Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has hired five partners from the legacy Venture Law Group (VLG), less than 18 months after the firm rejected a merger with Orrick in favour of rival Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe.

The group includes four founding partners – John Bautista, David Lee, Michael Morrissey and Edmund Ruffin – from the iconic Silicon Valley technology specialist, as well as partner Glen Van Ligten.