Our deeds and shared values define our culture. As a firm, we are equally passionate about delivering legal excellence and making a difference in the world. MoFo+ shares news and thought leadership from our lawyers and their teams who are proud to contribute to the legal profession and the communities we call home.<h2>About Morrison Foerster</h2>Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm that transforms complexity into advantage for its clients. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, banks, consulting and accounting firms, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Highlighting the firm’s commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values-based culture, Morrison Foerster has been repeatedly recognized as one of the top 10 firms on The American Lawyer’s A-List. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across their various guides, including Global, USA, Asia‑Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to creating a culture that respects and celebrates differences, while providing an inclusive environment. The firm has achieved Mansfield Certification Plus since 2018 as a result of successfully reaching at least 30 percent women, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ lawyer representation in a notable number of current leadership roles and committees. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community and society through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education and fostering the wellbeing of children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, enforcing the right to asylum, and safeguarding the environment.

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Jennifer K. Brown is Senior Pro Bono Counsel at Morrison & Foerster LLP, with responsibility for the overall direction of the firm’s pro bono program. Ms. Brown also develops pro bono opportunities and promotes lawyers’ participation in the firm’s offices on the east coast of the U.S. as well as in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.Before joining Morrison Foerster, Ms. Brown was vice president and legal director of Legal Momentum, the nation's first women’s rights legal organization, originally known as the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund. There, she directed cutting-edge litigation and policy advocacy focused on employment discrimination, domestic violence victims' rights, and sexuality and family rights. Previously, she served as the reproductive rights director with the Civil Rights Bureau of the Office of the New York Attorney General and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.Ms. Brown brings to the firm her deep knowledge of public interest legal organizations and the most pressing civil rights issues of the day. She has, as well, a rich array of litigation experience, having represented individuals as well as federal agencies and the public, from both the plaintiff and defense positions, in trial and appellate courts. As Senior Pro Bono Counsel, she applies this knowledge and experience to multiple goals: encouraging the firm's attorneys from all practice areas to bring pro bono projects to the firm; easing the way for attorneys to undertake meaningful pro bono service; and working with legal service and public interest organizations to identify creative ways to tap the passion and intellect of the firm's lawyers to pursue the public good. Recent achievements include collaborating with a legal services organization to represent individuals whose claims for unemployment insurance benefits are challenged, and forming a project to represent disabled individuals who are seeking federal disability benefits.Ms. Brown received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1993, where she was essays editor of the Yale Law Journal (1992-1993) and was awarded the Benjamin Scharps and Israel H. Peres prizes for outstanding writing. Ms. Brown’s publications include, "The Nineteenth Amendment and Women's Equality," 102 Yale Law Journal 2175 (1993) (student note), and "Life and Death with Joan," in AIDS: The Women, Cleis Press, 1988.

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Senior Pro Bono Counsel

Staff

As senior pro bono counsel, Jennifer manages and promotes the pro bono participation of lawyers on the East Coast.

Jennifer K. Brown

Natalie Kernisant is Morrison Foerster’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.Natalie provides strategic leadership to advance recruiting and retention of talent with a wide range of experiences and perspectives at the firm, as well as providing client development support in the area of diversity and inclusion. She works closely with the firm’s Diversity Strategy Committee co-chairs Alexis Amezcua, Purvi Patel, and Mark Whitaker, and Women’s Strategy Committee co-chairs Carrie Cohen, Julie Park, and Stacey Sprenkel.Natalie joined Morrison Foerster in November 2013. She was appointed to the newly created role of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer in December 2020, having previously served as the firm’s Global Director of Diversity and Inclusion.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Natalie served as Human Resources Manager for Risk Management within Global Banking and Markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Before that, she practiced trademark and copyright law and then served as the Special Projects Manager in the Office of Institutional Policy & Planning at Harvard Medical School overseeing the school’s 2011 accreditation process.In 2021, Natalie was named by Crain’s New York Business to its list of Notable Black Leaders & Executives 2021. The special section recognizes black men and women who have impacted New York City in major ways and sets out to honor their professional, civic, and philanthropic achievements. In 2023, Natalie was recognized as one of Savoy Magazine’s 2023 Most Influential Executives in Diversity & Inclusion. She was also selected to Law360’s Diversity & Inclusion Editorial Advisory Board, whose goal is to provide feedback on Law360’s coverage as well as expert insight on how to shape future coverage. Additionally, she was recognized in the Financial Times 2023 North America Innovative Lawyers report as one of seven individual “Change Makers” in the legal industry for her strategic leadership of the firm’s efforts to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In 2024, Natalie was named as a Change Driver in the Annual Diversity Awards of World IP Review (WIPR). The annual Diversity Awards recognize those who have made exceptional contributions to diversity and inclusion in the field of intellectual property.During Natalie’s tenure at MoFo, the firm has received multiple <a href="/culture/diversity#page-section-4" target="_self">diversity and inclusion awards and recognitions</a>.

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Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Partner

Natalie Kernisant is Morrison Foerster’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

Natalie Kernisant provides strategic leadership to advance recruiting and retention of diverse talent at Morrison Foerster, as well as providing client development support in the area of diversity and inclusion.

Natalie Kernisant

Dorothy L. Fernandez is Pro Bono Counsel based in the Denver office of Morrison & Foerster LLP. She is responsible for managing and promoting the participation of lawyers in the firm’s extensive pro bono program which includes, among other things, providing free legal services to low-income individuals, advising nonprofit organizations and assisting in other matters that serve the public interest. Dorothy’s primary focus is on working with lawyers in the firm’s Austin, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver and Tokyo offices.In 1999, Dorothy joined Morrison & Foerster as an associate in the Securities Litigation, Enforcement and White-Collar Criminal Defense Group. She was elected a partner of the firm in 2004. Dorothy handled complex litigation at the state, federal and appellate levels and was responsible for drafting key dispositive motions in some of the firm’s largest securities litigation matters. In addition, she had an active pro bono practice and represented clients in individual matters, as well as cases addressing the treatment of children in foster care and the rights of LGBT individuals.A dedicated advocate for the LGBT community, Dorothy has served as co-chair of the board of directors of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and she also served on the board of the Pride Law Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to law students working on issues related to the equal rights of LGBT citizens and people living with HIV/AIDS.Dorothy graduated from Stanford University in 1992 with a B.A. in psychology. She earned a J.D. in 1996 from Harvard Law School, where she was a member of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review and co-chair of HLS Lambda. She has taught as an adjunct instructor at both Golden Gate University Law School and Santa Clara University Law School.

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Pro Bono Counsel

Dorothy works with lawyers in our Denver, Los Angeles, and San Diego offices on various pro bono initiatives.

Dorothy L. Fernandez

Rachel Williams is pro bono counsel based in Morrison & Foerster’s San Francisco office. She is responsible for managing and promoting the participation of lawyers in the firm’s extensive program of providing free legal services to low-income individuals, to nonprofit organizations, and in matters that serve the public interest. Rachel works primarily with lawyers in the firm’s San Francisco, Palo Alto, London, Berlin, and Brussels offices. She is an active member of the Disaster Legal Assistance Collaborative and the board of directors of OneJustice. Rachel joined the firm in 1999. Prior to becoming a pro bono counsel, Rachel was a litigation associate in the firm’s Palo Alto office and worked on attorney training and development initiatives. Before law school, Rachel worked for various nonprofit organizations, was an investigator for the public defender’s office in Seattle, and served as a Coro Public Affairs Fellow in New York City.

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Rachel is responsible for managing and promoting the participation of lawyers in the firm’s extensive program of providing free legal services to low-income individuals, to nonprofit organizations, and in matters that serve the public interest.

Rachel P. Williams

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Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion, and pro bono work. MoFo+ shares news and thought leadership from our lawyers and their teams who are proud to contribute to the legal profession and the communities we call home.

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Morrison Foerster has a long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion, and pro bono work. MoFo+ shares news and thought leadership from our lawyers and their teams who are proud to contribute to the legal profession and the communities we call home.

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Provides a data-driven look at the Federal Circuit.

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Brings together legal insights and in-depth analyses on trends and complex issues shaping the global technology industry.

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Equips our clients with the most up-to-date and relevant information on employment and labor law issues.

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In-depth analysis of developments and trends impacting government contracting.

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Provides insights and reports on the most current class actions lawsuits and product liability issues that affect consumer-facing companies.

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The MoFo+ blog shares news and insights from lawyers who are adding value to the legal profession and making a difference in the communities we call home.

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MoFo Celebrates Earth Day

Celebrating Black History Month with Maya Wiley, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Faces of MoFo: Dominick Divine III

MoFo's Women of Color Collective: A Conversation with CCWC’s Laurie Robinson Haden

MoFo Wins Asylum for Cameroonian Political Refugee

MoFo recently won asylum for an Afghan woman and her young son, after nearly a year of waiting for the Asylum Office to issue its decision following the asylum interview. The firm’s pro bono client is a widow from a religious and ethnic minority who empowered other women and girls in her community as the principal of a school for girls and a provider of community services. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, she spent days making her way to Kabul with her young son in tow, afraid of being singled out and taken away by the Taliban for, among other things, remaining an unmarried woman out in society. When the pair finally made it onto a U.S.-bound plane through the <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/allieswelcome" target="_blank" dir="ltr">Operation Allies Welcome </a>program, their ability to remain safe from Taliban persecution continued to rest on shaky ground. Asylum was their only chance of staying together; if their application were denied and they were forced to return to Afghanistan, under Afghan law, the woman would lose custody of her son to her late husband’s family. While awaiting the decision from USCIS, the woman did not let the delays and uncertainty of the U.S. immigration system slow her down—she learned to ride a bicycle (a skill she could never learn back home), learned English at a rate that outpaced many of her classmates, and even obtained her driver’s license. Together, mother and son began to build a new life here in the United States. And now, with their new asylee status, the pair can remain safe and together, and can turn this newly built life into a more permanent one.The MoFo team representing the woman and son is led by Palo Alto partner Ken Kuwayti, and includes Palo Alto associate Michelle Larg, Washington, D.C., associate Nicole Ang, Los Angeles associate Erik Manukyan, and Palo Alto senior paralegal Daisy Belle Visitacion.MoFo has been steadfast in its commitment to pro bono services for Afghan asylum seekers, assisting more than 40 Afghan refugees in their quest for immigration relief. In addition, our pro bono team completed over 300 initial screening interviews of Afghan refugees as part of Project Afghan Legal Assistance (PALA), an initiative led by the organization <a href="https://humanrightsfirst.org/" target="_blank">Human Rights First</a> in response to the influx of Afghan refugees following the United States’s abrupt withdrawal from the country in the summer of 2021. MoFo’s support of Afghan refugees, through these various initiatives, marks one of the largest pro bono projects in the firm’s recent history.

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MoFo Assists CASE Force with Implementation of US$1 billion California Rebuilding Fund; includes 778 funded loans totaling US$50 million given to small businesses

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MoFo recently won asylum for an Afghan woman and her young son, after nearly a year of waiting for the Asylum Office to issue its decision following the asylum interview. 

MoFo Wins Asylum for Widow and Young Child Who Fled Taliban-Seized Afghanistan

Morrison Foerster secured a significant victory for its pro bono client, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW), obtaining the dismissal of a mining company’s lawsuit that threatened to undo government efforts to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a million-acre wilderness region known for its pristine waters. This victory is the latest step in a lengthy legal battle involving mining interests whose activities pose a significant and irreversible threat to the Boundary Waters. MoFo has represented NMW since 2016 in a series of cases in federal court in Minnesota and the District of Columbia regarding mining activity in the Boundary Waters watershed.In August 2022, Twin Metals Minnesota and its subsidiary, Franconia Minerals, both of which are part of Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta plc, filed suit in federal district court in the District of Columbia challenging a series of actions taken by the U.S. Department of the Interior that precluded Twin Metals from developing a sulfide-ore copper mine within the watershed of the Boundary Waters. Twin Metals claimed that the cancellation of its leases and rejection of its lease applications and mine plan of operations were arbitrary and capricious. The U.S. government moved to dismiss plaintiffs’ claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. Our client, NMW, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Boundary Waters, together with a group of environmental organizations and recreational businesses, joined as defendant-intervenors in May 2023 and moved to dismiss shortly thereafter.On September 6, 2023, the court granted defendants’ and defendant-intervenors’ motions to dismiss in full. As we argued, the court determined Twin Metals’ claims related to the leases were essentially contract claims that fell within the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The court also held the plaintiffs failed to state legally viable claims regarding the rejection of their lease applications and mine plan of operations.The MoFo team representing NMW is led by Washington, D.C. partner Alex Ward, together with Washington, D.C. associates Haydn Forrest, Robin Smith, Krista Nunez, and Roke Iko, New York associate Hannah Yang, and Washington, D.C. paralegal Sulay Ozturk-Gunertem.Commenting on the court’s recent decision, Alex said, “It’s gratifying to see such a thoughtful, well-reasoned opinion on this important issue. The MoFo team has worked long and hard to help our clients preserve the Boundary Waters. This is a major step toward lasting protection for this very special place.”Learn more about the <a href="https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/" target="_blank">Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters</a>.

MoFo Wins Dismissal for Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness

IAP Worldwide Servs., Inc.

Flight Support, Inc.

DynCorp Int’l LLC

Raytheon Co.

DynCorp International, LLC v. United States

URS Federal Servs., Inc.

DynCorp International, LLC

Planned Sys. Int’l, Inc.

Threat Mgmt. Group, LLC

Vencore Servs. & Solutions, Inc.

Jacobs Tech., Inc.

Cubic, Inc.

American Institutes for Research v. State of New Mexico

CACI-WGI, Inc.

Fluor Intercontinental, Inc. v. IAP Worldwide Servs., Inc.

IAP World Servs., Inc.

Size Appeal of IAP World Servs., Inc.

Al-Ghanim v. IAP Worldwide Servs., Inc.

O’Gara Training & Servs., LLC

IAP Worldwide Servs., Inc. v. Johnson Controls, Inc.

AAR Mobility Sys.

Matt Martin Real Estate Mgm’t, LLC v. United States

Pyramid Real Estate Servs., LLC v. United States

Harrington, Moran, Barksdale, Inc.

Homesource Real Estate Asset Servs., Inc. v. United States

Ocean Ships, Inc.

Keystone Sealift Servs., Inc.

ITT Corp., Sys. Div.

IAP Worldwide Servs., Inc. v. Fluor Intercontinental, Inc.

FedSys, Inc.

Academy Facilities Mgm’t v. United States

Academy Facilities Management -- Advisory Opinion

Evans Security Solutions, Inc.

Contingency Mgm’t Group, LLC and IAP Worldwide Servs., Inc.

Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc.

Liberty Power Corp.

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J. Alex Ward is co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Government Contracts and Public Procurement group. 

J. Ward

Alex is co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Government Contracts and Public Procurement practice. His practice covers a full range of government contracts matters, including bid protests, claims, investigations, corporate transactions, and counseling.

J. Alex Ward

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Associate

Haydn Forrest is an associate in the Litigation Department of Morrison Foerster’s Washington, D.C. office.

Haydn Forrest

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Roke Iko is an associate in the Litigation Department in Morrison & Foerster’s Washington, D.C. office.
Roke assists clients in the full range of government contracts litigation and compliance matters

Roke Iko

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Hannah Yang is a corporate associate in the New York office.

Hannah Yang

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MoFo Wins Dismissal for Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness

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Morrison Foerster secured a significant victory for its pro bono client, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW), obtaining the dismissal of a mining company’s lawsuit that threatened to undo government efforts to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a million-acre wilderness region known for its pristine waters. 

MoFo recently assisted APPEAL, a UK charity and law practice dedicated to fighting miscarriages of justice, in helping to overturn Andrew Malkinson’s wrongful conviction for rape, for which he spent over 17 years in prison. Malkinson was convicted in 2004 but always maintained his innocence. He could have been released after his life sentence, which had a minimum term of six years and 125 days, had he admitted to committing the offense. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, rejected Malkinson’s application for appeal of his conviction twice (in 2012 and 2020), despite being made aware in 2009 of an unknown person’s DNA being present on the victim’s vest top. His case was referred to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) of England and Wales in January 2023 as new DNA testing linked the crime to another man.On July 26, 2023, the Court of Appeal quashed Malkinson’s conviction in light of new DNA evidence implicating another suspect.Giving its full judgment on August 7, 2023, the Court also ruled that Greater Manchester Police withheld key evidence from his trial defense, including photographs, which contradicted medical evidence, and the criminal convictions, including for dishonesty offenses, of two key prosecution witnesses. The Court held that these disclosure failures caused disadvantage to the defense, infringing on Malkinson’s right to a fair trial.Harriet Slater, an associate in MoFo’s London litigation department, has worked on Malkinson’s case for over six years, since the case was first taken on by APPEAL, when she was a trainee solicitor at another firm. She continued to work on the case at her subsequent firm and then brought the case with her when she joined Morrison Foerster, where she has worked alongside partner Hayley Ichilcik and trainee solicitors Jacqueline Lee and Kyle Howard, who also assisted APPEAL with the appeal hearing preparations.“It has taken over six years from my instruction to Andy’s case being heard in the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal and for his conviction to be overturned,” Harriet said. “Undoubtably, it has been one of the highlights of my career to witness Andy being told that he was able to leave court a free man. Andy’s legal team contributed thousands of hours to the case and had so many setbacks before hearing those words – it is fantastic that all of the hard work has paid off and highlights the importance of this work to ensure that justice is served”.Learn more about <a href="https://appeal.org.uk/">APPEAL and its work</a>.

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Harriet Slater is an associate in the firm’s London office and a member of the Litigation Group.

Harriet Slater

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Hayley Ichilcik is a partner in the London office of Morrison Foerster. She specializes in representing financial institutions, corporate clients and senior individuals in highly sensitive litigation,

Hayley Ichilcik

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Jacqueline Lee is an associate in the firm’s London office and a member of the Litigation Group.

Jacqueline Lee

MoFo Assists UK Charity in Criminal Appeal to Overturn Wrongful Conviction and Life Sentence