Title: Senior Associate
Firm: Orrick
Age: 34
Rising Star Andrea Greenwald’s career trajectory was not initially aimed at public finance when she graduated from law school.
Andrea wanted to be a financial litigator, doing battle each day in court.
But after successfully defending San Diego’s Grossmont Union High School District in court from a taxpayer challenge over their use of bond funds, she found her path.
After some self-reflection, Andrea discovered what she enjoyed about the case was not the court battle, but the subject matter, and she approached a partner about switching practices.
Andrea brings her “creative ability” to improving documents, processes and approaches to a diverse practice, said Donald Field, a partner in Orrick's Public Finance Group and the co-chair of Orrick's School and Community College Finance/General Obligation Bonds practice.
It took some time, but the partner saw Greenwald was enthusiastic about working in the world of munis and agreed to mentor her, she said.
Her practice now focuses on K-12 schools, transportation and cities and counties. She has worked on over 50 transactions including forward deliveries and cross refundings, tax-exempt and taxable.
Andrea also serves an editor of Orrick’s Women’s Initiative quarterly newsletter, highlighting the contributions of women attorneys at the firm. She also serves as the co-leader of its Women’s Initiative in the Orange County office and serves as a mentor to new public finance associates.
“Ms. Greenwald is great to work with,” said Adam Bauer, chief executive officer and president of Fieldman Rolapp & Associates. “She is always well prepared and organized and raises potential legal issues early in the process and works with the municipal issuers to resolve them or find solutions.”
During the pandemic, Andrea led the effort at Orrick to implement docu-sign, Bauer said.
“This made it so clients could close municipal bond deals while working remotely,” he said. “Since her successful efforts of implementing docu-sign other firms have also implemented docu-sign for bond documents.”
Andrea said she honored to be named a Rising Star.
“I am so grateful to my colleagues within Orrick and the broader public finance community for their support and for seeing potential in me that I don’t always see in myself. There are a lot of people within this community who took a chance on me, and I never take that opportunity for granted,” she said.
