People

Megan Benton Managing Associate

Sacramento

Megan helps protect the interests of some of the world's most innovative public and private companies and their founders, officers, and directors. She has experience in a wide array of complex business litigation matters, including high-stakes securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, regulatory investigations, and multi-district litigation. Megan has worked on a diverse range of other complex litigation matters, including contract disputes, civil RICO actions, and insurance insolvency proceedings,

Megan also maintains a robust pro bono practice, and has assisted in representing clients in matters related to the compassionate release program for federal prisoners, drafting a petition for habeas corpus and clemency petition for a state prisoner, and in bringing a class action suit challenging agency violations of law and policy on behalf of disabled asylees. In 2022, she helped secure a client's release from prison after forty years behind bars based on proportionality concerns under the U.S. and California Constitutions.

Prior to joining Orrick, Megan graduated from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law with great distinction. During law school, Megan served as the Managing Editor of The University of the Pacific Law Review, published articles relating to the commercialization of space and to sanctuary states and immigration policies, and was recognized for writing a Best Appellate Brief in the school-wide moot court competition. Megan also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Allison Claire at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Megan earned a bachelor's degree in history from Boston University.

Patrick B. Bocash Gen Lit Snr Career Associate

Sacramento

Patrick has represented a number of clients in high-stakes litigation, including bankruptcy proceedings for the cities of Stockton, CA and Vallejo, CA, which received extensive press coverage.  Patrick has also represented the California Insurance Commissioner in numerous matters, including the conservation and liquidation of insolvent insurance companies.

Additionally, Patrick has represented start-up clients in nationwide regulatory and legislative campaigns in conjunction with Orrick's Public Policy Group and has also worked with Orrick's Appellate Group on multiple cases before the Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court.

Katie E. Briscoe Partner

Sacramento

Katie collaborates with employers to resolve challenging litigation and avoid risky compliance issues. She defends employers against PAGA, class, multi-plaintiff, and single plaintiff actions involving a variety of claims ranging from complex wage and hour disputes to contentious discrimination and harassment claims. Katie has jury trial experience and practices before a variety of forums, including state and federal trial courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and private arbitration and mediation. She understands the challenges that employers face and helps them to navigate ever-changing state, federal, and local laws. Katie has significant experience litigating and advising on wage and hour issues; exempt/non-exempt classification; discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; arbitration agreements; independent contractor classification; business expense reimbursement; compensation; Section 17200, and more. She also works with clients to resolve employment disputes prior to litigation.

Katie earned her J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law, where she graduated Order of the Coif.

James W. Bruner, Jr. Legislative Consultant

Sacramento

He brings extensive strategic, political and communication experience to the firm and our clients.  His practice focuses on governmental policy and regulatory issues, primarily those relating to finance, tax, and corporate securities. Jim has extensive state and federal policy and regulatory experience. In addition, he is a principal proponent of municipal government finance issues.  He has worked with local governments, investment banks, the state legislature, and the Congress to draw attention to policy and legal changes needed to advance the ability of California municipalities to access financial markets, create more usable bond and finance laws, and update laws governing what public entities may undertake for public purposes.

Jim has directed Orrick’s Governmental Affairs Practice Group since joining the firm in 1984. Before that, he served for 10 years as Executive Director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, where he gained recognition across the United States for raising concerns about Lake Tahoe to a national level.

Chris Chavez Senior Counsel

Sacramento

Chris has experience in acquisition, disposition and financing of large portfolios of commercial real estate; distressed debt; negotiation of joint ventures for development projects; construction contracts; data center leasing/co-location; office leasing; and transactions involving multi-family housing.

Chris is very involved in Orrick’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and has served as a co-chair of the San Francisco DEI Committee for many years. She is also involved in diversity efforts at UC Berkeley School of Law and has previously served on its Alumni Board and the Board of the East Bay Community Law Center.

Chris was resident in the firm's Tokyo office from 1999-2002.

Justin Cooper Partner

San Francisco; Sacramento

Justin's practice is focused primarily in the following areas:

• affordable multifamily rental housing (local and state housing agencies);
• lending, including leveraged lending, with public agency borrowers;
• short- and long-term working capital financings;
• public higher education;
• transportation;
• single-family housing;
• workouts and restructurings; and
• cannabis industry financing opportunities.

Justin is on the Board of Directors of the California Housing Consortium and is a past Chairman of the Bond Buyer's California Public Finance Conference. He speaks frequently at conferences and other industry events.

Justin is known in the affordable housing community in particular for being a solution-oriented lawyer who understands the business fundamentals of affordable housing and real estate finance as well as being fully versed in the applicable laws and regulations. He frequently collaborates with developers and other participants in the development of new financial structures and products designed to lower overall financing costs for housing providers and thereby increase both the supply and quality of available affordable housing.

Brandon Dias Partner

Sacramento

California Local Government Finance. Brandon focuses on California local government financing structures including general fund lease revenue bonds and certificates of participation; pension obligation bonds; tax and revenue anticipation notes; mello-roos bonds, assessment district bonds and other land secured financing structures; redevelopment financing; water and wastewater revenue bonds; airport revenue bonds; and public power revenue bonds.

Tax-Exempt Healthcare Finance. Brandon also focuses on tax-exempt healthcare finance for 501(c)(3) organizations. His experience includes financings for standalone hospitals, hospital systems and continuing care retirement communities. He has served as bond counsel or underwriters' counsel on tax-exempt healthcare financings in various states throughout the nation.

Patricia L. Eichar Partner

Portland; Sacramento

Ms. Eichar has represented issuers, underwriters and borrowers in taxable and tax-exempt municipal financings for health care organizations, senior living communities, and other types of 501(c)(3) organizations.  In addition, Ms. Eichar has represented various municipal issuers, including the State of California, in the issuance of general obligation bonds, deficit bonds, revenue anticipation notes, lease revenue bonds, enterprise revenue bonds, pension obligation bonds and land-secured bonds, and in municipal lease and redevelopment financing.

As disclosure counsel to myriad public agencies, Ms. Eichar advises on matters including the content of primary offering documents as well as continuing disclosure filings.

In addition to her work in municipal financings, Ms. Eichar has taken on multiple pro bono projects, including prosecuting guardianships for Sacramento's Voluntary Legal Services Program and assisting veterans with appeals of denial of disability benefits before the Board of Veterans Appeals.

Alexandria Elliott Senior Associate

Sacramento

Alexandria has experience representing clients in the technology, energy, professional services, and manufacturing industries in a broad range of commercial litigation disputes. She has also assisted in the defense of contract, trade secret, business torts, and single-plaintiff employment claims in mediation, arbitration, and in state and federal courts.

Alexandria maintains an active pro bono case load and recently won a prisoner appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Prior to joining Orrick, Alexandria worked as a litigation associate in Kirkland & Ellis's San Francisco office. Before that, Alexandria was a law clerk for the Honorable Bobby R. Baldock of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Gina M. Groh of the Northern District of West Virginia. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she graduated second in her class.

Jade Gasek Managing Associate

Sacramento

Jade's practice includes a broad set of commercial and employment litigation matters defending employers, financial institutions, and healthcare and technology companies against breach of contract and business tort claims, claims of discrimination and retaliation, and fraud claims, among others.

Prior to joining Orrick as an associate, Jade was an Orrick Fellow at the Howard University School of Law Civil Rights Clinic where he represented plaintiffs in federal civil rights litigation at both the trial and appellate levels.

As a law student, Jade worked as a judicial extern in the Eastern District of California for Chief Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.  He also co-mediated Section 1983 claims brought by incarcerated individuals with magistrate judges also in the Eastern District of California.

Justin Giovannettone Senior Career Associate

Sacramento

Justin has represented individuals, corporations and public entities in connection with civil lawsuits, government investigations, insurance conservatorships, and compliance monitorships.  He has managed civil litigation matters and corporate internal investigations relating to accounting fraud, harassment, securities laws, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  He has also been a member of two government-appointed SEC and DOJ Monitorships, and helped represent a medical device company under a multi-year Monitorship ultimately resulting in dismissal of the criminal Information against the company. 

In October 2018, Justin represented the victim of a sexual assault in a jury trial in Yolo County Superior Court.  Sitting first chair at trial, Justin obtained a unanimous verdict and full damages for this pro bono client.

Prior to attending law school, Justin served on active duty for nine years in the United States Air Force.  He is currently a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve.

Nicholas J. Horton Senior Associate

Sacramento

Nick handles matters related to pay practices for global tech corporations, including a nationwide FLSA collective action seeking damages for up to 40,000 workers, multiple putative California class actions and a regulatory compliance matter, each affecting thousands of employees. When helping clients navigate these challenging cases, Nick draws upon his range of litigation experience. Prior to focusing on employment, Nick handled breach of contract, fraud, and unfair competition law cases in both federal and state courts, and was a member of an Orrick trial team that secured a $52.8 million verdict in a trade secrets trial. 

To help his clients avoid litigation, Nick walks them through the most recent employment laws, case trends and ways to mitigate potential loss.

Before attending law school, Nick served seven years as an infantry officer and instructor in the United States Marine Corps.