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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Before Morrison & Foerster’s 2020 summer associate program began, I expected my pro bono work would consist of small assignments that were simply pieces of larg

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My MoFo Story: Megan Smith on Building Legal Practice Skills Through State Survey of Election Audits

My MoFo Story: Megan Smith on Building Legal Practice Skills Through State Survey of Election Audits | MoFo+

Before Morrison & Foerster’s 2020 summer associate program began, I expected my pro bono work would consist of small assignments that were simply pieces of larger projects, mostly managed by the lawyers. I was happily surprised when I was given the opportunity to be part of a robust, multi-dimensional project that not only allowed me to take full ownership of the final product, but also challenged me to step up my written, oral, and visual communication skills.Under the supervision of associates Amy Larsen and Jonathan Babcock, I worked with fellow summer associates Rachel Gallagher and Rachael Hanna to research election procedures in all fifty states. We then drafted a written report detailing our findings and presented it to long-time MoFo pro bono client, the <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Brennan Center for Justice</a>. Amy and Jonathan, along with associate Lyle Hedgecock and partner David Newman, have been working with the Brennan Center for Justice on a number of projects focused on ensuring the security of the 2020 U.S. elections.As an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization, the Brennan Center works to uphold our country’s systems of democracy and justice. Given the importance of ensuring fair and free elections in November 2020 and beyond, our team took a deep dive into the post-election audit procedures used by all fifty states.The goal of post-election audits is to ensure that voting systems have correctly recorded the votes cast by checking voting equipment and vote-counting procedures for accuracy. Audits typically involve comparing a sample of paper ballots or voting records with results produced by an electronic voting system. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia currently perform some kind of post-election audit. However, when it comes to discrepancies uncovered by the audits, states’ actions vary significantly — an audit-identified discrepancy in some states may lead to a full recount, while in other states a discrepancy leads to no action at all. Our goal was to identify these differences and find common threads, particularly among states that use percentage discrepancy margins to trigger an expanded audit.Conducting the Research Our team began the research by examining state statutes, election manuals, and other online resources. Creating a full and accurate report, however, required that we directly contact state election officials and agencies, which entailed numerous emails and phone calls over the course of several days. The process of tracking down the needed information required our team to think quickly to articulate the aim of the project, convey the information we hoped to gather, and answer questions from very busy election administrators. This original research required a proactive approach, and with each phone call my confidence in speaking as the project’s representative grew.Preparing the Report As the three summer associates compared our research, we decided to categorize states using three broad questions:(1) Is there a post-election audit?(2) If yes, is there a discrepancy margin that may lead to some further action?(3) If yes, what type of action is triggered when that threshold is met?We then developed nine additional categories based on these qualifiers, placing each state in one of these groups. Although synthesizing such a broad data set was initially challenging, our team was able to design a comprehensive report that both addressed the client’s needs and provided valuable context. The breadth of this project and volume of information involved required us to balance creating a complete product while maintaining conciseness and clarity — a critical skill as we prepare for practice.Presenting Our FindingsWe presented our findings to the Brennan Center through a video meeting during the final week of the summer associate program. I did not expect the opportunity to interact directly with a client as a summer associate—and certainly could not have imagined the opportunity to directly present findings on behalf of a team in a live meeting. Beyond providing valuable, specific feedback on both our slide deck and verbal presentation, our associate supervisors gave us complete autonomy over the presentation itself. Over the course of forty-five minutes, our team of three summer associates discussed the variation among state post-election audit systems and answered the client’s questions. After the presentation, the team discussed how we could build upon our existing report to respond to specific areas of interest that the client expressed during the meeting. It was an excellent exercise in shaping a final product to meet the client’s needs.ConclusionDue in part to the post-election audit procedures project, I am leaving the summer associate program feeling more prepared to practice than when I entered. Each phase of the project — the research, the creation of the report, and the presentation — challenged me in a different area of legal practice. Further, MoFo’s demonstrated commitment to elections and voting rights is more important now than ever before. As a former middle school teacher, I believe deeply in the power of civic engagement and education. A key factor in motivating young people to vote is assuring them that their votes will count, and post-election audits have the power to do just that. This project gave me the opportunity to be a small part of working toward the greater goal of ensuring free and fair elections in all fifty states.xxx<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-smith-a36b07196/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Megan Smith</a> is a rising 3L at Georgetown University Law Center and is a Litigation summer associate in MoFo’s Washington, D.C. office. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 2016 with a B.S. in economics and a B.A. in political science. Before law school, Megan was a middle school math teacher in the Mississippi Delta and she currently volunteers for Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership, a nonprofit that encourages young people to lead lives dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation.