People

William Alderman Senior Counsel

San Francisco

Bill is additionally recognized for the results he has obtained in insurance coverage, employee benefits, and federal and state antitrust disputes. He commits a substantial part of his time to pro bono representation and to representation of the firm.

Representing clients in class and derivative actions, Bill's approach is to minimize his clients’ overall cost through careful strategic planning, dispositive motions and aggressive negotiation. Only three of the many securities class actions he has defended have resulted in any settlement payment by his client or its carrier. Of his nearly 100 motions to dismiss securities class, mass or derivative actions since 1996, more than 90 percent were granted in their entirety (most with prejudice), while others were granted in part or led to a successful motion for summary judgment.

James E. Burns Jr. Senior Counsel

San Francisco

Jim conducts internal investigations for clients and represents them in regulatory investigations and proceedings before the SEC and state securities regulatory authorities. He has broad experience in jury and bench trial matters before federal, tax and state courts. He has handled numerous class actions and litigated multi-district cases involving claims under RICO and federal and state securities law, as well as professional services malpractice claims and various business torts.

Jim has extensive experience in commercial arbitrations before various arbitration and mediation tribunals, including the American Arbitration Association, the New York Stock Exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers and privately chosen arbitrators. He acts on behalf of technology companies, venture capitalists, securities issuers, directors, brokers, underwriters, promoters and mutual funds.

Jim has represented Retek, Inc., Touch America Holdings, Inc., RS Investment Management, Inc., Cygnus, Inc., Everen Securities Inc., Chiron Corp., Intevac, Inc., Accel Partners, TA Associates, Kenetech, Pope & Talbot, Citrix Systems, Inc., Everex and The Photonics Fund.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jim was a partner and West Coast Managing Partner at Clifford Chance, a partner and managing partner at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison and a partner at Chickering & Gregory.

Daniel Dunne Senior Counsel

Seattle

Chambers USA observed Dan’s “enviable client roster includes major corporates and financial institutions, as well as company directors, officers and accountants. He is particularly active in securities-related litigation, with additional experience in shareholder disputes. Adept in the courtroom, has tried more than a dozen cases to verdict in state and federal courts.” One client characterized his cross examination of a Nobel-Laureate economist as simply “amazing.”

Dan has enjoyed considerable success in high-profile national matters with the finest law firms in the country from coast to coast, from the Delaware Court of Chancery to New York Supreme Court to the Washington Supreme Court, where he recently argued an issue of first impression under the Washington State Securities Act. Dan has active matters advising Washington’s most sophisticated legal clients with respect to securities and shareholder matters.

Dan has also been a key part of the winning Orrick team leading the defense of Credit Suisse in against an avalanche of litigation related to claims involving residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). Dan has acted as co-lead partner on a number of successful constitutional challenges to state and local taxes and legislation.

Richard Jacobsen Partner

New York

Rich serves as lead counsel for Credit Suisse’s entire residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) docket in federal and state courts throughout the country. He is lead counsel for Goldman Sachs in two RMBS cases in the SDNY. For nearly a decade, he has been lead counsel for Ocwen Financial Services in all matters concerning its market-leading business servicing loans in residential mortgage-backed securitizations. He is currently lead counsel for Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. Cooper in a breach of contract action pending in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Rich has also frequently represented companies with respect to disputes involving the distressed debt trading market, including Jefferies and Citibank, and frequently tries nine figure disputes in the most important bankruptcy jurisdictions in the United States for clients such as UBS and Blackstone.

He and his Orrick team bring to each representation a combination of deep financial markets knowledge, holistic litigation strategy and a problem-solving mentality. In an industry where many cases are settled, he has established a formidable record at trial and on appeal, while achieving regulatory settlements at a small fraction of the industry benchmarks.

Named Litigators of the Week by The American Lawyer for his representation of Credit Suisse that yielded a precedent-setting decision from the New York Court of Appeals that will change the future of RMBS litigation, clients laud Rich telling Chambers (2022), “He makes my job easier by deploying a combination of impeccable legal skill, excellent judgment and a knowledge of the financial services industry.” “I would recommend Rich to anyone.”  (2024) "He makes my job easier by deploying a combination of strengths - impeccable legal skills, excellent judgment, knowledge of the finance sector and a formidable reputation."  Echoing that praise, clients say (2021) “I would recommend Richard Jacobsen in the highest terms,” he is (2020) “an exceptional litigator” and “a master of navigating commercial disputes.” Chambers also reports that clients regard him as “a commercial disputes wizard.” Clients hold Rich in high regard, telling Legal 500 our commercial disputes team is (2021) “brilliant,” while the publication calls out his “business critical disputes” work for Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs. Clients further endorse Rich when speaking to Legal 500, noting he (2020) “is always available and willing to do what is necessary in any situation. His knowledge of the industry and more importantly where we fit in the industry has paid tremendous dividends from a legal representation perspective. I have not dealt with an attorney from any other firm that had the combination of knowledge, ability, reputation and judgment that Rich has.” Another client called out Rich’s “razor sharp intellect” which sets him apart from other disputes and trial lawyers.

A first-chair trial lawyer recognized as one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America, Rich has litigated commercial, securities and product liability disputes for clients in many other industries in venues across the country. His clients have included: Amazon, Caesars Entertainment, Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, Microsoft, DISH Network, Acer and Wyeth. He has argued numerous appeals at the state and federal levels and frequently represents clients before state and federal regulators. He has argued multiple times before seven of the eight current justices in the Commercial Division of New York’s Supreme Court, New York County, and has arbitrated before the American Arbitration Association and London Court of International Arbitration.

Amy Ross Chief Practice Officer Litigation and Litigation Counsel

San Francisco

As Chief Practice Officer of the Strategic Advisory & Government Enforcement Business Unit, which encompasses attorneys with litigation, regulatory, transactional and legislative policy backgrounds in 18 Orrick global markets, Amy advises on the strategic planning, operation and management of the Unit. Her responsibilities include oversight of the Unit's financial performance, advancement of the Unit’s strategic initiatives, business planning and execution.

Amy's practice focuses on the representation of public companies, directors and officers in securities class actions, SEC and DOJ investigations and enforcement actions and shareholder derivative actions. She has extensive experience in litigation involving compliance breaches of fiduciary duty and securities law violations, and she has conducted dozens of corporate investigations of all types all over the world. 

Amy has represented the following companies and/or individuals associated with the following companies: McKesson Corporation, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. and Olympus Corporation.

Paul F. Rugani Partner

Orange County; New York; Seattle

Legal 500 touts Paul as a recommended attorney for Securities Litigation, observing that he is “among the most creative and strategic lawyers” who always has “an eye on the end game.”  Paul achieved American Lawyer Litigator of the Week recognition as part of a team that achieved a ground-breaking New York Court of Appeals victory that substantially reduced financial exposure in RMBS repurchase litigation.

Leader of Orrick's Securities Litigation practice and deputy leader of the Firm's Financial Services Litigation practice, Paul has extensive experience representing clients in securities class actions, shareholder derivative lawsuits, commercial contractual disputes and other complex litigation matters at both the trial and appellate levels, as well as in connection with internal, government and regulatory investigations. Paul also counsels domestic and foreign accounting firms on matters related to state CPA licensing and state board regulation.

Larry Sobel Partner

Los Angeles; Houston

As both bond counsel and underwriter’s counsel, he has been responsible for structuring and analyzing the tax aspects of many tax-exempt financings throughout the country.

Larry has extensive experience in handling IRS audits of bond transactions. He has represented issuers in dozens of audits all of which have ended favorably either with the IRS issuing a “no change” letter or by negotiating a reasonable settlement when needed. Larry also has handled a number of submissions under the IRS’ Voluntary Closing Agreement Program (or VCAP). The two most recent VCAP submissions represented cases of first impression for the IRS; one involving an issue of qualified energy conservation bonds relating to determining the amount of those bonds eligible for the federal subsidy; the other involved the plan to convert a “new money” bond issue into an advance refunding (which did not meet all of the requirements for a tax-exempt advance refunding). Both cases ultimately were resolved on the original terms proposed to the IRS.

Larry has also been instrumental in developing new financing techniques and structures. He first devised the tax structure and analysis for, and has served as tax counsel on, Orrick’s tax exempt tobacco revenue securitizations. He has developed the tax structure on numerous tax-exempt prepayments for natural gas for municipal utilities both within and outside of California.

Michael Torpey Senior Counsel

San Francisco; New York

Mike was Orrick's Securities Litigation practice leader from 2004 to 2012.

He has the unique ability to look at corporate governance problems from a business perspective, to carefully navigate or avoid collateral consequences, and strategically win legal problems. He is frequently recognized for his exemplary work by Chambers, Super Lawyers and The Daily Journal.

Mike focuses on litigation involving the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, The Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Act of 1934, the Uniform Standards Act and proceedings initiated by the Securities Exchange Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers and other self-regulatory organizations.

Mike has extensive experience in litigation involving breaches of fiduciary duty and conducting various types of corporate investigations.