Carolyn Frantz

Carolyn Frantz

Senior Counsel

Orrick

The former Corporate Secretary and head of the Corporate Legal Group at Microsoft, Carolyn Frantz advises clients on legal issues, especially in the technology industry, as part of Orrick’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice.

A former Rhodes Scholar, Carolyn clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David S. Tatel, before teaching at the University of Chicago Law School. She was a litigation partner at a major law firm for eight years before joining Microsoft, where she managed the company’s worldwide tax litigation until her appointment as Corporate Secretary.

As Microsoft’s Corporate Secretary, Carolyn had the opportunity to work closely with the company’s Board of Directors and senior leadership, gaining a first-hand understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing technology companies in a dynamic competitive and regulatory environment. As the head of the Corporate Legal Group, Carolyn was responsible for legal issues regarding securities law and disclosures, treasury and finance, international trade, procurement, real estate, and many other issues. Building on her extensive litigation experience, which includes managing tax disputes domestically and abroad, as well as litigating multi-district products liability and consumer cases and commercial contract disputes, including a victory for Microsoft in the first known major use of emergency arbitration, Carolyn understands the practical challenges companies face in litigation and how those intersect with Board reporting, securities disclosures, and internal accountability.

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