- Chair of the Firm: Keith C Wetmore
- Managing Partner for Operations: Pamela J Reed
- Number of partners worldwide: 353
- Number of US partners: 291
- Number of other lawyers worldwide: 721
- Number of other US lawyers: 556
www.mofo.com
Firm Overview:
Morrison & Foerster is a global firm with over 1,000 lawyers across 15 offices in the US, Europe, and Asia. The firm is widely recognised for providing its clients,which include some of the largest financial institutions, Fortune 100 companies, and technology and life science companies,with legendary service. Clients rely on the firm for innovative and businessminded solutions. Morrison & Foerster’s attorneys share high standards, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for helping their clients succeed, resulting in enduring relationships and a record of high achievement. They also are among the leaders in the profession for their long-standing commitment to pro bono work.
Main Areas of Practice:
Bankruptcy & Restructuring:
Morrison & Foerster’s bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers are counsel to debtors, creditors’ committees, secured lenders, and other participants in the distressed markets in large, complex matters. The practice is broad and varied, and a market leader in various specialty areas including restructuring of financial institutions, crossborder insolvencies, distressed real estate, creditors’ committee representation, insolvencies involving key intellectual property, and hedge fund failures.
Capital Markets:
The Capital Markets Practice is a pioneer in developing synthetic products, hybrid securities, structured products and derivatives. Annually, the firm ranks as one of the leading firms for issuer and underwriter representations for initial public offerings, international offerings, REIT offerings, offerings of hybrid and preferred securities, and debt offerings. The firm advises in connection with private placements, PIPEs, IPOs, 144A and Reg S offerings, and continuous issuance programs, including MTN and CP programs. The depth of Morrison & Foerster’s practice makes it a frequent choice as counsel to underwriters and placement agents in connection with financing transactions.
Corporate:
The Corporate Practice represents some of the most dynamic private and public companies in the world, advising on venture financing, public and private offerings, strategic alliances, joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions. The firm is ranked as a global leader in M&A in an array of transactions, including cross-border transactions, representing acquirors, bankers and target companies, and advising on a comprehensive range of offensive and defensive techniques, and on the transactional and antitrust aspects of M&A transactions worldwide. The firm is counsel to over 100 public companies,with acknowledged expertise in corporate governance, executive compensation and disclosure issues related to public companies. Through its active issuer representation the firm has a thorough understanding of ccounting, disclosure and compliance matters.
Financial Services:
The firm has one of the finest financial services regulatory practices, bringing to bear decades of banking experience and an exceptional breadth and depth of financial services regulatory expertise.The firm represents domestic and foreign banks, credit card and other payment systems companies, savings associations, industrial loan companies and other financial services organsations. Finance & Infrastructure: The firm has a broad-based Financial Transactions Practice, providing a wide range of services to lenders, as well as borrowers,with leading experts in finance, investment management, debt trading and infrastructure finance.The firm is experienced at handling and structuring virtually every type of real and personal property secured and unsecured financing transactions.
Intellectual Property:
With approximately 325 lawyers located in major technology centers in the US, Europe, and Asia, Morrison & Foerster has one of the largest intellectual property practices in the world, providing a full range of services including counselling, prosecution, litigation, dispute resolution, trade secrets, and licensing transactions in patent, trademark, and copyright matters. The firm’s practice regularly ranks as one of the top IP practices in the US.
Litigation:
The firm’s more than 500 litigators are renowned for their ability to succeed in high-stakes, complex cases in the US, Europe, and Asia. These lawyers include some of the top trial and appellate lawyers in the US, as well as leading practitioners in the areas of antitrust, securities, white-collar criminal defense, products liability, class action defense, unfair competition, employment, financial services, international arbitration, intellectual property, trade secrets, and patents. The firm is acknowledged for its U.S. Supreme Court and appellate practitioners. In Japan, Morrison & Foerster is the only international law firmwith a full service litigation capacity.
Real Estate: The firm’s real estate, real estate finance, land use and natural resources attorneys advise major domestic and international real estate lenders, investors, developers, private equity and pension funds, and REITs regarding real estate financing, acquisition, entitlement and development, investment, ownership, leasing, construction, management, and restructuring. The firm works regularly with a variety of real estate product types, including office, commercial, industrial, multi-family, hospitality, and specialised uses, such as energy.
Tax:
Morrison & Foerster’s Tax Practice encompasses federal, state, and local tax law in the context of structuring transactions and business enterprises, tax planning and consulting, and representing clients in tax controversies and litigation. In addition, the firm is highly skilled in related practice areas, such as employee benefits and executive compensation and trusts, estates, and nonprofit organisations. The firm has more than 40 full-time tax attorneys providing advice to the firm’s worldwide clients.
Technology Transactions:
Specialised skills are needed to negotiate a transaction involving the development, purchase, sale, licensing or outsourcing of technology. The firm regularly represents clients in diverse industries, including hardware, software, semiconductor, biotechnology, healthcare, financial services and cleantech.
NATIONAL OFFICES
The firm has offices in Denver, Los Angeles, Northern Virginia, Palo Alto, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, DC
INTERNATIONAL OFFICES
The firm has offices in Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai and Tokyo
Areas of PracticeAntitrust
Bankruptcy & Restructuring
Capital Markets
Cleantech
Corporate
Employment & Labour
Energy
Financial Services
Financial Transactions
Intellectual Property
Investment Management
Land Use & Environmental
Life Sciences
Litigation, Arbitration, Trials, Appeals & Supreme Court
Mergers & Acquisitions
Privacy & Data Security
Product Liability
Project Finance & Development
Real Eestate
Tax
Technology
Transactions