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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Editors’ note: This post was written by Singapore associate Sheryl George. Parsing through the law on public corruption in the Afghan Penal Code while Afghan pu

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MoFo Litigators Deliver Anti-Corruption Training to Afghanistan-Based Lawyers Who Defend the Indigent

MoFo Litigators Deliver Anti-Corruption Training to Afghanistan-Based Lawyers Who Defend the Indigent | MoFo+

Editors’ note: This post was written by Singapore associate <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.mofo.com/people/sheryl-george.html">Sheryl George</a>.Parsing through the law on public corruption in the Afghan Penal Code while Afghan public defenders engage me in a legal discussion in a mixture of Dari and halting English is not something I ever imagined I would be doing in the course of my professional career. But there I was in Delhi, with <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.mofo.com/people/daniel-levison.html">Dan Levison</a>, MoFo partner and head of litigation in our Singapore office, providing expert anti-corruption training to Afghan public defenders that will better equip them to afford effective defense to vulnerable, indigent clients facing criminal prosecution. These Afghan lawyers, who no doubt were familiar with personal struggle in their conflict-ridden home country, were keen learners, eager to make a difference in the lives of their fellow Afghans in need.The International Legal Foundation Dan and I were in Delhi, India, working pro bono with <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.theilf.org/">The International Legal Foundation</a> (ILF). The ILF was founded to provide access to justice to those who cannot afford a lawyer, in some of the world’s most challenging post conflict jurisdictions. Recognizing that, often, the less privileged of these populations are disproportionately arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated, the ILF has established itself in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Tunisia, and the West Bank to help provide quality criminal-defense services to those in need. The organization works closely with local governments in each of these jurisdictions, and trains and empowers lawyers to provide effective legal services to indigent clients. MoFo’s partnership with the ILF in Afghanistan was initiated by MoFo New York partners <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" href="https://www.mofo.com/people/carrie-cohen.html">Carrie Cohen</a> and Amanda Aikman, former U.S. prosecutors who wanted to contribute to the ILF’s important mission of providing quality criminal-defense in diverse legal systems.The ILF in AfghanistanThe ILF commenced its program in Afghanistan in 2003, as the country began to emerge from decades of conflict. To date, the ILF remains the largest provider of legal aid services to Afghans facing criminal prosecution, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, age, or political affiliation.As the country made progress in justice reform, the Afghan government made provision for a judiciary, special tribunals, and prosecutors, but there was unfortunately no provision for legal aid. The ILF steps into this gap and trains local lawyers to provide quality legal services to needy clients accused of crimes.In June 2016, Afghanistan’s President Ghani signed an executive decree establishing the Anti-Corruption Justice Center (ACJC)—a specialized tribunal with jurisdiction over major corruption cases in any Afghan province. Afghanistan was on the path to combating corruption. In September 2018, a dedicated anti-corruption law was enacted that codified the legal basis of the ACJC, defining its duties, authority, and jurisdiction. The ILF began seeing an increasing number of indigent clients accused of various corruption offenses before the ACJC—often as scapegoats for high-level, well-resourced individuals. With a majority of the ILF’s public defenders trained in defending so-called “blue collar offenses,” there was a need for specialized training in providing effective defense for clients accused of corruption and other related financial crimes. Seeing the need, Carrie and Amanda, with their deep experience prosecuting high-profile corruption cases, began working with the ILF to develop a detailed written guide to provide the Afghan public defenders with strategic and practical guidance when representing clients with cases pending before the ACJC. When the ILF asked if MoFo would be willing to conduct training for their lawyers in Delhi, Dan and I took up the cause to join the work Carrie and Amanda started on this important project.The Training in Delhi Dan and I arrived in India bringing to the training sessions two different but complementary skill sets—Dan with over 20 years of experience in the region, a good portion of that performing anti-corruption, investigations and white-collar defense work, and I with my background as a former prosecutor who had specialized in white collar offenses. Truth be told, I was uncertain of how I would be received by the Afghan lawyers—with the seeming prevalence of unjust convictions in their home country, a former prosecutor may not be the most welcomed person.I need not have worried. It wasn’t long before the Afghan lawyers were engaging me in vigorous discussion as Dan and I conducted the training sessions. They were eager to hear perspectives from “the other side,” and equally shared their experiences and challenges defending clients.The training sessions were focused on building a foundational legal understanding of the elements of the corruption offenses in the Afghan Penal Code and the relevant types of evidence, before turning to developing practical skills that are essential to assessing, investigating, and developing the client’s case. The sessions delved into the skills involved in reviewing the prosecution’s charges, preparing for and conducting interviews with clients and witnesses, developing an investigative plan, and building a defense strategy. Time never seemed to be enough—sessions that were scheduled for three hours each soon stretched into six. The participants were eager to share their personal experiences with us and, to me, this was crucial. Hearing from them, we were made aware of the specific challenges they were facing in their home jurisdiction; challenges we would otherwise never have known of as outsiders. This process of discussion, rather than lecturing, I believe enabled us to speak more directly to the Afghans’ particular concerns; it facilitated better understanding between us, allowing us to be more helpful to them.Takeaways Three things have remained with me from the experience with our Afghan colleagues in Delhi. First, I was moved by their commitment to a cause—to facilitating access to justice—when they themselves would have had to face significant personal struggles as Afghanistan pulled itself out of conflict and oppression. It was obvious that they took immense pride in their roles as advocates for the less privileged, and that they were eager to deepen and broaden their skill sets in order to better serve others. Second, as a woman, I was encouraged to see Afghan women in each training session. They were in the minority, but they were there. Despite the many obstacles women in Afghanistan have faced, there they were, women rising up despite their circumstances, ready to make a difference in the lives of others. Third, I was encouraged to find that, even though I had moved from public service to private practice, pro bono projects such as these mean that I am still able to impact the lives of individuals in need in a meaningful way.The experience with the Afghan public defenders in India was not one I had ever imagined, but it is certainly one I will never forget.