Jan 3, 2024 SOURCE: PR NewsWire
Morrison Foerster Elects 27 Partners
The class of 2024 includes lawyers from 13 practice groups
NEW YORK, Jan. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the election of 27 lawyers to the firm's partnership, effective January 1, 2024. The class of 2024 includes lawyers from 13 practice groups.
"I'm thrilled to welcome this incredibly talented group of lawyers to the partnership," said Eric McCrath, chair of Morrison Foerster. "Their promotion to partner is a testament to their commitment to hard work and excellence, passion for what they do, strong sense of ownership and collaboration, unwavering dedication to serving our clients globally, and commitment to the firm's shared values. In their own unique way, they are the embodiment of what makes MoFo such a special place to work. I am excited for the many more contributions they will make to the firm in the years to come."
The following lawyers have been elected partners:
-- Alexandra Preece Barlow is a member of the Litigation Department and the
Class Actions and Mass Torts Group, based in San Diego. She litigates
complex product liability matters involving medical devices,
pharmaceuticals, consumer products, automobiles, and artificial
intelligence, with significant experience managing challenging mass tort
and class action cases from inception through trial. She received her
J.D. from the University of San Diego Law School and her B.A. from the
University of California, Los Angeles.
-- Locke Bell is a member of the Litigation Department and Government
Contracts + Public Procurement Group, based in Washington, D.C. He is a
recognized expert on intellectual property in government contracting,
which he teaches as an adjunct professor at the George Washington
University Law School. He is a trusted counselor, litigator, and
strategic partner to technology-driven clients as they engage with the
U.S. government and others in the complex landscape of public
procurement, grants, and government-sponsored initiatives. He also
advises companies and investors on government contracting issues in
transactional matters including mergers and acquisitions. He received
his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and his B.S.
in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia.
-- James Brower is a member of the Litigation Department and the National
Security Group, based in Washington, D.C. Brower has worked across a
variety of departments within the U.S. federal government and has
extensive experience advising and representing clients in matters
relating to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
(CFIUS) and other national security-related matters. Prior to joining
Morrison Foerster's National Security Group, he managed the review,
assessment, and investigation of more than 100 transactions for CFIUS at
the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He received his J.D. from the
George Washington University Law School and his B.A. from George Mason
University.
-- Jennifer Buckby is a member of the Transactions Department and the
Mergers + Acquisitions (M&A) Group, based in London. She advises on M&A,
joint ventures, emerging companies and venture capital (ECVC)
transactions, and general corporate advisory matters, with particular
experience advising clients in the technology, life sciences, and
food/agriculture sectors. In her M&A practice, she has represented
clients in strategic UK and cross-border M&A and joint venture
transactions. In her ECVC practice, she has served as company and
investor counsel in early- and late-stage financings and minority
strategic investments. She received her L.P.C. from BPP Law School and
her LL.B. from the University of Bristol.
-- Fitz Collings is a member of the Litigation Department and the IP
Litigation Group, based in Washington, D.C. Collings counsels some of
the largest pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and technology companies in
the world on complex intellectual property matters. His experience over
the past decade includes high-profile patent litigation, trade secret
proceedings in district courts and before the International Trade
Commission (ITC), and numerous Hatch-Waxman Act cases in district courts
around the U.S. He received his J.D. from the College of William and
Mary, his A.L.M. from Harvard University, and his B.A. from Cornell
University.
-- Krista deBoer is an environmental attorney in the Litigation Department
and the Class Actions and Mass Torts Group, based in San Diego. She
represents clients in environmental and toxic tort litigation and
consumer class actions involving hazardous materials exposures and
claims of health or environmental benefits and has broad experience in
CERCLA and HSAA litigation and cost recovery. deBoer also defends
clients in regulatory enforcement actions and advises on compliance
issues regarding hazardous materials management, California Title 20
energy efficiency regulation, California Air Resources Board
regulations, and climate disclosure laws. She regularly works with
companies to assess and mitigate risk related to green marketing and
climate-related claims. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School,
her M.Ed. from Antioch University, and her B.A. from the University of
Washington.
-- Kate Driscoll is a member of the Litigation Department and the
Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Defense Group,
based in Washington, D.C. Driscoll focuses her practice on
investigations, enforcement actions, and compliance, with an emphasis on
pharmaceutical and life sciences clients, related to healthcare fraud,
the False Claims Act, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. She
recently completed a secondment with a global consulting firm, leading
government-facing investigations relating to healthcare matters. Prior
to joining Morrison Foerster, Driscoll served as an Assistant United
States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania, where she led the criminal prosecution of one of the
largest theft of trade secrets cases in U.S. history, involving a
leading multinational pharmaceutical company. Driscoll has significant
trial experience, having obtained multiple jury and bench trial
verdicts. She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law
School and her A.B. summa cum laude from Bryn Mawr College.
-- Rachel Fiorill is a member of the Litigation Department and the National
Security Group, based in Washington D.C. Fiorill has deep experience in
economic sanctions, U.S. government and internal investigations, Bank
Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML), and export controls.
Fiorill previously served as an enforcement section chief at the U.S.
Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC),
where she oversaw investigations of possible sanctions violations. She
regularly advises global financial institutions, investment companies,
and U.S. and non-U.S. companies operating in the technology, payments,
and cryptocurrency industries. Fiorill received her J.D. from the
Georgetown University Law Center, her M.P.P. from Georgetown University,
and her B.A. from Brandeis University.
-- Joseph Charles Folio is a member of the Litigation Department and the
Antitrust Law and Privacy + Data Security Groups, based in Washington,
D.C. Folio has more than a dozen years of experience leading complex
government investigations and high-profile litigation. Having served in
all three branches of the federal government, and with his experience in
both criminal and civil litigation, he leverages his knowledge to guide
clients through crises response, complex litigation and difficult
government investigations. Folio received his J.D. from the George Mason
University School of Law and his M.A. and B.A. from Georgetown
University.
-- Benjamin T.R. Fox is a member of the Transactions Department and the
Mergers + Acquisitions Group, based in San Francisco. His practice
focuses on representing startup to late-stage private companies and
venture capital and private equity investors, as well as family offices,
private foundations, and public charities in early-stage and late-stage
financings, mergers, acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, joint
ventures, and hybrid or "tandem" structuring arrangements between
nonprofit and for-profit entities. Fox has extensive experience working
with investors and companies in the climate technology and
infrastructure and sustainability space. He regularly advises clients on
creative legal structures with respect to aggregating and deploying
capital to maximize impact and returns. Fox earned his J.D. from the
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, and his B.A. from the
University of Michigan.
-- Tushna Gamadia is a member of the Transactions Department and the Real
Estate Group, based in New York. Gamadia regularly represents U.S. and
overseas investors and developers in joint venture projects throughout
the U.S. and in the acquisition, financing, management, development, and
sale of these projects. She has advised borrowers and lenders on all
aspects of real estate finance, including securitized lending, balance
sheet lending, syndicated loan transactions, construction loans,
preferred equity, and private equity transactions, and has experience
representing developers in obtaining EB-5 financing for development
projects and landlords and tenants in leasing transactions. She received
her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. from Middlebury College.
-- Chris Gloria is a member of the Transactions Department and the Patent
Strategy + Prosecution Group, based in Washington, D.C., where his
practice concentrates on U.S. and international patent prosecution, IP
due diligence, and IP litigation support, including patent infringement
and validity determinations. As co-head of the firm's Med Tech practice
group, he advises large and emerging medical device companies in
building and growing their patent portfolios. He has experience in
numerous technology areas, including surgical guidance systems, machine
learning for image-based analysis, autonomous devices, user interfaces,
and many more. Before attending law school, he worked as an engineer in
the semiconductor and aerospace industries. He received his J.D. from
the George Washington University Law School and his M.S. and B.S. in
mechanical engineering from the University of Texas, Austin.
-- Ian Hohmeister is a member of the Transactions Department and the
Finance Group, based in Boston. His practice focuses on representing
leading banks, private credit, and other financial institutions in
transactions with both U.S. and international companies in the areas of
technology, life sciences, and hardware. A significant portion of his
practice and experience involves transactions with Fintech companies and
he has expertise in the area of lending to entities engaged in digital
assets (cryptocurrency and NFTs). In addition to his commercial finance
practice, he has experience in the acquisition, disposition, financing,
and leasing of commercial real estate. He received his J.D. from Suffolk
University Law School and his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts.
-- Adam Hunt is a member of the Litigation Department and the Class Actions
and Mass Torts Group, based in New York. His practice focuses on complex
litigation, with an emphasis on class action and commercial litigation.
Hunt has extensive experience representing consumer products companies,
financial institutions, and technology firms in class action cases and
complex commercial disputes before state and federal trial courts, as
well as in arbitrations. In addition, Hunt has been recognized for his
pro bono work and is the recipient of the New York State Bar
Association's 2017 President's Pro Bono Service Award for the First
Judicial Department, the 2018 Public Service Award from New York
University School of Law, and Morrison Foerster's Kathi Pugh Award for
Pro Bono Services. He received his J.D. from New York University School
of Law and his B.A. from Swarthmore College.
-- Eric Lawson is a member of the Litigation Department and the Securities
Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Defense Group, based in New
York. He represents clients in a wide range of litigation matters and in
appeals in federal and state courts throughout the U.S. Lawson regularly
defends clients in securities and shareholder litigation, complex
commercial litigation, and other high-stakes litigation matters. He
received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and his B.A. in
economics from Tufts University.
-- Rose Lee is a member of the Litigation Department and the IP Litigation
Group, based in Los Angeles. Her practice focuses on patent, copyright,
and trade secret matters. Lee has litigated a wide range of
high-technology cases for U.S.- and non-U.S.-based clients in U.S.
federal courts and before the ITC. A registered patent attorney, Lee
also represents clients in adversarial proceedings before the Patent
Trial and Appeal Board. She received her J.D. from New York University
School of Law and her B.S. from the University of California, Los
Angeles.
-- Kevin Jerome Madden is a member of the Transactions Department and the
Mergers + Acquisitions Group, based in Boston. He advises private equity
sponsors and public and private company clients on a broad range of
transactions, including M&A, leveraged buyouts, growth and venture
investments, and divestitures. Madden represents clients operating in a
range of industries, including technology, life sciences, healthcare,
food, and manufacturing. He received his J.D. from American University
Washington College of Law and his B.A. from Bates College.
-- Rob Manoso is a member of the Litigation Department and the Antitrust
Law Group, based in Washington, D.C. His practice focuses on advising
clients on all aspects of antitrust investigations, litigation, and
compliance. Manoso regularly represents clients in a wide range of
antitrust matters, including government cartel investigations, cartel
civil damage actions, and litigation involving anticompetitive conduct
allegations. He likewise routinely provides advice for clients on all
aspects of antitrust compliance. Manoso has significant experience
assisting clients facing exposure under the False Claims Act and federal
securities laws, and helps clients with complex commercial disputes. He
received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his
B.A. from the University of Virginia.
-- Leo Martin is a member of the Transactions Department and the Mergers +
Acquisitions Group, based in Boston. His practice focuses on advising
public and private companies in complex corporate transactions,
including domestic and cross-border M&A, minority investments, and joint
ventures. He regularly represents private equity sponsors and clients in
a range of industries, including technology and food and agriculture. He
earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from
Columbia College at Columbia University. Before joining the firm in
Boston, he spent a number of years in the firm's Tokyo office, where he
worked on a variety of cross-border transactions.
-- Christopher C. McKinnon is a member of the Transactions Department and
the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Group, based in Palo Alto. He
represents startups, venture capital investors, and private equity firms
in corporate finance matters, including startup counseling, investments,
M&A, and investment fund transactions. Prior to rejoining MoFo, McKinnon
was associate general counsel and legal director at a leading global
investment firm, where he oversaw a broad range of U.S. and cross-border
transactions. He earned his J.D. from NYU School of Law, where he was a
Lederman Fellow in Law & Economics, and his B.A. in business economics
from University of California, Santa Barbara.
-- Evan Minsberg is a member of the Transactions Department and the
Financial Services Group and co-chairs the firm's Digital + Interactive
Media industry group. He is based in New York. A recognized Fintech
advisor with over a decade of industry experience, Minsberg provides
practical regulatory counsel and transactional support for a wide
variety of payments, credit, and other financial technology business
models. His clients include banks, payment processors, money
transmitters, BaaS/embedded finance participants, marketplaces, and
other online and app-based financial services providers. In addition,
Minsberg regularly counsels companies in the video game, software
platform, and digital media space on monetization strategies, including
in-game/in-app economies and currencies, digital wallets, developer
revenue share arrangements, and loyalty programs. He received his J.D.
from the George Washington University Law School and his B.A. from
Haverford College.
-- Andrew L. Perito is a member of the Litigation Department and the IP
Litigation Group, based in San Francisco. Perito is an experienced trial
lawyer, with a focus on representing clients in patent litigation
spanning a variety of technical areas and in related Patent Office
proceedings and before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).
Perito has also represented clients in intellectual property disputes
involving trade secret, trademark, copyright, and employee mobility
issues, including internal investigations, arbitration, and litigation.
He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and his B.A. from Harvard
College.
-- Meghan McLean Poon is a member of the Transactions Department and the
Patent Strategy + Prosecution Group, based in Palo Alto. As co-head of
the firm's Biotech practice group and member of the firm's Life Science
Steering Committee, she counsels clients on patent preparation and
prosecution, portfolio strategy, and IP due diligence in the areas of
biotechnology and biologics. She has significant experience in diverse
technologies, including antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies,
diagnostics, and gene-edited plants. Dr. Poon has extensive experience
addressing complex obviousness-double patenting and subject matter
eligibility issues impacting her clients' patent portfolios and has
filed numerous Patent Term Extension applications for her clients'
FDA-approved products. She received her J.D. from the University of
Southern California, her Ph.D. from the University of California, Los
Angeles, and her B.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
-- Monica Rodriguez is a member of the Litigation Department and the
Employment + Labor Group, based in Los Angeles. She advises and defends
clients across a variety of industries, including retail, restaurant,
software and technology, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, and
transportation and logistics. Rodriguez is a trusted advisor and
regularly counsels clients in all facets of the employment relationship.
She also has extensive experience representing clients in class and
representative action lawsuits alleging wage-and-hour violations in
state and federal court. Rodriguez also defends and advises clients on
labor relations issues. She earned her J.D. from Loyola Law School and
her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.
-- Chere See is a member of the Transactions Department and the Mergers +
Acquisitions Group, based in Denver. She represents public and private
companies in a variety of transactional matters, with a focus on M&A.
See advises clients in domestic, cross-border, and multijurisdictional
acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, strategic investments,
securities offerings, and general corporate matters. See has advised
clients across a broad range of industries, including companies
operating in the technology, finance, semiconductor, consumer goods and
retail, and healthcare industries. See received her J.D. from Harvard
Law School and her B.A. from New York University.
-- Shiri Shenhav is a member of the Transactions Department and the Mergers
+ Acquisitions Group, based in Palo Alto. Shenhav maintains a corporate
transactional practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions and equity
investments in the technology industry for public and private companies.
She regularly assists strategic buyers and private equity funds and
their portfolio companies in a variety of domestic and cross-border
transactions, including deal structuring and mechanics, stock and asset
purchases, mergers, divestitures, and spin-offs. Shenhav also regularly
represents companies with respect to their equity investments, joint
ventures, and other strategic transactions, as well as general corporate
counseling. As an accomplished attorney certified in California and in
Israel, Shenhav has extensive experience representing multinational
corporations and funds in cross-border transactions involving Israeli
aspects. She received her LL.B. and LL.M. from Tel Aviv University.
-- Cooper Spinelli is a member of the Litigation Department and Employment
+ Labor Group, based in San Francisco. His practice focuses on trade
secrets and restrictive covenants, employee mobility and executive
disputes, whistleblower claims, and general business litigation.
Spinelli has represented clients in both affirmative and defensive trade
secret misappropriation and employee mobility cases, including cases
involving related IP issues. In addition, Spinelli has represented
companies in highly sensitive matters involving involuntary and
negotiated departures of chief executive and other senior officers. He
received his J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law
and his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.
About Morrison Foerster
Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity into advantage for its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firm's commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster has been named to The American Lawyer's A-List for 20 of the ranking's 21 years. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of having at least 30 percent women, minority, LGBTQ+, and lawyers with disabilities representation across notable leadership roles and within the partnership. In addition, the firm was selected as the "Outstanding Firm for Diversity & Inclusion" as part of the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: USA 2023. Morrison Foerster also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and fostering the wellbeing of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum, and safeguarding the environment. For more information, visit http://www.mofo.com.
Media Contact
Marie E. Hebert, Morrison Foerster, +442079204065, PR@mofo.com, mofo.com
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