Bond attorney Patricia Eichar jumps to Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth

Patricia "Trish" Eichar will join Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth as a partner on April 15, moving over from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Eichar is taking some time off before starting, which she confirmed will include a trip to Disneyland.

Eichar joined Orrick's public finance practice in August 2007 and was named partner in January 2018. Prior to Orrick, she spent five months as an extern for Judge Consuelo M. Callahan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit headquartered in San Francisco.

She has worked on state general obligation bond sales for both California and Oregon as well as local government tax-exempt and taxable financings. A core area for her is working with state and local agencies on large, complex infrastructure deals and land-secured financings.

Eichar was recognized as a rising star by The Bond Buyer in 2018.

"We are delighted that Trish has joined our firm as we continue to build out our Sacramento presence," said Brian Forbath, a Stradling partner, member of the firm's management committee.

Forbath described Eichar as a "fantastic lawyer," who will assist the firm with its relationship with the state of California and in bolstering its local government practice.

The opportunity to work at Stradling arose as she was contemplating how to build her practice, which she determined would be an incredible fit, Eichar said.

"Public finance is changing and state and local agencies need specialized tools now more than ever," Eichar said. "I am joining Stradling because their focus on California state and local government is unmatched."

While she described Orrick as a great firm, and she is leaving on good terms, Stradling's strengths in working with local agencies on infrastructure projects and bond disclosure was a major attraction.

"Local government work has been less of a priority at Orrick and the number of attorneys doing that work has become fewer, while Stradling is expanding in that area," Eichar said.

She described Orrick as a national powerhouse.

Stradling has created a strong concentration in helping smaller local government agencies build infrastructure that helps them cope with the current challenges from inflated infrastructure costs, she said.

"I have seen a lot of agencies start to put together plans for infrastructure, but when they go out to bid, costs have risen," Eichar said. "It's important to have a team that is able to understand the needs of local agencies and how that's different from how state agencies operate."

She wants to continue to grow her land-secured financing work, because housing is such a crucial issue in California.

"Local agencies are trying to thread the needle and provide infrastructure without dipping into their general fund," she said. "Land-secured financing is one of the tools that helps develop infrastructure to support housing."

For a time, she traveled between Orrick's Sacramento and Portland offices from the home she shared with her husband and two stepchildren in Beaverton, Oregon, before they moved to Sacramento. At Stradling she will be based in Sacramento but will continue to work with Oregon clients.

"This move allows me to build my state, local government and land-secured practice and provide the high-touch service my clients expect."