Morrison Foerster Elects 27 Partners

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.

• 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.