MENLO PARK, CALIF. – LAWFUEL – 8 March 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced today that four additional partners from Heller Ehrman’s Venture Law Group will join the firm shortly. Partners Don Keller, Tom Tobiason, Mark Windfeld-Hansen and Mitch Zuklie will join Orrick’s Silicon Valley office as part of Orrick’s Emerging Companies Group, a multi-disciplinary, international group of 75 lawyers focused on this market segment. They each joined Heller from Venture Law Group when the two firms merged in 2003.
These partners join five partners from Heller’s Venture Law Group who came to Orrick in mid-February: John Bautista, David Lee, Mike Morrissey and Glen Van Ligten, who are resident in the firm’s Silicon Valley office, and Ned Ruffin, resident in Orrick’s Washington D.C. office.
“Orrick is making a significant push to expand the firm’s emerging companies practice, particularly in Silicon Valley, having added nine partners in the first two months of this year alone,” said Ralph Baxter, chairman and CEO of Orrick. “We want to be a destination law firm for emerging companies who are looking for a long-term legal partner, and believe with these additions, Orrick is now positioned among just a handful of firms with a solid emerging companies practice as well as broad global capabilities.”
In 2004 and 2005, Orrick has also made a significant push internationally by opening offices in Rome and Taipei, and expanding its presence in Tokyo.
Orrick is expanding its emerging companies practice at a time when venture funding is growing considerably. During 2004, the venture capital industry invested $21 billion in emerging companies, the first upswing in three years according to a recent MoneyTree™ Survey. In a separate report from Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association, in 2004, 170 venture capital funds raised $17.6 billion, $3.4 billion more than the previous two years combined. These figures represent the highest level of private equity commitments since 2000.
Orrick was the second-most-active law firm in the private equity and venture capital markets in 2004, as measured by the number of deals, according to the February issue of Private Equity Analyst.
Orrick’s Silicon Valley office, located in Menlo Park, is comprised of approximately 80 lawyers focusing on intellectual property, corporate and employment matters. In 2004, for the third consecutive year, Orrick’s Silicon Valley office ranked first among Silicon Valley law firms for mid-level associate satisfaction, according to an annual survey by The American Lawyer magazine. In addition, the office was named a 2004 Top Corporate Philanthropist in Silicon Valley by The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.
About Orrick’s New Partners
Don Keller – Keller is a premiere Silicon Valley lawyer, having spent 20 years advising emerging companies, VCs, and investment banks on more than 60 public offerings, 75 acquisitions transactions and several hundred venture financings. Keller also has significant experience representing enterprise software companies, including ten years as Oracle’s primary outside corporate and securities counsel. He was recently named one of the top IPO lawyers during 1998-2003 by IPO Vital Signs.
He earned a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College, and a J.D. from Boston College Law School (Order of the Coif) where he was a member of the Boston College Law Review.
Tom Tobiason – Tobiason focuses his practice on the emerging technology sector, with an emphasis on venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions, public offerings and corporate partnerships. His clients include technology companies, venture capitalists and underwriters.
He earned a B.A. in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from Brown University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School (Order of the Coif), where he was a contributing editor of the University of Michigan Law Review. He was a law clerk for the Honorable Anthony J. Scirica, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Mark Windfeld-Hansen – Windfeld-Hansen focuses his practices on executive compensation and transactional tax matters. He advises clients on federal and state tax issues that relate to structuring business transactions. He also works with clients regarding the tax implications of their executive compensation, and controversies and litigation involving state income, sales, and property tax matters. He regularly speaks on federal and state tax issues.
He earned a B.A. in History, summa cum laude, from Amherst College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
Mitch Zuklie – Zuklie focuses his practice on corporate and securities matters for emerging and established technology companies. He has completed more than 150 venture capital financings, as well as numerous public offerings, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic licensing and corporate partnership transactions. He also regularly counsels public and private companies on corporate governance and commercial matters. He is on the board of directors of the California Law Review.
He earned a B.A., summa cum laude, from Bowdoin College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He earned a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, where he was the Editor in Chief of the California Law Review.
About Orrick
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers in North America, Europe, and Asia. The firm focuses on litigation, complex and novel finance, and innovative corporate transactions. Orrick clients include Fortune 100 companies, major industrial and financial corporations, commercial and investment banks, high-growth companies, governmental entities, start-ups, and individuals. The firm’s 14 offices are located in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange County, Pacific Northwest, London, Milan, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Taipei.
