AI and predictive modeling
• Represented the venture financing division of a large insurance company in its participation in the $29 million Series E financing of an insurance claims technology provider
• Represented a voice-controlled mobile platform in its $20 million Series C financing
• Represented the venture financing division of a large technology company in its Series C investment in an application traffic manager
• Represented Calibrate Ventures in its investment in the $20 million Series A financing of GrayMatter
• Represented Coatue Management in its investment in the $35 million Series B financing of Crivello Technologies
• Represented Fintual, a Chile based company that provides savings and investment options through an online platform, in its $39 million Series B financing
• Represented Flex Capital in its investment in the $23 million Series A financing of GoFreight Inc.
• Represented InsideSherpa in its $25 million Series B financing
• Represented Gym Class in its $8 million Series Seed financing
• Represented Keen Technologies, an AI startup, in its financing
• Represented Radiant in its $12.6 million Series A financing
• Represented Red Sea Ventures in its investment in the $25 million Series A financing of Accrue Savings, Inc.

*Please note: Montana’s experience includes that prior to joining Orrick.

Robert Weinhold Counsel

Düsseldorf

Robert has always been fascinated by new technologies and digitization. Pursuing his fascination, he focused his legal studies on media law, intellectual property law and data protection law. Prior to working at Orrick, he also gained experience by founding a company that provided a software as a platform solution and working for a German venture capital investor. His legal advice on technology transactions—in particular, SaaS and IP agreements, e-commerce-related topics, related assistance in mergers and acquisitions or core data privacy—thus reflects not only his legal experience but also his experience and fascination with new technology. Being an IT and IP lawyer with a very commercial mindset, Robert drafts and negotiates all sorts of IT and IP agreements, for small to medium companies and large multinationals. He advises on privacy compliance—in particular drafts, privacy policies, and national as well as international data processing agreements—or provides his knowledge with the assessment of the IP/IT and privacy matters in M&A transactions.

He joined Orrick in 2017 after working as a scientific researcher in the field of Data Privacy.

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.

Alexandra Wood Partner

Austin; San Francisco

Alex’s work encompasses a broad range of industries and corporate matters, including formations, compensation, venture capital financings, debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, strategic transactions, IPOs and corporate governance.

Alex’s prior company-side representations include Carta, Docker, GitLab, 6Sense, Branch Metrics, LTK (fka rewardStyle), Quizlet, Niantic, Gen Digital (fka Symantec) and Streamlit, among others.

Alex also has represented leading venture capital firms and strategic investors, including GGV Capital, Menlo Ventures, GV, NEA, Insight Venture Partners, Fidelity Growth Partners, Merck Research Venture Labs, Trinity Ventures and Comcast Ventures.

Alex started her practice in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices of Fenwick & West LLP and another major national law firm. Prior to her career in law, Alex managed international development programs in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Jason Wu Of Counsel

London

Jason advises emerging UK and European tech companies and leading investors on US venture financings and other corporate matters. As a US-qualified lawyer based in Orrick’s London office, Jason combines a unique understanding of US, UK and European market practices to guide clients through critical financial and commercial transactions.

Jason regularly advises early-stage companies on Delaware flips and works closely with founders and management teams to navigate multi-jurisdictional operational and governance issues. Through his expertise in cross-border transactions, Jason is able to translate parties’ needs to achieve successful outcomes.

Jason is also able to advise clients with a practical, 360-degree view through his previous experience as a commercial litigator. Jason’s prior practice included representing companies in class action, insurance, and trade secrets litigation, in regulatory proceedings, and in a variety of commercial disputes in US and international forums.

Jake Wyrick Of Counsel

San Francisco

Jake counsels companies throughout their lifecycles on matters including incorporation, debt and equity financings, corporate governance, securities law compliance, secondary sales, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. He also advises venture capital and strategic corporate investors on a range of direct and secondary investments.

Mr. Wyrick also has experience advising companies on complex technology transactions involving the creation and commercialization of technology, including licensing, joint development, manufacturing and distribution. While seconded to a venture-backed networking company, he negotiated key licensing agreements and oversaw commercial contract matters.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jake worked as an attorney at prominent Silicon Valley law firms, and he was also a legal intern at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, where he focused on technology-related appellate litigation and policy. He began advising early-stage companies during law school while working as a summer associate at a law firm in Tokyo and as a student attorney at Duke University School of Law’s Startup Ventures Clinic.

Andrés Yarto Managing Associate

New York

With a deep understanding of the technology landscape, Andres provides strategic counsel to technology companies and venture capital funds. His expertise spans two main areas: those focusing on blockchain, cryptocurrency, NFTs, and web3 technologies and companies operating in Latin America. While these areas don’t have to overlap, Andrés finds it particularly exciting when they do, as it presents unique opportunities for innovation and growth.

Andrés leverages his extensive knowledge, proficiency in both English and Spanish and experience to help clients navigate the complex regulatory environments and market dynamics of these rapidly evolving sectors. His insights are instrumental in guiding companies through funding rounds, structuring their products in a compliant way, strategic partnerships, and compliance challenges, ensuring they are well-positioned for success.

Daniel Yost Partner

San Francisco; Silicon Valley

Highly regarded for his expertise, Chambers USA has ranked Daniel for his expertise in Technology Transactions and noted that “His work is solution-driven and his positive personality helps both sides of a negotiation work towards the outcome.” Legal 500 describes his practice as “exceptional” and recommends the practice for its “high client service ethic and great commercial awareness." He is known for his ability to handle complex transactions for science-based technology companies, with work ranging from intellectual property and licensing to distribution agreements and cross-border collaborations, counseling clients on commercial law, copyright, licensing, marketing, patent, privacy, strategic alliances, trademark and trade secrets matters.

Daniel has represented companies in various industries, including biotechnology, cleantech, energy, consumer electronics, entertainment, hardware, internet, media, semiconductor, services, software, telecommunications and wireless. His energy clients include clients in the solar, biofuels, waste to energy and geothermal sectors.

Daniel has acted as key legal counsel in:

• Manufacturing, distribution and sale arrangements for makers of software, chips, security devices, batteries and solar technologies, among others.
• Technology transactions with universities, governments and non-profit entities.
• Copyright, privacy and online pitfalls applicable to Internet companies.
• Domestic and international collaborations for developers of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, semiconductors and software, among others.
• Mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs and asset divestitures in a wide range of industries, including biotechnology, health databases, semiconductors medical software, entertainment, Internet browsers and e-commerce.
• Open software source policy development and compliance.
• IT and business process services agreements.
• Venture capital investments in technology-based enterprises.

The former co-chair of both the Technology Transactions and Technology Companies Practice Groups, Daniel is a thought leader on technology transactions issues and programs that focus on the protection and exploitation of intellectual property, having advised on clients such as Weta Digital, Fulcrum BioEnergy, CelLink Corporation, Telenor, Luminar, and Motorola Solutions. He is regularly called up to speak about intellectual property and technology matters and has done so at UC Berkeley, Stanford and other universities and conferences. His work on incentivizing innovation has been published in major papers, including Forbes, the Daily Journal San Francisco and the San Jose Mercury News.

Daniel’s current volunteer work includes serving on the Board of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, the Advisory Counsel for UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment and California Environmental Voters. Daniel also advises state and local elected officials on policies to encourage the development and deployment of zero emissions technologies. Daniel’s prior volunteer work includes serving as Mayor and Councilmember in Woodside, California and serving as a founding Board Member of Peninsula Clean Energy – the community choice energy provider serving San Mateo County.

Harold Yu Partner

Silicon Valley; San Francisco

Harold advises technology companies and has significant experience with venture capital financings, debt financings, public offerings, mergers & acquisitions and technology transactions. He is deeply interested in technology. Prior to law school, Harold was a software engineer at Oracle Corporation and an intern at NASA Ames Research Center.