2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Morrison Foerster

In 1973, those cats in San Francisco approved “MoFo” as Morrison Foerster’s official nickname, accentuating the firm’s unconventional modus operandi. Still, the firm is distinguished by much more than its rebellious epithet. MoFo complements its expertise in stateside IP, finance, life sciences, technology, and litigation with a long reach across the Pacific Rim and, more recently, into Europe.

From the Golden Gate to the Great Wall

More than 140 years ago, Alexander Morrison and Thomas V. O’Brien founded the firm that became today’s Morrison Foerster in San Francisco. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that the firm ventured away from Northern California, hopping on for the ride when one of its major San Francisco clients, Crocker National Bank, decided to open an LA office. In the second half of the 1980s, the firm grew swiftly, sprouting offices across the Bay Area, and in 1987, the firm merged with New York firm Parker Auspitz Neesemann & Delehanty. That same year, MoFo became one of the first American law firms to practice in Japan. The firm has also had a presence in China for more than 40 years.

Green is Gold

MoFo provides counsel across a variety of practices, including business and finance, IP, international, litigation, regulatory, and tax law. The firm is well-known for its experience in IP matters and has been among the top 10 Best Firms for Intellectual Property in Vault’s ranking. The firm’s regulatory practice is also highly respected, especially with regard to privacy and data security—in fact, the firm is among the top five firms in Vault’s Privacy & Data Security ranking.

Sustainability is no longer a movement; it’s a major market opportunity. Morrison Foerster’s cross-discipline “green” Clean Tech + Renewable Energy practice group addresses the needs of players and industries by focusing on regulation and issues related to climate change, energy conservation, and clean technology innovations. Serving alternative fuel, solar, carbon, and other green-tech companies, as well as Fortune 500 businesses, MoFo provides project finance, corporate, IP/patent, regulatory, land use, and environmental services. The firm also advises venture capital and private equity firms interested in investing in alternative technologies.

Pro Bono Champions

MoFo’s pro bono roots run deep, starting with its co-founder Alexander Morrison, who was also a founding member of The Legal Aid Society of San Francisco. The firm has long been a leader in pro bono—it was one of the first law firms to have full-time pro bono counsel and, in the 1990s, was a charter signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge—an initiative it continues today. The firm has been recognized by the National Law Journal’s Pro Bono Hot List multiple times and is among the top 25 firms in the Vault Pro Bono rankings. Pro bono matters at the firm are wide-ranging and include everything from reproductive, LGBTQ+, and voting rights to immigration, literacy, and special education issues, to name a few.