Elizabeth Lefever Of Counsel

Silicon Valley; Washington, D.C.

She focuses on high growth technology companies and represents both public and private companies and venture capital funds in many areas, including corporate and securities law, venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings, public company representation and private equity.

Cynthia Larsen Partner

Sacramento

She has handled appellate matters in the U.S. Supreme Court, various federal appellate courts and in the California Supreme Court and appellate courts. She is a veteran trial attorney and has applied her experience as a former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney to serving corporate and governmental clients. She recently served for five years as the partner-in-charge of Orrick’s Sacramento office. She also served for several years as head of Orrick’s Litigation Training Program and as vice-chair of the firm’s Litigation Division.

Before joining Orrick, Cynthia was an attorney at Condon & Forsyth in Washington, D.C. from 1982 to 1985. Prior to that, she was a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., where she served in the Honors Program and specialized in civil trial work. Representative cases handled by Cynthia on behalf of the United States include: Sweet v. United States, 528 F.Supp. 1068 (D.S.D. 1081), aff’d, 687 F.2d 246 (8th Cir. 1982) (trial counsel); Pike v. United States, 652 F.2d 31 (9th Cir. 1981) (trial and appellate counsel); Gaspard v. United States, 544 F.Supp. 55 (E.D.La. 1982); Marek v. United States, 639 F.2d 1164 (5th Cir. 1981) (trial counsel).

Cynthia frequently writes and lectures on litigation topics. She serves as a pro tem settlement conference judge for the Sacramento Superior Court and as a federal court mediator.

In addition to being admitted in California, Cynthia is also admitted in Idaho (inactive) and the District of Columbia (inactive).

Stanley Dirks Senior Counsel

San Francisco

He represents issuers and underwriters of tax-exempt bonds to finance a variety of public facilities and programs, including water and power systems, airports, schools, rental housing loan programs and homeownership loan programs.

Stan has served as a lecturer and panelist on a variety of programs concerning state and local government debt issuance. He also served for ten years as one of the original members of the Technical Advisory Committee of the California Debt and Investment Advisory Commission.

Stan also has a long history of involvement in the governance of nonprofit education, arts and other charitable organizations.

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.

Khai LeQuang Partner

Orange County

Most recently, Khai was lead trial counsel for EFG Bank and Erste Abwicklungsanstalt (which acquired the assets of former WestLB) in their lawsuit against AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company in the Southern District of New York, arising out of Equitable’s cost of insurance rate increase in 2016. EFG and EAA sought close to $100 million in damages. After several years of litigation, the case settled over the weekend before jury selection on very favorable terms. The settlement continued a string of recoveries Khai has achieved for clients pursuing claims against carriers that raised their cost of insurance rates.

Khai was lead trial counsel for EFG, EAA, and Obra Capital in their lawsuit against John Hancock Life Insurance Company in the Southern District of New York, arising out of John Hancock’s cost of insurance rate increase in 2018. EFG, EAA, and Obra sought over $100 million in damages. The case settled the evening before jury selection on very favorable terms.

Last year, Khai was lead trial counsel for a life insurance agent sued for fraud in connection with a life settlement transaction. The plaintiff sought over $10 million in damages. Following a one-week trial, the jury returned a complete defense verdict, and the case settled before judgment was entered.

Khai was lead trial counsel in a two-week bench trial in an action against a school district arising out of its allocation of $417 million in bond funds. The plaintiffs, led by a taxpayer association, sought $90 million for construction of a new school. After navigating a year-long political imbroglio and defeating plaintiffs’ summary judgment motions following a defense that Judge Pressman described as “brilliantly argued,” the case proceeded to a trial that resulted in a decision in favor of the district on all claims. Khai also defended and argued the appeal, in which the trial court’s judgment was affirmed.

Jeannie J. Shin Partner

San Francisco

Jeannie advises private and public companies on a full range of their corporate needs, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, corporate restructurings and capital raising transactions. In particular, Jeannie has extensive experience with cross-border transactions. Jeannie has acted as lead M&A counsel in numerous transactions representing clients both on the sell-side and buy-side. She has extensive experience representing clients in a wide range of industries, including software, internet, life sciences, energy, semiconductors, and consumer products and retail. As a member of Orrick’s Technology Companies Group, Jeannie also represents high growth technology companies and venture capital and other investors and has extensive experience with start-up companies in their formation, debt and equity financings, private placements and general corporate counseling.  

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.

Townsend Hyatt Partner

Portland

He has worked with Indian tribes in more than a dozen states on a variety of projects, such as financings for land acquisitions; health clinics; schools; government administration buildings; cultural centers; sewer, water and other infrastructure development; parks and recreation facilities; motor vehicle and aircraft purchases; manufacturing plants; and gaming and entertainment facilities. 

Amanda MacDonald Employment Law Career Associate

Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)

Amanda counsels employers on a variety of employment law and compliance matters, including employee handbooks, employment policies and procedures, background checks, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, employment agreements, wage and hour compliance, workplace safety, paid sick leave, and confidentiality agreements. Amanda counsels clients in various industries but has unique experience with financial services, technology, retail, and non-profit organizations.

Amanda also has employment litigation experience, including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under federal and state laws, wage and hour claims, trade secrets and unfair competition, and matters involving non-competition and non-solicitation clauses.

Prior to Orrick, Amanda worked for Clark Hill, PLC in Pittsburgh as a labor and employment lawyer. She also worked as a Litigation Associate for Holland & Knight, LLP in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she practiced primarily commercial litigation.

John Giansello Counsel

New York

Orrick’s Employment Law and Litigation group was recently named Labor & Employment Department of the Year in California by The Recorder, the premier source for legal news, in recognition of their significant wins on behalf of leading multinational companies on today’s most complex and challenging employment law matters.

He has considerable experience in and knowledge of litigation and counseling related to the hiring, firing, retention, management and promotion of employees.

Yuanjia (Gina) Zhang Patent Agent

Silicon Valley

Dr. Yuanjia (Gina) Zhang, a patent agent in the Silicon Valley office, is a member of the Intellectual Property Group.  As a patent agent, Dr. Zhang performs tasks related to patent prosecution including preparing and prosecuting patent applications. 

Dr. Zhang has broad technical background and experience in materials science and engineering, electronic devices, nanotechnology, and printing technology.  In particular, her technical areas include nanofabrication, semiconductors, organic electronics, molecular electronics, optoelectronics, electrophotography, inkjet printing, surface engineering, color science, and image processing.

Prior to joining Orrick, Dr. Zhang worked at Anova Law Group, where she prepared and prosecuted patent applications for large Chinese companies and prestigious universities, in industrial areas including Internet technology and semiconductor devices.  Before joining Anova Law Group, Dr. Zhang was a member of research staff in Xerox Innovation Group at Xerox Corporation.  Dr. Zhang also has prior industrial experiences at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, in Shanghai, China.  Dr. Zhang’s doctoral research focused on the electronic charge injection and transport in nanoscale organic thin film transistors.

Dr. Zhang has technical publications in journals including Advanced Materials and Journal of Applied Physics.  Dr. Zhang is also an inventor with six U.S. patents granted and other U.S. and foreign patent applications pending.

Andrew Vogeler Managing Associate

Wheeling, W.V. (GOIC)

Andrew concentrates his practice on matters pertaining to private equity and alternative investment funds, representing both investors and fund sponsors.

On the investor side, he primarily represents institutional investors, advising their participation in funds with a variety of focuses including venture capital, buy-out, real estate, and mezzanine opportunities. He works to ensure fund arrangements not only advance clients' economic objectives, but are responsive to the complex fiduciary and regulatory issues institutional investors must manage on behalf of their stakeholders.

On the sponsor side, Andrew handles various aspects of fund formation relating to the internal structuring of sponsor and management entities, drafting of fund documents, and negotiations with investors.

In addition, Andrew has experience handling a range of issues in M&A, real estate, oil & gas, and pipeline infrastructure transactions.