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

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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 diverse talent 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 interrupt unconscious bias and 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

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 currently serves on the board of directors of Centro Legal de la Raza, a nonprofit based in Oakland.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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As we approach World Refugee Day and commemorate Pride Month in the United States, it is important to acknowledge the rising number of asylum seekers from the g

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MoFo Partners with Oasis Legal Services to Help LGBTQIA+ Asylum Seekers Find a Safe Haven

MoFo Partners with Oasis Legal Services to Help LGBTQIA+ Asylum Seekers Find a Safe Haven | MoFo+

As we approach <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/world-refugee-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Refugee Day</a> and commemorate <a href="https://nationaltoday.com/pride-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pride Month</a> in the United States, it is important to acknowledge the rising number of asylum seekers from the global LGBTQIA+ community. MoFo has a long history of advocating for LGBTQIA+ immigrants and is always looking for ways to continue expanding that work. A new pro bono initiative, led by San Francisco partner Mark Foster, Palo Alto associate <a href="https://www.mofo.com/people/mary-race.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mary Race</a>, senior paralegal Gary Stenger, pro bono counsel <a href="https://www.mofo.com/people/dorothy-fernandez.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dorothy Fernandez</a> and <a href="https://www.mofo.com/people/rachel-williams.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Williams</a>, has set out to do just that. Through this initiative, MoFo is partnering with <a href="https://www.oasislegalservices.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oasis Legal Services</a> and the in-house legal team at long-time firm client VMware to expand the number of pro bono volunteers, providing much needed support to this vulnerable immigrant community.Oasis Legal Services is a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit whose primary focus is serving LGBTQIA+ immigrants. Oasis services include initial screenings for immigration relief, filing affirmative asylum applications, and assisting with residency, citizenship, and family petitions. With just a handful of attorneys, Oasis has served individuals from over 35 countries around the world. And the need for help has never been more urgent than it is today.While in recent years, some countries have advanced the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, that’s not the case in large parts of the world. Many countries still criminalize same-sex relationships and gender nonconforming behavior. In fact, in some countries having a same-sex relationship can result in the death penalty. Even in countries without <a href="http://internap.hrw.org/features/features/lgbt_laws/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">these punitive laws</a>, some governments turn a blind eye to violence against the LGBTQIA+ community and, in fact, are often involved in perpetrating violence against its members.“The need to help LGBTQIA+ individuals successfully navigate the asylum process is greater than ever, given the disheartening rise in violence and discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community in a number of countries.  It’s uplifting, however, to be involved in this worthwhile project with Oasis and VMware.”  For nearly thirty years, many of those who have experienced such atrocities have looked to the U.S. as a land where they could live openly and safely.According to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/trump-proposals-threaten-lgbtq-asylum-seekers-hopes-refuge-u-s-n1236736" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an NBC News report</a>, citing data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), nearly 4,400 people who were persecuted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity sought asylum in the U.S. between 2007 and 2017. With recent changes to U.S. immigration law and an enormous backlog in the immigration system, helping individuals navigate the asylum process is more important than ever.“Our clients face unique roadblocks and systems of oppression due to their intersectional identities of being LGBTQIA+ and undocumented immigrants. We have worked hard to build a holistic service model that supports our clients through the difficult process of applying for asylum and connects them to the social, emotional, and legal support they need throughout their case,” states senior staff attorney and pro bono coordinator for Oasis Kusia Hreshchyshyn. “Our goal at Oasis is to ensure every eligible LGBTQIA+ asylum seeker receives high quality and culturally competent legal representation and related support services.”The basic human rights of these individuals are at risk. By gaining legal status here in the U.S., Oasis Legal Service’s clients are not only able to qualify for citizenship and to find pathways to educational and occupational opportunities, but they are also able to get the necessary healthcare and support they need to fully heal. And, most importantly, they can express their true selves without fear.The project we launched with VMware in May is to help Oasis keep its collection of “country conditions” information up to date. LGBTQIA+ people seeking asylum must provide evidence about the conditions in their home country to support the claim that they have faced persecution on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This includes evidence that their government either supports such persecution or will not do anything to stop it. The evidence must also be current. For example, when an individual is interviewed by immigration officials, they must be able to show that the dangerous conditions still exist in their home countries and that, as a result, they cannot return.The volunteers in the new MoFo-VMware initiative will research and collect reports from human rights organizations, the U.S. government, and reputable news sources, to create compilations of material to submit in support of asylum cases. The submissions will highlight the most compelling facts and data for the asylum officer or immigration judge. The teams will research not only in English, but also in the countries’ primary languages. The work will sometimes involve looking beyond a country’s own reporting on its progress in protecting the LGBTQIA+ community to ascertain the day-to-day reality for its citizens.MoFo and VMware, have started out the project by tackling research for five countries and hope to expand the work as this project gets off the ground. Oasis plans to use this work for its own clients and to share it with other organizations serving the LGBTQIA+ community, in hopes of having an impact far beyond the San Francisco Bay Area.“I have had the privilege of representing LGBTQIA+ immigrants who experienced significant trauma and persecution in their home countries,” states Mark Foster in a recent announcement by Oasis on the partnership. “I derived great satisfaction from seeing how zealous and compassionate advocacy can transform lives—creating a space for healing, new opportunity, and the security that comes with obtaining asylum relief. I am excited to do more of this life-saving work with Oasis.”Watch the below video to learn more about how Oasis Legal Services is making a difference:<div data-reactroot=""><iframe width="651" height="385" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8wq_bG6Vi70" title="Mi Tierra" Oasis="" Legal="" frameBorder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>