Firm Elects 21 New Partners

SEATTLE, Wash. (January 6, 2015) - Perkins Coie announced that 21 associates, counsel and senior counsel have been promoted to partner. The new partner class of 2015 includes Tony Caliendo (Phoenix); Manny J. Caixeiro (New York); Rafael A. Colorado Ferrer (Dallas); Sean M. Connery (New York); Michael L. Dunning (Seattle); Timothy J. Fete (Denver); Clinten N. Garrett (Phoenix); Stephanie A. Hirano (Seattle); Angela R. Jones (Seattle); Karl L. Klassen (Seattle); Ronald Y. Koo (Los Angeles); Christina J. McCullough (Seattle); Jonathan L. McFarland (Seattle); Jeffrey C. Minzel (Seattle); Kelly F. Moser (Seattle); Shane M. Niebergall (Denver); David C. St. John-Larkin (Denver); David J. Tsai (San Francisco/Taipei); Eric E. Walker (Chicago); Eric B. Wolff (Seattle); and David C. Wood (Palo Alto).

“The members of Perkins Coie's 2015 partner class are talented, hard-working attorneys who embody the national strength and forward-looking growth of our firm,” said John Devaney, Perkins Coie's Firmwide Managing Partner. “They exemplify the excellence in practice and commitment to our respected clients that are hallmarks of our firm. We are proud to recognize and honor their contributions to the firm and their admission to the partnership.”

Perkins Coie 2015 Partner Class

Tony Caliendo (Phoenix) is a member of the firm's Litigation practice. He assists large and small companies in resolving business disputes, including those involving breach of contract, securities fraud, unfair competition and other torts. Tony has also successfully defended a variety of professionals against allegations of fraud and negligent misrepresentation before Arizona and federal courts. Active in the community, he has a strong commitment to pro bono work, and has been an active leader of the Boy Scouts of America for several years.

Manny J. Caixeiro (New York) is a member of the firm's Litigation practice, focusing on patent, IP and complex commercial litigation across a variety of industries. He has extensive experience representing prominent software providers, financial institutions, and retailers in patent, copyright, and licensing disputes. Manny represents public and private companies in federal and state courts throughout the nation in matters involving employment disputes, business torts, contract disputes, and other claims. He also has substantial experience in the field of entertainment law.

Rafael A. Colorado Ferrer (Dallas) is a member of the firm's Business practice. He represents structured finance and mortgage banking clients in a variety of securitization, structured finance and corporate debt transactions. Rafael’s experience has involved complex debt and capital market transactions, including asset-backed and mortgage-backed credit facilities and public and private securitizations, term notes and variable funding note offerings, mortgage loan repurchase facilities and secured warehouse lending facilities. He also represents mortgage banking and consumer finance clients in secondary market transactions including purchases and sales of mortgage servicing rights transactions and whole loan sale transactions.

Sean M. Connery (New York) is a member of the firm's Business practice. He represents corporate trust companies in a wide range of capital markets transactions, including corporate and municipal debt issuances, project finance, structured finance, loan facilities, secured and asset-backed lending, custodial arrangements and various types of agency appointments. Sean also counsels corporate trust clients in their capacity as trustee or agent in connection with bond and loan default scenarios, Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, and commercial litigation. His experience also includes advising on restructuring and litigation preparedness and avoidance issues that arise under complex commercial transactions.

Michael L. Dunning (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Environment, Energy & Resources practice. He counsels and litigates for clients on environmental, energy and project development, policy matters, legislative advocacy and strategic communications. Michael's environmental counseling and litigation experience includes the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Shoreline Management Act and the Washington state superfund law. He has assisted clients with negotiating complex settlements under the Model Toxics Control Act and CERCLA. Earlier in his career, Michael was an assistant attorney general in the Washington State Attorney General's office, representing the state's Department of Ecology on a broad range of environmental issues.

Timothy J. Fete (Denver) is a member of the firm's Business practice. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, and private equity in a broad range of industries, including healthcare, mining, manufacturing, software, retail, financial services, energy and technology. Timothy regularly represents strategic and financial buyers and sellers in all aspects of public and private company mergers and acquisitions. He also provides general corporate counseling and routinely assists public companies with their corporate governance and securities regulation, reporting and compliance needs.

Clinten N. Garrett (Phoenix) is a member of the firm's Litigation practice, where he focuses on securities, corporate governance, professional liability, and other complex litigation. Based in Phoenix, Clint has experience litigating commercial disputes in courts around the country and internationally, including in Delaware, California, and Southeast Asia.

Stephanie A. Hirano (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Business practice. She focuses her practice on corporate governance, public company reporting, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Stephanie represents both public and private companies in a variety of industries, including aerospace/defense, distribution, energy, retail and technology. Her transactional practice includes acquisitions, divestitures, carve-outs, private equity acquisitions, exits, public debt and equity offerings. In addition to transactional matters, she counsels companies on board governance, SEC reporting and compliance matters.

Angela R. Jones (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Litigation practice. She focuses on white collar and investigations, corporate governance litigation, and other complex commercial litigation. Angie has broad experience in False Claims Act litigation. She has conducted numerous internal corporate investigations in a variety of contexts, including the False Claims Act and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and has defended clients in government investigations conducted by such agencies as the DOJ, SEC, FDIC, and FINRA. Angie has also handled corporate white collar and civil fraud matters and commercial disputes.

Karl L. Klassen (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property practice. He manages intellectual property portfolios of emerging companies and international corporations, advising clients on patent strategies, patent licensing and due diligence. In the medical device industry, Karl has particular experience with respiratory technology, photodynamic therapy, energy emitting catheters, cardiac technology, spinal technology, and tissue processing and imaging equipment. He also has extensive experience in a variety of other technologies, including aerospace technology, injection molding, semiconductor processing equipment, and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems.

Ronald Y. Koo (Los Angeles) is a member of the firm's Technology Transactions & Privacy practice. He focuses on complex technology and intellectual property transactions, including those in connection with mergers and acquisitions of technology companies. Ron counsels clients on the development, commercialization and licensing of commercial and consumer software, cloud-based services, mobile device technologies, advertising networks, video games, Internet websites, and e-commerce platforms.

Christina J. McCullough (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Litigation practice, with a primary focus on patent litigation and appeals. She represents clients in cases relating to a broad range of technologies, including software and Internet applications, consumer electronics, circuits and systems, telecommunications, and semiconductors.

Jonathan L. McFarland (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Litigation practice, with an emphasis on patent and trade secret litigation. He has experience representing clients in all stages of litigation and has litigated cases in jurisdictions across the country, including the International Trade Commission and federal courts in California, Delaware, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Earlier in his career, Jonathan worked as an engineer in the semiconductor industry and he is a named inventor on six U.S. patents relating to semiconductors and optoelectronic devices. He is active in the community and maintains a steady pro bono practice, including in immigration and civil rights matters.

Jeffrey C. Minzel (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice and the Tax practice. His practice focuses on ERISA and employee benefits matters in areas including: mergers and acquisitions; qualified plan design and compliance; multiemployer pension plans; health and welfare plans; Code Section 409A compliance and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements; fiduciary liability; prohibited transactions; voluntary correction; and retirement plans for nonprofit and government entities. Jeffrey has represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, and federal and state courts. He is a Certified Public Accountant and focuses his pro bono work on child and youth immigration issues.

Kelly F. Moser (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Environment, Energy & Resources practice. She focuses on environmental, energy, natural resources, and land use compliance counseling and litigation. Kelly assists clients with project development, permitting, compliance and regulatory matters under state and federal environmental and land use laws, including the National and State Environmental Policy Acts, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Shane M. Niebergall (Denver) is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property practice. He counsels clients on all aspects of patent portfolio development and management, including preparation of corporate policies, identification of patentable technologies, and commercialization of patented technologies. Shane also conducts due diligence regarding the licensing and acquisition of intellectual property, and helps clients develop patent portfolios to act as competitive barriers and revenue generators. He has prepared and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications in diverse technologies, including in the petroleum, medical devices, robotics and telecommunications industries.

David St. John-Larkin (Denver) is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property practice whose practice emphasizes patent analysis, patent prosecution, and licensing. With significant experience in the fields of telecommunications, software, and computer hardware, Dave regularly assists companies with patent acquisitions, portfolio management, and patent monetization. Dave also has more than a decade of experience defending companies against patent assertions, with a particular focus on strategic and cost-effective pre-suit resolution. He is an officer of the Colorado Bar Association IP Section and a board member of the Silicon Flatirons Center and Colorado IP Inn of Court.

David J. Tsai (San Francisco/Taipei) is a member of the firm's commercial litigation practice. He focuses on trade secret and patent litigation involving the Internet, software, semiconductors, set-top boxes, smartphones, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), pharmaceuticals, biotechnologies, and medical devices. David is experienced with international arbitration and copyright and trademark litigation. He helped establish the firm's Taiwan office in 2011 and has been recognized as One of The Top "Five Associates To Watch" in California by The Recorder and Best Lawyer Under 40 by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He co-chairs the firm's Asian Pacific Islander Affinity Group.

Eric E. Walker (Chicago) is a member of the firm's Corporate practice, focusing on financial restructuring, bankruptcy and complex commercial litigation. He has represented debtors, creditors, ad hoc committees, examiners and trustees in bankruptcy proceedings and appeals across the country. Eric has particular experience in the hotel and hospitality industry, advising hotel owners, developers, lenders and major hotel brands in transactions, state and federal litigation, and bankruptcy matters. He frequently writes and speaks on issues of bankruptcy and appellate law, and serves as the Education Director for the Real Estate Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Eric B. Wolff (Seattle) is a member of the firm's Product Liability practice and Appellate practice. His experience includes counseling and advocacy across diverse and uncharted legal terrain, including most recently the confidential source and sanctions issues arising from a securities fraud class action involving the 787 Dreamliner. Eric is a former U.S. Supreme Court law clerk, federal prosecutor, and vice president and assistant general counsel at The Boeing Company.

David C. Wood (Palo Alto) is a member of the firm's Emerging Companies & Venture Capital practice. He focuses his practice on the representation of emerging growth companies, venture funds and other early stage investors. David has been involved in hundreds of transactions such as equity and debt offerings, mergers and acquisitions, technology transfer transactions and complex restructuring and spin-off transactions. In addition, he advises companies and their boards of directors on corporate governance matters. He has experience in a wide array of industries, including software, computer hardware, digital media, cleantech and Internet services.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high-value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.

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