Fall/Winter 2023
Morrison Foerster Alumni News
Explore
MoFo Announcements
Alumni Updates
On The Bench
Firm Updates
Alumnus Spotlight
Letter From The Chair
Pro Bono Spotlight
Issue of MoForever
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
2023 Fall/Winter
Welcome to the
We are proud to remain a standard-bearer in the legal industry for diversity and inclusion, including the Firm’s sixth consecutive achievement of “Mansfield Certification Plus” status and MoFo’s recognition as “Outstanding Firm for Diversity & Inclusion” as part of the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: USA 2023. These prestigious honors reflect our continued commitment to cultivating an inclusive environment.
I am also excited to share with you many developments within the Firm and our wider MoFo alumni community.
Welcome to the 2023 fall/winter issue of MoForever. In this edition, I am delighted to introduce you to two MoFo alumni, David Melaugh and Emily Rutkowski, whose contributions to the legal profession—both during their time at MoFo and in their current endeavors—we are proud to feature. We'll also catch up with Larren Nashelsky, who served the Firm as chair for a decade, until September 2022.
We also continue to build on our legacy of giving back to our local communities. In 2022, the Morrison Foerster Foundation’s charitable donations totaled just over $4 million. Separately, MoFo’s giving programs in Berlin and London made charitable donations of approximately $263,500, bringing the Firm's charitable donations to a combined total of more than $4.2 million.
In September 2023, our longstanding client, Arm, closed its highly anticipated IPO on Nasdaq. With a total deal value of approximately $5.22 billion, it is the largest IPO on U.S. capital markets to date in 2023. We are proud to have represented Arm in this company milestone.
This edition also includes a special feature, “On the Bench,” highlighting the more than 40 MoFo alumni serving the public as judges nationwide, including MoFo alumna Judge Rita Lin, who was recently appointed to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
I hope you enjoy reading this edition of MoForever, as we highlight the many achievements of our extended MoFo and alumni community. We will continue to make a meaningful impact together as one Firm, for our clients, communities, and the legal profession. Thank you for staying connected with us. We look forward to seeing you soon. Eric T. McCrath
ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT
David Melaugh
General Counsel, Element Biosciences
Computing a Career in Law
For David Melaugh, it all started in elementary school. “I had a teacher who would give us word problems in math. When you solved them, you got points that you could eventually exchange for candy.” When David gave an answer the teacher deemed incorrect, he would attempt to argue his point to change her mind. “There were times when I felt my answer was just as right as somebody else’s because I had seen the question in a different way. In her frustration she told me, ‘You should think about becoming a lawyer.’" Currently the general counsel for San Diego-based Element Biosciences, David thanks her for setting him on his current path. “She obviously saw something in me.” His journey to the bar was somewhat circuitous, taking him from computers, to law school, to MoFo, then Apple, and finally to his current position. “I’ve always liked the concept of representing a client and translating what may be complex material into something a judge and jury will understand, so I guess my teacher was right.” An Early Start in Tech While growing up in the Bay Area, David considered possible careers and leaned toward one field in particular. “Both of my parents were computer programmers, so we had a lot of gadgets and computers around the house,” he said. “I realized many years later that the reason all the note paper we used in our house had holes in it was because it was mainframe computing punch cards my mother had brought home.” The Melaughs acquired a Commodore 64, one of the first home computers introduced in the early 1980s, and from there David learned early programming languages. “I knew how to program in BASIC before I was 10 and could also use Pascal. For a kid like me, that was cool. If you asked me when I was quite young what I wanted to do, it was to follow in their footsteps to computer programming.”
I’m much more involved on the business side . . . which I find fascinating. Being in the room where these discussions happen and sometimes contributing substantively to them are some of the best parts about this job.
In high school, David entered student government and politics and got involved in debate, which kindled his passion for arguing a point. He moved on to Dartmouth and then Harvard Law. After a clerkship in New York, he returned home and took a position in MoFo’s San Francisco office in October 2001. He worked there for 10 years, becoming a partner in 2010. Continuing his love of computing and gadgetry, David left MoFo for a client, Apple, where he ran the company’s intellectual property litigation team. The “smartphone wars” took David around the world, litigating against over 300 opponents in 13 countries, taking over 50 cases to jury trial or ITC hearing. He worked at Apple 11 years and enjoyed every minute of it. Taking on New Challenges That said, David was eager for new challenges. In that spirit, David joined Element Biosciences in 2021 as its general counsel. The 300-employee life sciences company designed and manufactures an instrument that sequences genomic material. David manages a small team of six. He works at the San Diego headquarters one week per month and then remotely at his home in the Bay Area the remainder of the time. “It’s really a job where you’re wearing lots of hats,” he said. “We do everything from developing our intellectual property portfolio, to handling legal issues around HR, to acquiring a company, to drafting up the waiver form for local school kids to visit our lab.” Element’s genome sequencing instrument is made with hundreds of parts from suppliers, which necessitates what David says is “a lot of contract review.” It’s sold to universities, governments, and private companies and has recently been marketed in Europe and China. “All of this involves more contracts and negotiations that we need to be involved in, so it’s a bustling environment,” he said. As Element’s business grows internationally, so does the complexity of the regulatory and tax environment. “We’ve got to make sure we’re able to launch in each market appropriately and expand our corporate structure as needed by establishing subsidiaries in those countries that require it.” David considers himself as more of a litigator than corporate lawyer, but he’s pleased with his role. “I’m much more involved on the business side, helping develop strategy for the company as a whole, which I find fascinating. Being in the room where these discussions happen and sometimes contributing substantively to them are some of the best parts about this job.”
Element has the potential to be truly impactful to human health and wellbeing. Understanding genomic information is critical to everything from disease risk and mitigation to the development of better crops and livestock. Bringing to market a device that makes research more accessible and more accurate is intensely rewarding.
Approaching a New Industry With his interest in computers and technology, David felt at home with many of his MoFo clients and at Apple. “Even though my education wasn’t in computer science, I was familiar with the work they did and the products they created, which helped me represent them.” Entering biotech, though, was a bit of a shock. “I’ve had to do a lot to get up to speed in this industry. I’ve gone back to school, taking classes through UC San Diego in organic chemistry, genomic sequencing, and regulatory affairs to get more up to speed. Most of the people I work with have Ph.D.s and, though I’ll never reach their level, at least I’m better able to understand the science.” Once he grasped the basics, David realized a fundamental truth to working in technology. “So many areas have a combination of disciplines to make a product work. Here at Element, for example, we’re dealing with biochemistry, but also software, fluidics, robotics, and optics, among other topics,” he said. David also found working in biotech to be similar to his previous work with MoFo clients and Apple. “When you’re constructing a patent portfolio the technology may be different, but it’s the same core strategy. You want to protect what you believe are your genuine innovations.” David draws a lot of personal satisfaction from his new position and company. Element has the potential to be truly impactful to human health and wellbeing. Understanding genomic information is critical to everything from disease risk and mitigation to the development of better crops and
livestock. Bringing to market a device that makes research more accessible and more accurate is intensely rewarding.” Leaning on His MoFo Experience David fondly remembers his time at MoFo as a learning experience. “You’re diving into all of these different clients with different issues, and they come from a range of industries. Some are startups, some are well established, so you’re becoming more agile and developing the skills you need as you move through your career.” In particular, the diversity of issues he encountered there meant he had to be able to pick up new cases and issues and technology quickly, a skill that sticks with him still. David credits Michael Jacobs as a significant mentor during his time at MoFo and in particular remembers a case he worked on with Michael that helped shape his view of the job. “One of my last cases with the firm was a trademark litigation case for Autodesk. We were in last-minute negotiations when I volunteered as the scribe,” he said. “I realized I was able to influence the direction of the negotiations and the direction of the eventual deal in a very powerful way for our client simply by writing things in a certain way. It gave me a lifelong lesson that in any contract, the more control you can take over the drafting process, the more likely you are to secure the best deal for your client.” Outside of work, he enjoys time with his wife and three daughters, and he’s still in touch with the interests he had growing up. “I’m always looking forward to the next big gadget, and I’m fascinated by the technology I get to be part of every day at my job.”
Aramide recently participated in MoFo Asia’s #EmbraceEquity, Intersectionality in the Workplace webinar in celebration of International Women’s Day. View the recording of the webinar on mofo.com.
Partners
Rongjing Zhao
Beijing | Shanghai
Rongjing Zhao joined the firm as a partner in the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups, based out of the firm’s China offices. Rongjing brings to MoFo more than 15 years of experience representing private equity firms, as well as public and private companies, in a variety of complex cross-border transactions. Rongjing has extensive experience advising private equity firms, institutional investors, and major corporations on complex cross-border transactions, including control deals and leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, growth capital investments, spin-offs, and distressed M&A transactions. She primarily represents private equity funds on investments and acquisitions in China and the rest of Asia. Rongjing also advises clients on take-privates of U.S.-listed companies and other U.S. public and private company M&A transactions. (LL.M., New York University School of Law)
James Beach joined the firm as a partner in the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups in San Francisco. James brings to MoFo significant experience representing private equity funds and their portfolio companies in complex U.S. and cross‑border transactions. James’ practice focuses on representing private equity funds and their portfolio companies in complex U.S. and cross‑border transactions, including leveraged buyouts of private and public targets, divestitures, and growth equity investments. He also advises private equity-owned and public companies in all stages of their life cycle. He has a particular focus on the tech sector, including enterprise software, data and security, and hardware, as well as strong experience with logistics, manufacturing, and consumer products. (J.D., 2011, Georgetown University Law Center)
San Francisco
Tabitha Saw joined the firm as a partner in the Transactions Department and global Private Equity Real Estate Group in Singapore. Tabitha represents investment managers, institutional investors, development companies, funds, and owner-operators in complex high-value private equity real estate (PERE) and data center transactions. She has significant experience in the establishment of capital-raising platforms for real estate investments across APAC, including logistics and data center developments, contractual co‑investment platforms, joint ventures, funds, and downstream portfolio acquisitions and disposals. Her areas of experience include advising on hyperscale leasing and co-location arrangements, greenfield and brownfield acquisitions, and asset management and operational arrangements. (B.A., 2006, University of Cambridge)
Singapore
Jennifer Seipelt joined the firm as a partner in the Transactions Department and Finance Group, based in Berlin. Jennifer advises national and international clients on a wide range of financing structures. She focuses on domestic and cross‑border financing transactions, with a particular focus on representing private equity funds, borrowers, financial institutions, and debt funds on acquisition finance, leveraged buyouts, direct lending, corporate finance, and syndicated loans. Other areas of experience include real estate financing, infrastructure financing, and financial restructuring. Prior to joining MoFo, Jennifer worked, inter alia, for major U.S. and UK law firms in the areas of banking and leveraged finance. (First State Exam, 2011, University of Mannheim; Second State Exam, 2013, Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe)
Berlin
Ben Summerfield joined the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department, based in London. Ben brings to MoFo over two decades of complex commercial litigation and arbitration experience and has acted in many major disputes matters. He has a broad practice, with wide-ranging experience in complex, high-value, cross-border commercial disputes before the English courts and international arbitration tribunals. Ben’s experience spans multiple industries, including financial services, technology, telecommunications, media, entertainment, energy, and infrastructure. He comes to MoFo from another global law firm, where he was the co-chair of global commercial disputes, leading the disputes group across Europe and the Middle East. Ben has represented clients in high-stakes, complex matters before the English courts, including most recently: acting for a global technology company defending minority shareholder claims in the English High Court relating to a failed healthcare joint venture; acting in a London-seated arbitration in claims relating to the creation and use of fraudulent projections by the respondents in an expert determination; and acting for a leading food and beverage operator in two Swiss arbitrations defending claims for alleged breaches of license agreements. (L.P.C., College of Law)
London
Charlotte Walker-Osborn joined the firm as a partner based in MoFo’s London office and a member of the Technology Transactions Group. She co-leads the European and London Technology & Commercial practices. Charlotte advises suppliers, customers, and governments across the spectrum of non-contentious technology, cybersecurity, and telecommunications law. She has nearly 25 years’ experience advising organizations in relation to artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cybersecurity and cyber resilience, outsourcing, information and data privacy law, digitalization, smart cities, ethics in technology, connected and autonomous vehicles and systems, robotics, cloud computing, systems development and licensing, m-commerce and e-commerce, due diligence, transitional services arrangements, hardware and services agreements, additive manufacturing, software and hardware leasing, open source and intellectual property rights, ESG, and new product launches and related risk assessments. Charlotte regularly helps clients with advice around implementing new laws relevant to their business globally, shaping their business models, drafting their global and local sales and procurement templates, and with their strategic negotiations on both the supply and the customer sides. She regularly helps clients train their own legal teams in these areas, too. (L.P.C., 1997, Nottingham Law School; Dip., 2004, Nottingham Law School)
Linda Clark joined the firm as a partner in the Privacy and Data Security Group in Miami. Linda brings to MoFo more than 20 years of experience advising clients, including on data security best practices and obligations, designing and implementing frameworks for compliance across large multinational organizations, and complex litigation and regulatory matters. Linda comes to MoFo from RELX, a firm client and global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers, where she was Chief Data Security Counsel and led the data security legal compliance efforts in over 40 countries and across four different market segments worldwide. Linda’s practice centers on crafting strategic and comprehensive data security risk management programs and helping organizations and their stakeholders prepare for, and respond to, incidents on a global and operationally feasible basis. She has a broad command of global privacy and data security laws, having worked on matters worldwide, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, China, Austria, Brazil, the Philippines, and Germany. (J.D., 2002, University of Michigan Law School)
Miami
New MoFo
James Beach
Tabitha Saw
Jennifer Seipelt
Ben Summerfield
Charlotte Walker-Osborn
Linda Clark
The year 2023 marks the 140th anniversary of Morrison Foerster’s founding in San Francisco by Alexander Morrison. Over the years, the firm has proudly built upon its legacy of leadership in diversity and inclusion, pro bono, and client and community service. We continue to be a destination law firm, operating as one global firm while embracing our collaborative culture and values, which remain at the center of everything we do. Explore the timeline below to learn more.
A History of MoFo
140 YEARS
In 1930, Alexander Morrison’s widow and four of his former partners establish the Morrison Lecture, an endowed lecture series that continues to be held each year during the California State Bar’s annual meeting.
1930s
In 1883, Alexander Morrison founds the firm in San Francisco, a city built and sustained by entrepreneurs, to practice “principally in the line of corporation business.”
FOUNDING YEARS
1883
John Austin, Dick Archer, and Bob Raven set out to reinvigorate the firm with the addition of new talent. The strategy—resulting from the “Schroeders” meetings, so-called because they were held at the longtime San Francisco restaurant—includes radical ideas such as hiring talented young lawyers by recruiting at law schools.
1960s
Breaking ground on diversity and women in the workplace, the firm elects its first partner of color in 1976. Two years later, MoFo welcomes its first woman into the partnership.
1970s
2010s
MoFo establishes the Kathi Pugh Award for Pro Bono Service, recognizing the values, enthusiasm, and compassion that she brought to the pro bono program and the remarkable ways that lawyers continue her legacy.
Robert Raven elected as Chair.
A decade of growth. The firm goes global with the opening of its first non-U.S. offices in London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. In 1985, responding to the finance and technology developments in its own backyard, the firm becomes a player in the Silicon Valley story when it opens an office in Palo Alto.
1980s
1978 – 1982
Marshall Small elected as Chair.
1982 – 1984
Pete Pfister elected as Chair.
1993 – 1996
MoFo galvanizes a gathering of law firm leaders that eventually leads to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, the bedrock of pro bono today.
1990s
Carl Leonard elected as Chair.
1984 – 1993
Keith Wetmore elected as Chair. MoFo makes history by becoming one of the first major law firms to elect an openly gay man to serve as Chair.
2000 – 2012
The firm enters the cultural zeitgeist in 2003 when Jay Leno features the firm on “The Tonight Show”: “GET ME MY MOFO LAWYER!”
2000s
Steve Dunham elected as Chair.
1996 – 2000
Larren Nashelsky elected as Chair.
2012 – 2022
MoFo further extends its market-leading technology and life sciences capabilities with the opening of its Boston office. The new office expands the firm’s premier Finance and Emerging Companies and Venture Capital (ECVC) practices and strengthens the firm’s existing transactional, private equity, real estate, and intellectual property (IP) practices.
For 12 years running, The American Lawyer names MoFo to its prestigious A-List. MoFo continues to excel in the areas integral to a successful, well-rounded firm: financial performance, pro bono, associate satisfaction, and diversity.
2014
MoFo continues the expansion of its premier technology, life sciences, and healthcare capabilities, and strengthens its market-leading IP Litigation and Corporate and ECVC practices with the opening of its Austin office.
2022
2019
Eric T. McCrath is elected as chair of Morrison Foerster. He becomes the first ethnically diverse chair in Morrison Foerster’s history.
MoFo and premier litigation boutique Durie Tangri complete their combination, further strengthening MoFo’s intellectual property, complex civil litigation, and trial capabilities and cementing the firm’s position as a premier global IP and patent powerhouse.
2023
++++++++++++++++++++
At the 2014 Chambers USA Awards for Excellence, MoFo receives the sole Corporate/M&A Client Service Award for “quality and range of client service.” In March 2015, MoFo litigators win back-to-back Litigators of the Week honors from The American Lawyer.
Figuring Out Fundraising While Americans can contribute to the ILF using credit and debit cards on Buy Me a Coffee and PayPal, Emily is working to make donating easier. One of the challenges ILF faces is that, while it is registered as a charitable organization in Ukraine, many online platforms do not allow fundraising by nonprofits operating outside of the United States. and other Western nations. “We recently added the ability to give through the Buy Me a Coffee app, which is very convenient,” says Emily. “However, it would be advantageous to have a 501(c)(3), especially because it would allow us to have a U.S. bank account. I’ve reached out to my contacts at MoFo to help us figure out that process and what we need to do to establish that with the ILF.” Relying on Her Experience Aside from outreach, Emily helps keep the paperwork flowing efficiently to ensure that the right equipment reaches the right people. “Even items as simple as medical supplies have a process where you need an official request form, then an official delivery form, and it all needs to comply with regulations. This is to ensure transparency and guard against corruption.” When her contacts and colleagues learn that she’s a lawyer, Emily is often asked about various legal hurdles. “People say, ‘Can you help me with this?’ and I do what I can. In corporate law we’re trained in issue-spotting, which is something that can be applied to whatever you’re doing. It helps plan ahead by identifying any potential problems later on.”
Coordinating the War Effort The ILF is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian charitable foundation established to support the International Legion and other military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The International Legion was formed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy right after the outbreak of the full-scale war and has taken part in the majority of crucial battles. It is comprised of more than 20,000 volunteers from over 60 countries. The ILF works with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and charitable foundations to raise money for humanitarian aid, protective and tactical gear, and medical supplies for soldiers. Since August 2022, the foundation has raised over $150,000 in donations and delivered vehicles, generators, uniforms, night-vision goggles, drones, Starlinks, individual first aid kits (IFAKs), and power stations to soldiers directly on the front. Emily saw that the ILF would be where she could make the biggest difference and use her organizational skills. “The soldiers are the line that protects the civilian population and they have a great need for supplies—everything from food to first aid kits to ambulances—and I knew I wanted to help.” Despite her background, Emily doesn’t practice law. Her job in Kyiv today consists of helping raise funds for needed equipment such as winter uniforms ($200) and night-vision goggles ($2,600). “It’s the kind of organization where we all wear different hats,” Emily says. “The core of the work is fundraising but we’re also involved in the logistics of getting the supplies into Ukraine and transporting them to the armed forces.” Most of Emily’s work is at a desk, which is more crucial than one would expect. “It’s not always exciting, but office work is critical to our mission. Much of what I do at the moment is social media outreach for the ILF in order to fundraise for the guys. We’re constantly reminding people about the soldiers and what they’ve given up to fight for their country. One of my favorite projects is ‘Voices from the Front,’ where we talk to international soldiers about why they came to fight for a country that isn’t their own. It’s personalizing the message, so when people give, they can see an actual person, a soldier with a story, which makes it easier to connect.”
Taking Her Experience to a War Zone
Volunteer with the International Legion Fund
Emily Rutkowski
Much of what I do at the moment is social media outreach for the ILF in order to fundraise for the guys. We’re constantly reminding people about the soldiers and what they’ve given up to fight for their country.
Emily feels her MoFo experience comes in handy during her day-to-day work with the ILF. “At times, there are a lot of similarities between a law office and a non-governmental agency, especially during war time,” she says. “There are always big projects happening while other work needs to be done and you find you’re balancing units and closely tracking your time. There’s also delegating and creating a team you can trust, as well as paying attention to detail and learning to quickly read a situation. To say it’s a fast-paced environment is an understatement, as you’re literally dealing with life and death.” She also credits her time at MoFo with helping her make connections. “I learned the value of making connections and networking. You never know if the person you just met could help you down the road, which is important in fundraising.” Emily credits Tim Harris as a key mentor for her who aided her work through issues on projects while at MoFo. “His open-door policy helped me learn about our startup clients and how we could effectively help them. I also learned a great deal from Shannon Sibold, whose husband has Ukrainian heritage.” Emily still remembers Shannon sharing photos from their traditional wedding. Looking ahead, Emily believes that her future will involve more service to Ukraine, particularly for soldiers and others with PTSD. “There are people who’ve been on the front lines since the war started. I really want to focus on this problem both in Ukraine and the U.S., perhaps with the VA. I am also a writer and have learned that storytelling is an essential part of treatment. I would love to facilitate and work with this.” Getting Involved Emily says that people interested in volunteering in Ukraine need to be aware that critical work may not be glamorous, unless you enjoy working at a desk. However, this can be advantageous. “A lot of times people think you need to have combat experience to come and volunteer in Ukraine. But there’s so much to do behind the scenes. Self-motivation is critical. My best advice is to research organizations and reach out to them. For the ILF, much of our work is in an office and so corporate skills are a plus. We always need help with fundraising, social media, marketing, and graphic design/video editing. Possible volunteers are invited to email us and we can set up a video chat to meet you and see what you’re interested in working on. From there we can talk about the logistics of getting into the country, getting a volunteer visa, and figuring out accommodations, if that’s what you’re interested in.” There are still ways to help even if you can’t come to the country. “Calling Congress, combating misinformation, and not turning the channel . . . these are all things that help without costing a penny. These are things that save lives. These are things that will bring the guys home to their loved ones.”
PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT
Follow Emily's work in Ukraine on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
There are some big differences between living and working within the comfortable confines of Palo Alto, California and surviving in Kyiv, Ukraine. For one thing, in California, one doesn’t have to fear a rocket attack in one’s neighborhood. For Emily Rutkowski, it’s part of the job. “One hit a couple of blocks from my apartment and you could feel everything shake,” she says. “People here live with the reality that they’re in the middle of a war zone. At the same time, they’re resilient. They live their lives, get married, have children, but the war is always present. Ukrainians live with a lot of stress under these conditions.” Emily has taken a roundabout path to her work in Ukraine for the International Legion Fund (ILF). After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, she looked at job opportunities in the Bay Area and came away impressed with MoFo, eagerly joining the firm in November 2016. “I liked all of the partners I interviewed with, as well as their open-door policy. I also liked that the Palo Alto office was small, so it had the work you’d see in a large firm but the kind of closeness you’d find in a smaller office.” Emily was assigned to the Corporate Department, working with various startups, and also particularly enjoyed the office’s pro bono work. “I had an opportunity to assist a girl from El Salvador with an asylum case and was also able to help Bini’s Kitchen grow from a small Nepalese food truck to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in San Francisco. It was very rewarding.” She enjoyed her work with MoFo; however, in May 2019, she decided to return home to Michigan to assist in caring for her grandmother. Her family had immigrated from the Galician region in Eastern Poland and Western Ukraine sometime around World War I, so she was familiar with the culture of that part of the world. Michigan also has the ninth-largest population of Ukrainian immigrants in the United States. When Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Emily immediately got involved with the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan (CRC). She co-chaired the Government Advocacy and Outreach Committee, where she worked closely with all of Michigan’s congresspeople and senators. The CRC was also a founding member of the American Coalition for Ukraine, a group of more than 30 organizations that organize a large, twice-a-year summit in Washington, D.C. where over 300 people come to network and advocate for Ukraine on the Hill. A graduate of Michigan State University, Emily knew community service would be a part of her life in some way after law school and her MoFo experience, but she wasn’t sure about the direction she’d take. After eight months of running an organization in the United States, Emily wanted to travel to Ukraine to see what was happening with her own eyes. She traveled there for the first time in fall/winter 2022. “The thing that surprised me the most about being in Ukraine was seeing all of the soldiers on the street, from young boys who were in school just a few months ago to old men who had trouble walking but wanted to defend their country,” Emily says. “They all have families and dreams and I wanted to do whatever Iittle I could to help them come home and back to the people who love them.”
At times, there are a lot of similarities between a law office and a non-governmental agency, especially during war time . . . To say it’s a fast-paced environment is an understatement, as you’re literally dealing with life and death.
Learn more about the Aerial Relief Fund.
Visit the International Legion Fund.
The Bench
MoFo On
Morrison Foerster is proud to showcase our alumni who have ascended to the esteemed positions of Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Court, and State Judges across the United States. Explore the influential reach of our notable alumni by navigating the map below.
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California United States District Court Judge Rita Lin Senior United States District Judge William Alsup United States District Judge James Donato Chief District Judge Richard Seeborg District Judge Jon Tigar • U.S. Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Senior Judge Atsushi Tashima • U.S. District Court, Central District of California Honorable Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong District Judge Josephine Staton • California Court of Appeal, First District, Division Two Honorable Marla Miller • California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three Presiding Justice Alison Tucher • California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three Associate Justice Richard Fybel • California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Seven Presiding Justice Dennis Perluss • Alameda County Superior Court Judge S. Raj Chatterjee Judge Andrew Steckler • Contra Costa County Superior Court Honorable Wade Rhyne • Fresno County Superior Court Presiding Judge David Kalemkarian • Marin County Superior Court Judge Stephen Freccero • Santa Clara County Superior Court Superior Court Judge Julia Alloggiamento Judge Vincent Chiarello Judge Frederick Chung Superior Court Judge Sunil Kulkarni
Northern California
• Los Angeles County Superior Court Superior Court Judge Maren Nelson Judge Drew Edward Superior Court Judge Bryant Yang • San Diego County Superior Court Judge Yvonne Campos • Superior Court of California, County of Orange Honorable Beatriz Gordon Superior Court Judge Craig Griffin Judge Adrianne Marshack Judge Sheila Recio
Southern California
• State of Alaska Administrative Law Judge Rebecca Kruse
Alaska
• Denver County District Court 2nd Judicial District Court Judge J. Eliff
Colorado
• Minnesota State Court District, 10th Judicial District, Anoka County Judge Daniel O’Fallon • State of Minnesota Judge Edward Wahl
Minnesota
• Kentucky 19th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Circuit Judge Stockton Wood
Kentucky
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York United States District Court Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York United States Chief Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit Senior Judge Barrington Parker
New York
• Supreme Court of the United States Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ketanji Jackson • District of Columbia Superior Court Associate Judge Robert Salerno • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit Federal Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman
Washington, D.C.
On The
Alumni
Akari Atoyama was promoted to Principal Counsel, Litigation, Compliance, Employment at Checkr, Inc. in April 2023. At MoFo, Akari was an Associate from 2013 to 2023 in the San Francisco office. Rick Ballinger was promoted to Associate General Counsel at John Deere in March 2023. At MoFo, Rick was a Litigation Associate from 2007 to 2011 in the Palo Alto office. John Blake was promoted to Director, Legal & Public Policy at Sony Interactive Entertainment in April of 2023. At MoFo, John was an Associate from 2011 to 2015 in the San Francisco office. Brian Fritzche was promoted to Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Consumer Bankers Association in July 2023. At MoFo, Brian was an Associate from 2019 to 2021 in the Washington, D.C. office. Adela Gotz was promoted to Corporate Counsel at Google in May 2023. At MoFo, Adela was a Litigation Associate from 2013 to 2016 in the Palo Alto office. Kelsey Harrison was promoted to Counsel - Marketing, Advertising & Content Review at Mattel, Inc. in May 2023. At MoFo, Kelsey was an Associate from 2019 to 2022 in the Los Angeles office. Jonathan Hatae was promoted to Associate General Counsel & Director at Amazon in April 2023. At MoFo, Jonathan was an Associate from 2007 to 2011 in the San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Orange County offices. Jeffie Kopczynski moved sectors into a role as Assistant General Counsel, IP Transactions at Johnson & Johnson in January 2023. At MoFo, Jeffie was an Associate from 2006 to 2011 in the Palo Alto office. Sam Lunier was promoted to Director, Privacy at T-Mobile in March 2023. At MoFo, Sam was an Associate from 2007 to 2015 in the San Francisco office. Suzy Marinkovich was promoted to Senior Lead Litigation Counsel at Zoom in May 2023. At MoFo, Suzy was an Associate from 2017 to 2020 in the San Diego office. Tyson Marshall was promoted to General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Alphatec in July 2023. At MoFo, Tyson was a Senior Associate from 2005 to 2013 in the San Diego office. Maggie Mayo was promoted to Senior Director, Head of Litigation at BlackBerry in February 2023. At MoFo, Maggie was a Litigation Associate from 2008 to 2020 in the San Francisco office. Katie Nolan-Stevaux was promoted to Senior Director, Associate General Counsel at Genentech in April 2023. At MoFo, Katie was an Associate from 2007 to 2011 in the Palo Alto office. Kristina Paszek was promoted to Lead Deputy County Attorney for the County of San Mateo in May 2023. At MoFo, Kristina was a Litigation Associate from 2004 to 2010 in the San Francisco office. Yan Qi was promoted to Director and Assistant General Counsel, Platforms and Discovery Technology IP Lead at Genentech in April 2023. At MoFo, Yan was a Patent Agent from 2014 to 2019 and an Associate from 2019 to 2022 in the Palo Alto office. Ryan Roemer was promoted to Chief Executive Office at Formidable (recently acquired by NearForm) in January 2023. At MoFo, Ryan was an Associate from 2003 to 2006 in the San Diego office. Yolanda Sanders was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Gap, Inc. in April 2023. At MoFo, Yolanda was an Associate from 1993 to 2002 in the San Francisco office. Diamante Smith was promoted to Assistant Attorney General at the Texas Attorney General's Office in June 2023. At MoFo, Diamante was an Associate from 2019 to 2021 in the Washington, D.C. office. Brittany Turner was promoted to Director at SoftBank Investment Advisers in April 2023. At MoFo, Brittany was an Associate in 2019 in the Tokyo office.
MoFo
New
New alumni as of February 2023
Charles Tso joined the U.S. District Courts as a Law Clerk in August 2023. At MoFo, Charles was a Litigation Associate from 2022 to 2023 in the New York Office.
Adam Sorensen joined the Federal Communications Commission as an Attorney in May 2023. At MoFo, Adam was a Litigation Associate from 2019 to 2023 in the Washington, D.C. office.
Prabhjyot Singh joined Greystar as Director, Legal Services in April 2023. At MoFo, Prabhjyot was a Litigation Associate from 2019 to 2023 in the Los Angeles office.
Amber Pledge became a Co-Founder of Kabn Company in May 2023. At MoFo, Amber was a Debt Finance Associate from 2019 to 2023 in the London office.
Linnea Pittman joined the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York as a Law Clerk in June 2023. At MoFo, Linnea was a Litigation Associate in the Privacy + Data Security Group from 2021 to 2023 in the New York office.
Julie Nicholson joined Okta as Director, Compliance, and Investigations Counsel in May 2023. At MoFo, Julie was a Litigation Associate from 2012 to 2023 in the San Francisco office.
Erin Lupfer joined the California Court of Appeal, Fourth District, as an Appellate Court Attorney in June 2023. At MoFo, Erin was a Litigation Associate from 2018 to 2023 in the San Diego office.
Mark Lightner joined CreditSights as Head of Special Situations Legal Research in March 2023. At MoFo, Mark was Of Counsel in the Finance Group from 2016 to 2023 in the New York office.
Bela Karmel joined Foursquare in March 2023 as Privacy Counsel. At MoFo, Bela was an Associate in the Privacy and Data Security Group from 2021 to 2023 in the San Francisco office.
Alex Iftimie joined OpenAI as Associate General Counsel, Investigations & Security in July 2023. At MoFo, Alex was a Partner and Co-Chair of the Global Risk and Crisis Management Practice from 2019 to 2023 in the San Francisco & Washington, D.C. offices.
Andrenna Hidalgo Berggren joined the U.S. Department of Labor as a Trial Attorney in March 2023. She was also recently appointed the Vice Chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Section for Attorneys with Disabilities and their Allies. At MoFo, Andrenna was a Litigation Associate in the Washington, D.C. office from 2022 to 2023.
Nick Herrera joined Capcom as Senior Corporate Counsel in July 2023. At MoFo, Nick was an Associate in the IP Litigation group from 2019 to 2023 in the San Francisco office.
Lauren Gambier joined Wells Fargo as Lead Counsel, for Regulatory Enforcement, and Internal Investigations in July 2023. At MoFo, Lauren was a Litigation Associate from 2015 to 2023 in the New York office.
Looking back on your tenure as MoFo’s chair, is there a particular experience or period of time that is most memorable? I’d have to say my entire first year as Chair. In my first year, there was just so much to learn and every experience was a new experience for me and my team. Going through everything from my first fiscal year-end to the first partner meeting to running my first Executive Committee meeting. Everyone was looking at me for the answers, and it actually was my first rodeo. I had a great leadership team with me every step of the way, and they made it possible and made it fun. What was your proudest achievement while serving as chair of the firm? Honestly, I was proud of being the Chair every day. More specifically, I was extremely proud each time the firm was able to grow in a significant way—through opening our offices in Singapore, Berlin, Miami, and Austin, through the new partner classes we promoted internally, as well as through our lateral hires. I have a special place in my heart for each group that we promoted internally. I know what it means to work so hard for that promotion, and I know that as a leader the best thing I could do was plant seeds for the future success of the firm. What was your most significant takeaway, either personally or professionally, upon retiring from MoFo after serving as chair of the firm over the last decade? Serving as Chair of MoFo was the greatest professional honor of my life, and I am so glad to have the experience that I had and the chance to be a part of the history of such a great firm. My parents have sadly each passed away recently, and so I have been thinking a lot about what great parents they were to me and how lucky I have been. One element of how they raised me was how they emphasized and modeled the importance of serving others. That’s a mindset that they shared with the modern founders of MoFo. I strongly support serving others. Besides being the right thing to do, it also keeps your ego in the right place whether you are the chair of a law firm or supporting your wife’s campaign for school board. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we can try harder to serve others. How have you been enjoying your time in retirement? I’d love to tell everyone all about retired life, but it’s only been a few months. It’s been a whirlwind of change. Good change, but it’s still change. I have spent a lot more time with my wife and the boys. They all sacrificed a lot over my years as Chair, and I want to try to spend as much time with them as I can. I am doing a lot of walking—walking with family, walking with friends and enjoying being outdoors and active. We have also been going to a lot of concerts—we love live music and try to see a couple of shows a month. Traveling hasn’t really started in earnest, but we have plans to do more traveling in 2024. What do you miss the most about your time at MoFo? The people, the people, and the people. That was always the biggest draw for me. MoFo has such amazing, diverse, and fascinating people. The nice thing about retirement is that I have more time to see family and friends, and I will make the time to see my MoFo family and friends. What opportunities still lie ahead for you, and what do you look forward to? The future is wide open. I don’t have a long-term plan, other than to enjoy life with family and friends. There will be traveling, concerts, and being active and outdoors. We want to see more of America and the rest of the world. There are so many amazing places to see, both here and abroad. We can’t wait to explore.
Nashelsky
with Larren
Catch up
Alumni On The Move
Alumni Accomplishments
Cindy Abramson joined Spotify as Legal Counsel, Platform Liability & Enforcement in August 2023. At MoFo, Cindy was an Associate from 2009 to 2015 in the New York office. Kaela Colwell joined Grounded Capital as Associate General Counsel in May 2023. At MoFo, Kaela was an Associate from 2019 to 2021 in the San Francisco office. Gal Eschet joined Augury as Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel in May 2023. At MoFo, Gal was Of Counsel from 2012 to 2016 in the Palo Alto office and an Associate from 2004 to 2012 in the San Francisco and Palo Alto offices. From 2016 to 2023, Gal was a Partner at Herzog Fox & Neeman in Israel. Reid Gardner joined Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling as Corporate Counsel in February 2023. At MoFo, Reid was an Associate from 2017 to 2020 in the San Diego office. Jordan Hinkes joined Automattic as Associate General Counsel in 2023. At MoFo, Jordan was an Associate from 2007 to 2011 in the San Francisco office. Scott Hodgdon joined Shift Technologies as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in February 2023. At MoFo, Scott was an Associate from 2006 to 2008 and 2011 to 2012 in the Washington, D.C. office. Matthew Janiga joined Trustly as Legal Counsel, Director of Regulatory and Public Affairs in March 2023. At MoFo, Matthew was an Associate from 2012 to 2014 in the Washington, D.C. office. Michael Klepich joined Dolby as Director, Licensing Counsel in September 2023. At MoFo, Michael was an Associate from 2012 to 2014 in the San Francisco office. Kana Matsumura joined MSD K.K. as Member of the Board, Executive Officer, Head of Legal & Compliance, Japan in July 2023. At MoFo, Kana was an Associate from 2005 to 2013 in the Tokyo office. Steven Mills joined the San Francisco City Attorney's Office as Deputy City Attorney in May 2023. At MoFo, Steven was a Litigation Associate from 2019 to 2021 in the San Francisco office. Laura O'Neil joined the School & College Legal Services of California as Of Counsel in May 2023. At MoFo, Laura was a Litigation Associate from 2008 to 2012 in the San Francisco office. Ji-Hyun Park joined Intercom as Global Head of Legal in May 2023. At MoFo, Ji-Hyun was a TTG Associate from 2005 to 2009 in the San Francisco office. Carolyn Plump joined Merck as Director, Legal in March 2023. At MoFo, Carolyn was an Associate from 1991 to 1994 in the Irvine and Washington, D.C. offices. Alex Shvartsman joined Pelago as General Counsel in June 2023. At MoFo, Alex was an Associate from 2006 to 2011 in the Los Angeles office. Miki Someya joined Hoya as Manager, Legal and Compliance in May 2023. At MoFo, Miki was a Corporate Associate from 2019 to 2021 in the Tokyo office. Raj Vaswani joined Reckitt as VP, Area Legal Director for Hygiene in March 2023, where he leads the legal function in North America. He joins Reckitt after having spent 15 years at Johnson & Johnson, where he led the legal teams in J&J's consumer, pharmaceutical, and medical technologies businesses. At MoFo, Raj was an Associate from 1997 to 2001 in the New York office. Fred von Lohmann joined OpenAI as Associate General Counsel, Copyright in August 2023. At MoFo, Fred was a Technology Transactions Associate from 1997 to 2000 in the San Francisco office. Andrew Walchuk joined the U.S. Department of Justice as Senior Counsel, Office for Access to Justice in April 2023. At MoFo, Andrew was a Litigation Associate from 2017 to 2019 in the San Francisco office. Leah Wilson joined Gametime as Vice President, Legal in April 2023. At MoFo, Leah was a Litigation Associate from 2008 to 2011 in the San Francisco office. Anna Catharina Wolschner joined CHERRY as General Counsel in May 2023. At MoFo, Anna was an Associate from 2013 to 2017 in the Berlin office. Christopher Yap joined Canaan Inc. as General Counsel in May 2023. At MoFo, Christopher was an Associate from 2017 to 2019 in the Palo Alto office. Y. Michelle Yan joined TikTok as Head of Risk Management, US E-Commerce in June 2023. At MoFo, Y. Michelle was an Associate from 2012 to 2013 in the Palo Alto office. Katherine Zeitlin joined the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C. as Vice President of Administration in July 2023. At MoFo, Katherine was Of Counsel from 2001 to 2008 in the Washington, D.C. office.
Looking back on your tenure as MoFo’s chair, is there a particular experience or period of time that is most memorable? I’d have to say my entire first year as Chair. In my first year, there was just so much to learn and every experience was a new experience for me and my team. Going through everything from my first fiscal year-end, to the first partner meeting, to running my first Executive Committee meeting. Everyone was looking at me for the answers, and it actually was my first rodeo. I had a great leadership team with me every step of the way, and they made it possible and made it fun. What was your proudest achievement while serving as chair of the firm? Honestly, I was proud of being the Chair every day. More specifically, I was extremely proud each time the firm was able to grow in a significant way—through opening our offices in Singapore, Berlin, Miami, and Austin, through the new partner classes we promoted internally, as well as through our lateral hires. I have a special place in my heart for each group that we promoted internally. I know what it means to work so hard for that promotion, and I know that as a leader the best thing I could do was plant seeds for the future success of the firm. What was your most significant takeaway, either personally or professionally, upon retiring from MoFo after serving as chair of the firm over the last decade? Serving as Chair of MoFo was the greatest professional honor of my life, and I am so glad to have the experience that I had and the chance to be a part of the history of such a great firm. My parents have sadly each passed away recently, and so I have been thinking a lot about what great parents they were to me and how lucky I have been. One element of how they raised me was how they emphasized and modeled the importance of serving others. That’s a mindset that they shared with the modern founders of MoFo. I strongly support serving others. Besides being the right thing to do, it also keeps your ego in the right place, whether you are the chair of a law firm or supporting your wife’s campaign for school board. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we can try harder to serve others.
How have you been enjoying your time in retirement? I’d love to tell everyone all about retired life, but it’s only been a few months. It’s been a whirlwind of change. Good change, but it’s still change. I have spent a lot more time with my wife and the boys. They all sacrificed a lot over my years as Chair, and I want to try to spend as much time with them as I can. I am doing a lot of walking—walking with family, walking with friends, and enjoying being outdoors and active. We have also been going to a lot of concerts—we love live music and try to see a couple of shows a month. Traveling hasn’t really started in earnest, but we have plans to do more traveling in 2024. What do you miss the most about your time at MoFo? The people, the people, and the people. That was always the biggest draw for me. MoFo has such amazing, diverse, and fascinating people. The nice thing about retirement is that I have more time to see family and friends, and I will make the time to see my MoFo family and friends. What opportunities still lie ahead for you, and what do you look forward to? The future is wide open. I don’t have a long-term plan, other than to enjoy life with family and friends. There will be traveling, concerts, and being active and outdoors. We want to see more of America and the rest of the world. There are so many amazing places to see, both here and abroad. We can’t wait to explore.
We caught up with MoFo’s former chair, Larren Nashelsky, who recently retired after serving for a decade, concluding a 23-year tenure with MoFo. In this Q&A, Larren shares some of his most pivotal moments while serving as chair and provides a glimpse into how he is now enjoying retirement.
MoFo Alumni Portal
We look forward to having you join us on the MoFo Alumni Portal, and we thank you for your support of the MoFo community. If you have any questions, please contact us at alumniportal@mofo.com.
Register
Stay connected with fellow MoFo Alums by joining the MoFo Alumni Portal! By becoming a member of the Alumni Portal, you will have access to:
A searchable database of MoFo attorney alumni and current MoFo attorneys
A job board listing in-house opportunities and the ability to post open roles at your company to the community
The ability to tailor your profile and connect with your fellow alumni
A communication feed, similar to social media platforms
Access to CLE offerings and additional resources
Asia
San Diego
Bay Area
This summer, we were delighted to host alumni events in the Bay Area and San Diego to bring the community together. MoFo alumni got the chance to reconnect with friends and colleagues while enjoying tasty beverages and appetizers. This year also marks Morrison Foerster’s 40 years in Asia. Our Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong offices hosted events to celebrate this momentous milestone. Explore the galleries below to take a look at this year’s alumni and office celebrations. We look forward to hosting additional events in the near future and catching up with more alumni soon!
Alumni Events
Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong
On May 23, 2023, the MoFo Alumni Network hosted the MoFo Northern California Alumni Reunion, where over 150 alums spent the evening reconnecting with friends and former colleagues of the firm at the SF MoMa.
On October 5, 2023, MoFo’s San Diego Alumni met at Viewpoint Brewing Company in Del Mar to enjoy an evening of craft beers and catching up with former colleagues and friends.
To mark Morrison Foerster’s 40 years in Asia, our Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong offices hosted events this year where we welcomed MoFo Alumni from all three offices to join us in celebrating this momentous milestone.
We are excited to announce the launch of our new MoFo Alumni Portal. The new portal includes a variety of features including:
