Merciless Orrick in second Heller swoop

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has made a second dramatic raid on Heller Ehrman's Venture Law Group (VLG), securing a further four technology partners.

Partners Don Keller, Tom Tobiason, Mark Windfeld-Hansen and Mitch Zuklie will join Orrick's Silicon Valley office.

The move comes just a month after Orrick took five technology partners from VLG. As first revealed on www.thelawyer.com (15 Feb-ruary), John Bautista, David Lee, Mike Morrissey and Glen Van Ligten last month quit Heller Ehrman for Orrick's 80-lawyer Silicon Valley office, while a fifth partner, Ned Ruffin, joined the firm's Washington DC office.

The five were founders of Silicon Valley's VLG before moving to Heller Ehrman in 2003, when the two firms merged.

Keller, Tobiason, Windfeld-Hansen and Zuklie are expected to join Orrick within the week.

Prior to its merger with Heller Ehrman, VLG, which has now grown to 108 lawyers, enjoyed a longstanding referral relationship with Orrick, which alongside Morrison & Foerster was among those firms battling to secure a tie-in with the venture capital firm.