Spotlight on Diversity

Morrison & Foerster’s diverse, LGBTQ+, and women lawyers hold key leadership positions throughout the firm. They serve on committees that define the firm’s strategy, run our global offices, and lead our best-in-class practices, including commercial litigation, intellectual property, corporate finance, private equity investments and buyouts, consumer products, retail, financial services, employment and labor, life sciences, outsourcing, and mergers and acquisitions.

Our lawyers are united in their passion for what they do and their dedication to our clients and communities. Each month we will feature one of our diverse, LGBTQ+, or women lawyers who calls MoFo home.

Featured Partner: Susan I. Gault-Brown

Susan I. Gault-Brown

Susan I. Gault-Brown Susan Gault-Brown is a partner in MoFo’s Washington, D.C. office. She is also co-chair the firm’s Blockchain + Smart Contracts Group and chair of the firm’s Investment Management Group. Susan is a recognized securities and derivatives regulatory professional working primarily with clients in the FinTech and investment management industries. Her practice focuses on providing clients with practical and innovative regulatory advice on a broad range of securities and derivatives issues and often interacts with the SEC, CFTC, and other regulators on clients’ behalf.

In two to three sentences, describe your practice. My practice focuses on cutting-edge securities and derivatives regulatory issues, primarily for FinTech and investment management clients. I work on emerging financial products, including investment platforms, crowdfunding platforms, robo advisers, robo brokers, and other web and app-based financial service innovations. As co-chair of MoFo’s Blockchain + Smart Contracts Group, I advise clients on blockchain/distributed ledger technology, digital assets, and cryptocurrency regulation.

Additionally, as chair of the firm’s Investment Management Group, I advise financial industry participants, such as investment advisers, investment companies, broker‑dealers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisers, and other regulated entities. Earlier in my career, I served in the Office of Chief Counsel in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Investment Management, and I continue to interact with the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and other regulators on my clients’ behalf.
Why did you choose to make MoFo your professional home? I knew that MoFo would be a wonderful place to grow my practice because of the firm's strong reputation in financial services, FinTech, and investment management; its global footprint and deep connections in innovation centers (such as Silicon Valley); and the firm’s culture and the importance it places on collegiality and diversity, including LGBTQ+ diversity. It is an honor to work each day with my talented, brilliant, and diverse colleagues across a range of disciplines and around the world.
How do clients benefit from having diverse teams of lawyers working for them? Diverse teams bring diverse viewpoints, experiences, and knowledge. This is not a matter of opinion; studies demonstrate that diverse teams are more effective than homogeneous teams. Most importantly, everyone — clients, MoFo, and the larger community — benefits from putting the values of diversity, inclusion, and equity into practice.

Video Spotlight: Leading the Way

We know our differences make us stronger. At Morrison & Foerster, we not only celebrate our differences, but call upon them to better serve our clients, communities, and teams.

Whether tackling complex disputes, winning high-stakes litigation for our clients, or leading the charge on landmark pro bono cases, our global team of litigators use their strengths to make a difference where it counts.

We are MoFo lawyers, leading the way.