MOFO C O L O R “We at Morrison & Foerster will continue our work to break down barriers to equal opportunity, to value fully the differences among people in our organization while recognizing our similarities, and to create an atmosphere in which each individual can develop his or her potential to the fullest extent possible.” — Morrison & Foerster Diversity Mission Statement Morrison & Foerster lawyers come in all stripes and colors. We’re a mix of individuals from various ethnic, cultural, and racial backgrounds, united in our belief that our shared diversity makes a difference in serving the interests of our clients, our profession, and the communities in which we work and live. That’s why we continuously work to attract, develop, and retain talented lawyers of diverse backgrounds. Ultimately, our goal is to create an environment in which lawyers can see, experience, and benefit from working with talented colleagues. Every lawyer should recognize MoFo as a firm where he or she can professionally grow, advance, and make a meaningful difference. Photo Credit: Todd France Photography MoFo’s commitment to diversity begins at the very top. In May 2014, Larren Nashelsky (left), the firm’s chair and chief executive partner, Michelle Roberts (center), a legal secretary in our Washington, D.C. office, and Brett Miller (right), managing partner of our New York office, welcomed noted civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte to a 50th anniversary celebration of the Civil Rights Act. Our Leaders Diverse lawyers hold key leadership positions throughout the firm. They serve on the committees that define the firm’s strategy, lead our industry-leading practices, and run our global offices. Obrea Poindexter, a partner in our Washington, D.C. office, co-chairs the firm’s Diversity Strategy Committee. She also co-heads our Financial Services Practice Group and heads the firm’s Mobile Payments Group. Washington, D.C. partner Hector Gallegos chairs the Partner Review Committee, which makes recommendations on partner promotions. Hector previously led our Los Angeles litigation practice. Other members of the Partner Review Committee include San Francisco partner Arturo González and Los Angeles partner Sean Gates. Sean also chairs our Pro Bono Services Committee. On the practice and office levels, San Francisco partner Eric McCrath co-chairs our Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity and Buyouts Groups. Arturo González leads our Commercial Litigation and Trial Practice Group. From 2010 to 2014, he co-chaired our 500-lawyer Litigation Department. Los Angeles partner Mehran Arjomand and San Francisco partner Rich Hung co-chair our U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trial Practice Group. Rich also serves as the deputy chair of our IP litigation practice. 4 MOFO COLOR Washington, D.C. partner Christopher Ford chairs our firmwide Global Sourcing Group, and New York partner Vivian Hanson is cohead of MoFo’s U.S. Sourcing Group. 41 From 2002 to 2011, partner Michael Braun led the New York Corporate Group. He currently co-chairs our Japan Practice Group. San Francisco partner Eric Tate is co-chair of the firm’s Employment & Labor Group. He previously co-chaired the Diversity Strategy Committee. NUMBER OF BOARD, COMMITTEE, AND LEADERSHIP POSITIONS HELD BY DIVERSE LAWYERS San Francisco partner Peter Yim leads our Electronics, Software, and Telecommunications Patent Group. Los Angeles partner Peter Hsiao is head of the firm’s Environment & Energy Group and the green products and chemicals team. San Francisco partner Tiffany Cheung chairs our Consumer Class Action Practice Group. Jackie Liu, a partner in our San Francisco office, is co-chair of the Corporate Finance Group. Bradley Lui is the managing partner of our Washington, D.C. office. James Mullen is the managing partner of the San Diego office. Ven Tan is the managing partner of the Hong Kong office. Louise Stoupe is the administrative partner in our Tokyo office. She also is deputy chair of our Commercial Litigation and Trial Practice Group. Trevor James served as managing partner of our London office for nearly seven years. He continues to serve the firm as a member of the Morrison & Foerster Foundation’s board of directors and a member of the Diversity Strategy Committee. '69 MoFo’s first African American associate joins the firm. He is elected partner in 1979. '74 The firm’s first Asian American associate joins the firm. '76 MoFo elects its first partner of color. '77 The firm appoints its first Asian American partner. '82 The first African American woman associate joins the firm. She is elected partner in 1986. '83 MoFo elects its first Asian American partner. '85 MoFo’s first Latino associate joins the firm. He is elected partner in 1992. MOFO COLOR 5 Investing in Diverse Leaders Since 2011, MoFo has supported the development of talented diverse partners as fellows with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Fellows have included Washington, D.C. partner Chris Ford, Los Angeles partners Tritia Murata, Purvi Patel, and Sylvia Rivera, and San Francisco partner Eric Tate. Over the years, several of our summer associates have participated in LCLD’s 1L Scholars Program. Pipeline Initiatives Our commitment to increasing diversity within the firm includes a grassroots pipeline strategy to attract both 1Ls and pre-law interns. 2014 marked the third year that MoFo has recognized and supported the career development of promising law students of color through our 1L Diversity Fellowship Program. Last year, two of our 1L diversity fellows won research writing competitions sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League and ITC Trial Lawyers Association for projects completed during their time with us as summer associates. To date, diversity fellowships have been awarded to 20 students from some of the leading law schools in the United States, including Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, New York University, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Yale. Since 2008, we also have sponsored a group of low-income public high schools students as pre-law interns through the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) program. More than 23 students have participated in the program over the years, and four have completed the full pipeline and joined us as full-time associates. In addition, we also sponsor pre-law interns through the Initiative for Diversity in Education and Leadership (IDEAL) program and the Legal Employment Action Program (LEAP). Affinity Groups We have nine affinity groups that provide support networks and programming for lawyers of diverse backgrounds. Litigation associate Klinton Miyao chairs the D.C./Northern Virginia Attorneys and Paralegals of Color Affinity Group. Litigation associate Jonder Ho chairs the Los Angeles Asian & Pacific Islander American Affinity Group, and litigation associates Doug Beteta and Andrea Contreras co-chair the Los Angeles Latina/o Affinity Group. 6 MOFO COLOR Judy Mok, an associate in our financial services practice, heads the New York Asian Women Associates Affinity Group. Melissa Crespo, an associate in our litigation practice, chairs the New York Black Women’s Group. MoFo’s New York office celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act by hosting an evening with noted civil rights activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte. The event was livestreamed to our other U.S. offices. Litigation associate Antonio Ingram chairs the San Francisco Black Associates Group. We also sponsor affinity groups for our New York attorneys and paralegals of color, San Francisco Latina/o associates, and San Francisco women of color. Celebrating Our Diverse Heritages Throughout the year, we host programs and events to celebrate our rich and diverse backgrounds. In 2014, the New York office played host to noted civil rights advocate and entertainer Harry Belafonte. The event, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, extended the dialogue initiated by Congressmen John Lewis and Steny Hoyer during an event held in our Washington, D.C. office the previous year. Our San Francisco office annually celebrates Latino Heritage Month with various educational and cultural events, including a salsa cook-off that has become an office tradition. Lawyers and staff also hold a raffle to raise money for a local charity, which has recently included La Casa de las Madres. Photo Credit: Todd France Photography MOFO COLOR 7 MoFo Diversity Summit Since the early 1990s, we have held professional development workshops for our U.S.-based lawyers of color. In 2014, the workshops were expanded to include LGBT lawyers and became known as the Diversity Summit. More than 100 diverse lawyers attended the two-day event in 2014. Kenji Yoshino, the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law, gave the keynote address. In the Community '92 MoFo launches firmwide diversity program. '03 MoFo establishes the Diversity Strategy Committee. '08 The firm launches its affinity groups program. '12 The firm establishes the Morrison & Foerster 1L Diversity Fellowship Program. MoFo’s commitment to giving back to the communities in which we work and live includes the sustained support of communities of color. We have a long history supporting the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded at the request of President John F. Kennedy to secure equal justice for all through the rule of law for African Americans and other diverse communities. Two MoFo partners currently serve on the board of directors, and one was co-chair from 1997 to 1999. For more than a decade, MoFo has supported Legal Outreach in its efforts to prepare urban youth from underserved communities in New York City to compete at high academic levels through intensive legal and educational programs that encourage students to pursue higher education. As a firm, we annually contribute more than $100,000 to scholarship programs targeted at disadvantaged youth, as well as scholarship and fellowship programs for diverse scholars. We fund a three-year scholarship for a law student from an historically underrepresented group at the University of San Diego School of Law. In previous years, scholarships have been awarded at the Golden Gate University School of Law, University of Colorado School of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Named in honor of Steven Dunham, a former chair of the firm, these awards honor Steve’s passion for education and his commitment to promoting diversity within the legal profession. MoFo also supports various other public interest scholarships and programs that promote diversity within the legal profession, such as the California Bar Association’s Diversity Scholarship Program and the Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship Program. 8 MOFO COLOR Since 2000, our charitable foundation has contributed more than $2.7 million in support of Equal Justice Works and its fellowship program. Based in Washington, D.C., this national program creates partnerships among public interest lawyers, nonprofit organizations, law firms, corporate sponsors, and other donors to provide underrepresented populations effective access to the justice system. We also donate to or sponsor a range of organizations serving diverse populations and communities, including 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, APA Family Support Center, API Wellness Center, Asian American Multicultural Association, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Bay Area Urban Debate League, Businesses United in Investing Lending & Developing (BUILD), CASA Sacramento, Colorado “I Have A Dream” Foundation, East Bay College Fund, East Harlem Tutorial Program, Harlem Children’s Zone, Harlem RBI, Inner-City Arts, La Casa de las Madres, New York Asian Women’s Center, and Para Los Niños. On an individual level, our lawyers devote countless pro bono hours on behalf of individuals and communities of color. They also volunteer their time with organizations that serve the needs of diverse communities, and many hold leadership roles within these organizations. San Francisco litigation partner Eric Tate is a mentor with Level Playing Field Institute’s IDEAL Scholars Program. He also is the past board president of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. San Diego litigation associate Christian Andreu-von Euw serves on the Crawford High Academy of Law’s board of advisors and supervises its mentorship program. Monica Castro, a litigation associate in our New York office, is a mentor with Legal Outreach. MoFo proudly sponsored the Power of Diversity Program initiated by London’s Lord Mayor during her first year in office. The yearlong program raised awareness and promoted diversity within the London business community through a diversity breakfast series, CEO forum, and various marketing and advertising campaigns, including the launch of three diversity buses that prominently featured MoFo’s corporate logo. Photo Credit: Clive N. Totman MOFO COLOR 9 In the Profession As a firm, we’ve been a trailblazer in various efforts to promote diversity within the legal profession. We were among the six firms that helped found the American Bar Association’s Minority Demonstration Counsel Program. The firm was influential in the development of the Goals and Timelines for Minority Hiring and Advancement established by the Bar Association of San Francisco. MoFo is also a signatory of the New York City Bar’s Statement of Diversity Principles. '10 '12 The firm receives the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s Beacon of Justice Award for significant pro bono contributions in the area of immigration law. For the second year running, MoFo receives La Mancha Law Firm of the Year Award from Casa Cornelia in San Diego. The award recognizes the firm’s pro bono commitment to indigent immigrant victims of human rights and civil rights violations. We have long-standing relationships with professional organizations and bar associations that serve diverse communities. These include Asian American Bar The Asian Law Caucus Association, Asian American Law honors MoFo for a Fund of New York, Asian American Freedom of Information Act Legal Defense and Education Fund, request that exposed the Asian Law Alliance, Asian Pacific Bar unwarranted surveillance Association of Silicon Valley, Bay Area and investigation of African, Latino Lawyers’ Fund, California Arab, Middle Eastern, Minority Counsel, Casa Cornelia Muslim, and South Asian Law Center, Centro Legal de la Raza communities in Northern (Oakland), Hispanic National Bar California. Association, Inner City Law Center, Korean American Bar Association of Northern California, La Raza Centro Legal, La Raza Lawyers Charitable Foundation, Mexican American Bar Association, NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services, and South Asian Bar Association. '13 Our lawyers are leaders within many of these organizations. Washington, D.C. partner Hector Gallegos is a trustee of the Mexican American Bar Association Foundation. 10 MOFO COLOR Los Angeles litigation partner Purvi Patel serves on the board of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California Public Interest Foundation, a nonprofit that organizes, supports, and promotes public interest activities for the benefit of the South Asian community and Southern California more generally. San Francisco partner Rich Hung sits on the board and Palo Alto partner Rudy Kim is an advisory board member of the Asian Law Alliance, which provides legal assistance to the Asian/Pacific Islander community. Rudy is also a past president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley. From 1999 to 2001, San Francisco of counsel Grant Kim served as the overseas president of the International Association of Korean Lawyers (IAKL). San Francisco partner Raj Chatterjee previously served as the president of the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California. Palo Alto corporate partner Janet Xiao is a past president of the Chinese-American Biopharmaceutical Society and remains an active member of its leadership team. '88 '89 '00 '08 MoFo helps found the American Bar Association’s Minority Demonstration Counsel Program. The firm helps develop the San Francisco Bar Association’s Goals and Timelines for Minority Hiring and Advancement. MoFo participates in Lawyers for One America, responding to President Clinton’s call to enhance diversity within the legal profession. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law honors MoFo for its role with the U.N.’s periodic review of the U.S. implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. In 2013, San Francisco partner Arturo González delivered the keynote address at La Raza Centro Legal’s 40th anniversary celebration. Centro Legal is a multicultural community social justice center in San Francisco’s Mission District. MoFo has been a longtime supporter of Centro Legal, which is one of the only nonprofit organizations that provides legal services to low-income, monolingual Spanish-speaking, and immigrant communities. Photo Credit: Miguel J. Flores Photography MOFO COLOR 11 Awards + Recognition We’re proud of the recognition that our firm and lawyers have received for their commitment to advancing diversity within the legal profession. American Lawyer MoFo was among the top 10 firms on The American Lawyer’s 2014 Diversity Scorecard. We have placed in the top 10 every year since 2010 and among the top 15 every year since 2001. Vault 100 In its most recent guide, Vault ranks MoFo as one of the top 20 firms for racial and ethnic diversity. Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley In 2011, we became the second law firm to ever receive the Law Firm Diversity Award. Minority Corporate Counsel Association MoFo has twice received the Thomas L. Sager Award in recognition of our sustained commitment to hiring, retaining, and promoting lawyers of color. National Asian Pacific American Bar Association In 2008, NAPABA honored us for our commitment to and achievements in maintaining a diverse workplace. Starbucks Starbucks Coffee Company honored MoFo with its third annual Starbucks Excellence in Diversity Award in 2011. 12 MOFO COLOR Target In 2013, Target Law Department presented us with its inaugural Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award. United Way MoFo received the 2014 Paul Glad Advancement Award from the United Way of the Bay Area. Named in honor of Paul Glad, an ardent supporter of justice and inclusion, the award is presented to a law firm that goes above and beyond in fostering diversity and women’s leadership in the workplace. National Association for Law Placement Natalie Fleming Nolen, a litigation associate in MoFo’s Washington, D.C. office, was named an NALP Diversity Champion in 2010. Centro Legal de la Raza Arturo González was named 2012 Attorney of the Year in recognition of his efforts to advance the rights of immigrant, low-income, and Latino communities through legal representation, education, and advocacy. National Law Journal In 2011, The National Law Journal named Washington, D.C. partner Brian Matsui to its Minority 40 Under 40 list. In 2008, the publication honored Arturo González as one of the 50 most influential minority lawyers in the United States. The editors chose lawyers “who have demonstrated the power to change the law, shape public affairs, launch industries, and get big things done.” MOFO COLOR 13 We are Morrison & Foerster — a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. We’ve been included on The American Lawyer’s A-List for 11 straight years, and the Financial Times named the firm number six on its 2013 list of the 40 most innovative firms in the United States. Chambers USA honored the firm as its sole 2014 Corporate/M&A Client Service Award winner and recognized us as both the 2013 Intellectual Property and Bankruptcy Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. ©2015 Morrison & Foerster LLP
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