People

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.

Mae Ji Managing Associate

New York

She is a native Korean speaker and is proficient in Japanese.

Mariah T. Johnston Of Counsel

New York

She focuses her practice on the development of energy infrastructure, including liquefied natural gas terminals, natural gas pipelines and natural gas storage facilities, as well as related transactional and financing matters. She routinely advises companies on securing permits and authorizations for major energy projects and has significant experience with proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Jared Joyce-Schleimer Partner

New York

Jared’s practice focuses on debt financing of a broad range of domestic and cross-border renewable and conventional power, energy and infrastructure, satellite and telecommunications and transportation projects. He supports scaling into large projects and portfolios and commercializing new technology in clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and space.

Working with private equity sponsors, credit funds and portfolio companies, he has significant experience with a variety of finance structures, including development and construction financings and traditional project finance, subordinated and mezzanine financings, term loan B financings, direct lending, syndicated debt financings, private placements, climate and impact finance, acquisition financings, M&A and restructurings.  He has also represented debtors and creditors in restructuring matters.

Jared also maintains an active pro bono practice and assists developing countries in bringing sustainable projects to market. He has worked with representatives of Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Jamaica, Kenya and Vietnam on high-level sustainable project preparation and structuring matters.

Jamie Kamen Baroff Senior Associate

New York

Jamie's practice focuses on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, advising companies on formation and equity financings, and corporate governance matters.

Andrew Kang Senior Associate

New York

Andrew advises technology companies throughout their lifecycles, including on company formations, day-to-day corporate matters, financing transactions and liquidity events.

Andrew received his JD from Columbia Law School. Prior to joining Orrick, Andrew worked at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP where he advised on M&A and securities transactions and general corporate matters.

Rene Kathawala Pro Bono Counsel

New York

Rene works with other pro bono counsel and legal services nonprofits to increase the quantity and quality of pro bono representation that is being provided to indigent clients in each of the cities worldwide where Orrick has a presence. In addition, he supervises and directly works on cases in such diverse areas as immigration law, family and matrimonial law, housing law, public benefits law, employment law counseling, impact litigation and nonprofit advice and counseling. Rene has worked on many substantial matters in the federal and state systems over his career that are reported as precedent. He also works with firm attorneys to strengthen the firm's innovative Impact Finance team that he founded and that provides representation in diverse transactional areas to nonprofit, for profit and hybrid organizations dedicated to providing basic services to poor persons around the world in areas including microfinance, water, education, energy, housing and health.

Based on his long-standing commitment to access to justice issues, Rene has been appointed to serve as co-chair of the New York City Bar Association Race Equity in the New York State Courts Working Group, co-chair of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel Transactional Law Working Group, as member of the New York City Bar Association Right to Counsel Task Force, as member of the New York City Bar Association Family Court Judicial Appointment & Assignment Process Work Group, as member of Sanctuary for Families' Narkis Golin Initiative, and as member of the Kids in Need of Defense's New York Advisory Committee. In recognition of his exemplary work in family law, United States District Judge Bloom appointed Rene as a special master in a federal court family law matter in 2014 in the Eastern District of New York in case number 07-cv-02565-ARR-LB, styled Garmhausen et al v. United States Department of Justice et al.  Rene also appeared in a documentary with wide release, called "The Accidental Spy," about his pro bono immigration client, Mr. Blerim Skoro, for whom Rene spent six-years in the New York City immigration court and gained deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture for the client.

Daniel Patrick Kearney Senior Associate

New York

Daniel focuses on technology transactions, including drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial and intellectual property focused agreements, and represents technology companies in a variety of areas, including stand-alone licensing, software as a service, and software development arrangements, and corporate matters, mergers & acquisitions, and financings.

Before joining Orrick, Daniel was an attorney in the IP & Tech Transactions group at Davis Polk & Wardwell, working on a variety of intellectual property, data privacy and security, and transactional matters.

Before becoming a lawyer, Daniel spent several years prosecuting patent applications as a registered patent agent.

Jennifer Keighley Partner

New York

Jennifer has co-authored numerous briefs and dispositive motions in federal and state courts of appeals and trial courts, and at both the certiorari and merits stage in the U.S. Supreme Court. Her experience covers a wide range of substantive areas, including constitutional law and statutory interpretation, labor and employment, intellectual property, healthcare law, privacy law, class action defense, securities litigation, and complex commercial litigation. She has deep expertise in appeals and critical motions in financial services litigation, including representing financial institutions in major RMBS cases and in putative and certified class actions, and she is currently representing Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and other underwriters of initial and secondary offerings in multiple securities class actions. Jennifer also maintains an active pro bono practice focusing on the areas of immigrant and women’s rights.

While at Orrick, Jennifer has argued and won two appeals. She argued and won an appeal on behalf of OpenTV raising issues of contract interpretation in the California Court of Appeal. She also argued and won an appeal on behalf of an immigration client seeking relief under the Convention Against Torture in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Prior to joining Orrick, Jennifer was a Staff Attorney at a national nonprofit and an associate at a boutique firm. In her prior roles, she participated in all aspects of litigation, arguing and briefing dispositive motions, examining multiple witnesses at trial, and taking depositions of both fact and expert witnesses. Jennifer graduated from Yale Law School, where she was an Editor on the Yale Law Journal. Immediately following law school, she served as a law clerk to Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Meghan Kelly Partner

New York; Los Angeles

Meghan approaches each representation with a problem-solving mentality and comprehensive legal strategy. In an industry where many cases are settled, she has established an impressive record at trial including for chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive, biotechnology, manufacturing and food companies in their most important cases. Drawing on her winning track record in front of juries, Meghan strategically prepares clients’ cases from the beginning to put them in the best position to achieve a favorable outcome.

Anastasia Kerdock Counsel

New York

Anastasia advises and defends clients with respect to a wide range of employment matters including:

• Allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
• Pattern or practice, class, and collective actions
• Diversity and inclusion initiatives and pay equity

Anastasia also counsels clients on a variety of legal issues and best practices related to the employee life cycle, including:

• Recruitment
• Hiring
• Performance management
• Separation of employment
• Negotiation of employment and severance agreements

Thomas Kidera Partner

New York

Tom represents Orrick's renewable energy and infrastructure clients in a vast array of commercial, warranty, and construction litigation matters throughout the U.S. and around the globe, previously having served as a member of the Orrick team that represented Hemlock Semiconductor (a leading producer of solar-grade polycrystalline silicon) in a host of litigations and proceedings arising from the breach of its long-term supply agreements by counterparties. His practice touches all types of renewable energy disputes from PPA litigation, to development and construction claims, to component supply and performance disputes, and everything in between.

In addition to representing his clients in courts and confidential arbitrations, Tom regularly provides pre-litigation counseling to Orrick's renewable energy and infrastructure clients, helping them manage their enterprise liability and pursue and defend claims through mediation and pre-dispute procedures, often resolving matters amicably before they devolve into full litigation or arbitration.

Tom also has litigated structured finance issues for his entire career, representing securitization sponsors and loan servicers in an array of litigations from securities fraud and loan repurchase disputes to ERISA and consumer class actions, also consulting and advising on the interpretation of securitization documents and events of default.

In addition, Tom represents audit firms and accountants in regulatory proceedings commenced by the SEC and the PCAOB along with related civil litigations. He has experience managing and conducting large scale internal investigations, liaising with regulators, remediating problems, and managing risk and liability in delicate circumstances.

Tom maintains an active pro bono practice representing asylum seekers and U.S. veterans seeking discharge status upgrades.