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

Dorothy 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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Pro Bono Counsel

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 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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Welcome to the Mofo+ Blog

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

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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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Dorothy L. Fernandez

Rachel P. Williams

MoFo Celebrates 25 Years in San Diego

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

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On April 30, 2024, MoFo partner and global co-chair of the Investigations + White Collar Defense practice group <a href="https://www.mofo.com/people/carrie-cohen">Carrie H. Cohen</a> and associate <a href="https://www.mofo.com/people/sabreena-khalid">Sabreena Khalid</a> in MoFo’s Finance Group spoke with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-rosenthal-3b334412/">Lesley Rosenthal</a>, president of the Friends of Afghanistan National Institute of Music (“ANIM”) and Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary at Juilliard, as part of an event sponsored by MoFo’s Women’s Strategy Committee and the Middle Eastern North African (MENA) network in our New York office.ANIM was founded in 2010 by Dr. Ahmad Sarmast. It was the first and only school of music in Afghanistan where talented Afghan children of all backgrounds were trained in a co-ed program in traditional and western classical music. They also obtained high-quality academic education and there was a special focus on supporting disadvantaged children, including orphans and child laborers. Boys and girls, from all ethnic backgrounds and communities, were welcome.Event attendees had the opportunity to watch Symphony of Courage, a 30-minute documentary about ANIM. Challenging the Taliban’s ban on secular music and women’s and girls’ education, Dr. Sarmast joined forces with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma to evacuate students of the music school, including Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra, Zohra. ANIM successfully airlifted its 273 students, faculty, and staff and has since reconstituted in Braga, Portugal.  After the film screening, Lesley shared her first-hand experience with supporting this humanitarian effort.The event had special significance as MoFo’s assistance to helping Afghan refugees obtain United States citizenship is among the largest pro bono undertakings in firm history. Sparked by an in-house webinar about Afghan refugees in 2021, nearly 200 lawyers and staff volunteered to conduct detailed intake interviews for Afghans, whose urgent calls to the refugee assistance agency Human Rights First had overwhelmed the organization’s resources—assistance the group called “a literal lifesaver.” These MoFo volunteers conducted 150 screening interviews. Nearly 50 firm lawyers were so moved by the stories they heard that they began representing Afghan refugees seeking asylum or other routes to permanent resettlement. Summer associates joined in by filing 50 green card applications for additional clients referred by Human Rights First. Lawyers in our London and Berlin offices began helping Afghan refugees as well. To date, the firm is representing 14 Afghans and their many family members in their quest for legal status in the United States. While some applications are still pending, most of these clients have been granted asylum.MoFo has also assisted these refugees through shorter-term clinics sponsored by Project Afghan Legal Assistance. With our help, a number of refugees have been able to file robust asylum applications even without being fully represented by an attorney. We have also begun full representation of several families in this second wave of Afghan asylum-seekers. To learn more about MoFo Women, please visit our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/culture/women-of-mofo">MoFo Women’s</a> page. <a href="https://www.mofo.com/sign-up">Sign up</a> to receive MoFo News, Events, and Publications.

Empowering Voices: The Story of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music

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Carrie H. Cohen, partner, has deep experience in white collar defense, FCPA compliance, federal prosecutions, workplace misconduct, and securities enforcement.

Carrie H. Cohen, partner, has deep experience in white collar defense, FCPA compliance, federal prosecutions, workplace misconduct  and securities enforcement.

Carrie H. Cohen

Carrie H. Cohen | White Collar Crime + FCPA Lawyer

Carrie H. Cohen has a distinguished record of success in the courtroom handling high‑stakes litigation, with a particular focus on white-collar and securities cases. She is the co-chair of the Women’s Strategy Committee.

Carrie Cohen

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Associate

Sabreena Khalid is a member of Morrison Foerster’s Finance Group.

Sabreena Khalid

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Empowering Voices: The Story of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music

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ANIM was founded in 2010 by Dr. Ahmad Sarmast. It was the first and only school of music in Afghanistan where talented Afghan children of all backgrounds were trained in a co-ed program in traditional and western classical music.

MoFo Diversity

May marks the celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. AAPI Heritage Month provides the continued opportunity to recognize and honor the depth and richness of that which makes MoFo truly unique: our people. Throughout the month, we will highlight the instrumental role of, and significant contributions made by, our AAPI community at MoFo.In addition, we are hosting a conversation with MoFo Partner <a href="https://www.mofo.com/people/nicholas-fung" target="_blank">Nick Fung</a> and author and journalist <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcyang/" target="_blank">Jeff Yang</a> as they discuss Jeff’s New York Times bestselling book, RISE: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now. RISE is a love letter to and for Asian Americans—a vivid scrapbook of voices, emotions, and memories from an era when AAPI culture was forged and transformed, and a way to preserve both the headlines and the intimate conversations that have shaped the community into what it is today. You may <a href="https://www.mofo.com/sign-up" target="_blank">sign up</a> for MoFo News, Events, & Publications.In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, the Morrison & Foerster Foundation is donating $20,000 across several nonprofit organizations serving the AAPI community, including:<ul class="li-text-orange"><li class="li-text-orange"><a href="https://www.advancingjustice-aajc.org/">Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)</a> – AAJC works to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all by fighting for civil rights through education, litigation, and public policy advocacy.</li><li class="li-text-orange"><a href="https://www.atask.org/about-us/what-we-do/">Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK)</a> – ATASK addresses the gaps in services for Asian domestic violence survivors, including low-income immigrants with limited English-language capabilities, in the Greater Boston and Lowell Areas. Its mission is to prevent domestic violence in Asian families and communities and to provide hope to survivors.</li><li class="li-text-orange"><a href="https://stopaapihate.org/our-mission/">Stop AAPI Hate</a> – Stop AAPI Hate is a coalition dedicated to ending racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Stop APPI Hate works to advance the multiracial movement for equity and justice by building power for AAPI communities, working in solidarity with other communities of color, and advocating for comprehensive solutions that tackle the root causes of race-based hate.</li></ul>To learn more about diversity at MoFo, please visit our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/culture/diversity" target="_blank">Diversity page</a>.