Morrison Foerster

Firm Details:

Chair of the Firm: Eric T. McCrath

Vice Chairs: Jennifer Marines, Jeff Jaeckel

Department Chairs: Richard Hung, Christine Wong, David Ephraim, Tessa Schwartz

Number of partners worldwide: 363

Number of US partners: 264

Number of other lawyers worldwide: 750

Number of other US lawyers: 538

Headquarters: San Francisco

National Offices: Austin, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

International Offices: Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo

Firm Overview:

With more than 1,000 lawyers across 18 offices, Morrison Foerster is a preeminent global law firm dedicated to delivering business-oriented results to clients across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Dynamic technology and life sciences companies, large financial institutions, leading consumer product companies and other market leaders come to Morrison & Foerster for knowledge, innovation and business aptitude.

Main Areas of Practice:

Antitrust & Competition

Business Restructuring & Insolvency

Capital Markets & Corporate Finance

Finance

Intellectual Property

Investigations

Litigation

Mergers & Acquisitions

Privacy & Data Security

Real Estate

Tax

Business Restructuring & Insolvency:

MoFo is counsel to debtors, creditors’ committees, secured lenders, and other participants in the distressed markets in large, complex matters. The firm is a market leader in creditors’ committee representation, cross-border insolvencies, distressed real estate, the restructuring of financial institutions, insolvencies involving key intellectual property, and hedge fund failures.

Capital Markets:

MoFo is a leading firm for issuer and underwriter representations for IPOs, offerings of debt, hybrid, preferred and structured securities, private placements, PIPEs, 144A/Reg S offerings, continuous issuance programs and derivatives.

Emerging Companies & Venture Capital:

MoFo has a leading startup, emerging company, venture capital, and institutional funding practice. MoFo assists companies and their investors at every stage of the business lifecycle — from initial formation and financings, through late-stage financings and public offerings. The firm has assisted clients in raising or deploying more than $60 billion of venture capital in the past five years.

Financial Services:

MoFo is one of the leading banking and financial services law firms in the world, advising domestic and foreign banks, investment banks, insurance companies, credit card companies, mortgage bankers, investment management companies and investment advisers, money transmitters, and other financial services companies on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters.

Global Risk & Crisis Management:

MoFo’s global risk and crisis management group provides critical advice for anticipating and responding to any crisis. From cyber breach to product recalls, MoFo’s lawyers have decades of collective experience, across disciplines and industries, successfully guiding clients through crises of the highest levels. The team helps companies prepare for and detect crises well before they ever occur. Should clients ever face a crisis, the firm’s response is immediate and strategic: MoFo develops communication, litigation, and regulatory plans, ensuring that clients’ businesses and brands continue to thrive.

Intellectual Property:

MoFo is a global IP powerhouse, developing novel solutions for protecting and enforcing some of the most prized IP in the world. MoFo is called upon to represent clients in their most high-profile and complex patent, copyright, trademark, trade dress, trade secrets, and licensing matters.

Investigations & White Collar Defence:

MoFo’s team has experience handling internal and government investigations on six continents and in more than 65 countries, bringing significant cross-border experience to compliance and enforcement matters worldwide. MoFo provides advice on the many US and foreign laws regulating international business transactions including the FCPA, the UK Bribery Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, federal securities laws, the whistleblower provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, international trade, export control and sanctions laws, and AML/BSA. The firm has successfully represented many clients in obtaining favourable settlements or other resolutions — often ending with the DOJ or other government enforcement bodies closing their investigations with no action taken.

Litigation:

MoFo’s litigators are renowned for their success in high-stakes, complex cases — representing clients in all stages of federal and state litigation, from grand jury to trial through to appeal. MoFo lawyers drive strategy to position their clients for the best possible outcome, whether that is winning at trial or resolving a matter quickly. The team includes top trial and appellate lawyers, as well as leading practitioners in securities, financial services, consumer and false advertising, product liability, environmental, and employment litigation as well as white-collar criminal defence, antitrust and unfair competition, and international arbitration. MoFo is a destination firm for class actions, no matter the subject area, and understand the shortest path to win and resolve cases.

National Security, CFIUS, Export Controls & Sanctions:

The increased focus on international terrorism and non-proliferation requires companies to be vigilant about sanctions and export control laws. MoFo’s national security, cfius, export controls and sanctions practice helps clients navigate the myriad of complex and constantly changing laws. The team regularly advises clients on the national security implications of proposed transactions involving non-US companies as well as on CFIUS reviews. The team also provides expertise and guidance to global financial institutions and multinational companies that must comply with the differing and rapidly changing sanctions rules across jurisdictions. In addition, lawyers also advise clients on investigations and enforcement actions, issues regarding extraterritorial applicability, and on compliance with US sanctions and trade embargoes under the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations, the European Union, and other jurisdictions.

Mergers & Acquisitions:

MoFo has a leading global M&A practice. The depth and breadth of the practice, including a strong focus on cross-border transactions, reflects the dynamic nature of clients, which include Fortune 500 companies, private equity sponsors, investment banks, and privately held companies.

Privacy & Data Security:

MoFo’s market-leading privacy and data security group is a destination for clients — from startups to sophisticated global clients alike — seeking advice on every aspect of privacy laws and regulations, as well as incident preparedness and response. The team helps companies fit compliance with evolving data protection laws within the context of a truly global, consistent strategy, and have also served as lead counsel and coordinated all components of clients’ responses to some of the highest-profile data breaches of recent years.

Real Estate:

MoFo is a recognised leader across a broad spectrum of real estate activities, including development deals, acquisitions and dispositions, leases, market standard and complex financings, and restructurings. Its clients include lenders, developers, equity investors, and REITs.

Tax:

MoFo’s tax practice enjoys a global reputation for innovative tax planning and the successful resolution of important tax controversies. The group advises on state and local tax, federal tax, compensation, benefits and ERISA, and trusts, estates and nonprofit organisations.