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MoForum | Life Sciences – Meeting the Moment

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Join us for MoForum | Life Sciences – Meeting the Moment, an exclusive gathering in New York City where life sciences innovation...

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Join us for MoForum | Life Sciences – Meeting the Moment, an exclusive gathering in New York City where life sciences innovation is examined through the lenses of economics, technology, and science. This event will feature engaging panel discussions and dynamic presentations, all designed to connect entrepreneurs, life sciences companies, investors, and industry leaders.We are pleased to announce Viq Pervaaz, Senior Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, as our featured keynote speaker.With more speakers joining the event, please see the <a href="https://www2.mofo.com/l/323401/2025-07-15/bsn9n/323401/1752604681Qowlz04Q/06_26_MoForumNY_Agenda_v3.pdf" target="_blank">preliminary agenda</a> for the latest updates.Participate in insightful networking opportunities to exchange valuable insights, inspire innovative ideas, and build strong networks that will shape the future of the life sciences industry.We look forward to welcoming you to MoFo’s premier life sciences event!Networking Reception to follow<hr>

MoForum | Life Sciences – Meeting the Moment

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Jesse Nevarez is a partner in the New York office and is a member of the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice group.Jesse advises startups, growth-stage, and later-stage companies primarily in the technology, healthcare, and life sciences industries, including those in the artificial intelligence, fintech, ad-tech, clean energy, digital media, software, consumer, digital health, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics spaces, and related fields. As part of his practice, he counsels companies on a range of matters, such as entity formation, seed and venture capital financings, growth equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, SEC compliance, IPOs, and other capital markets transactions. Additionally, he regularly represents venture capital firms and investment banks on a variety of investor-side deals.Jesse has been named to the Lawyers of Color “Hot List” and named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer “Rising Star.”He has previously served as a member of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and the Boston College Law School Black Alumni Network, while also serving as a mentor for the MIT $100K Launch Competition.<h4>Selected Venture Financings</h4><ul><li>Scope3, PBC in its Series A and Series B financings</li><li>Firsthand Labs, Inc. in its Series Seed financing</li><li>Cockroach Labs, Inc. in its Series F financing and secondary transactions</li><li>Freshly Inc. in its Series B, Series C, and Series C-1 financings</li><li>CMDTY Inc. in its Series A financing</li><li>Podium Data, Inc. in its Series Seed and Series A financings</li><li>Yumanity Therapeutics in its Series A, Series B, and Series C financings</li><li>Enspire DBS Therapy in its Series A financing</li></ul><h4>Selected Mergers + Acquisitions</h4><ul><li>Open Lending, LLC in its business combination with Nebula Acquisition Corporation, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company</li><li>TripAdvisor in its acquisition of Viator</li><li>TAG Manufacturing in its acquisition by Center Rock Capital Partners</li><li>Neon Therapeutics, Inc. in its acquisition by BioNTech</li><li>Lysosomal Therapeutics, Inc. in its exclusive option agreement with Allergan plc</li></ul><h4>Selected Public Offerings</h4><ul><li>Sage Therapeutics, Inc. in its $103.5 million initial public offering and several follow-on public offerings raising an aggregate of $2.07 billion</li><li>Neon Therapeutics, Inc. in its $100 million initial public offering</li><li>Magenta Therapeutics, Inc. in its $100 million initial public offering</li><li>Ascentage Pharma Group International in its $61 million initial public offering</li><li>TPI Composites, Inc. in its $79 million initial public offering</li><li>Plug Power Inc. in follow-on offerings raising an aggregate of $146.8 million</li></ul>

Jesse Nevarez

Partner

Katherine (Kate) Driscoll is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Investigations + White Collar Defense Practice Group. Kate focuses her practice on investigations, enforcement actions, and compliance, representing companies and senior business executives. Kate has extensive experience in a wide range of criminal and civil cases, with an emphasis on pharmaceutical and life sciences clients, related to healthcare fraud, the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), the False Claims Act (FCA), and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Kate routinely consults with clients on all manner of compliance matters, including providing risk assessments, gap analyses, and maturity evaluations. Kate also recently completed a secondment with a global consulting firm, leading government-facing investigations relating to healthcare matters.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Kate served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Kate has significant trial experience, obtaining multiple jury and bench trial verdicts. As a federal prosecutor, Kate ran large-scale white-collar investigations, including complex wiretap and forensic financial investigations, involving healthcare fraud, illegal distribution of prescription drugs, money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud, and tax fraud. Kate conducted parallel investigations with the Civil Division related to potential False Claims Act violations, and the SEC for potential violations of securities laws. Among her experience, Kate led the criminal prosecution of one of the largest theft of trade secrets cases in United States history, involving a leading multinational pharmaceutical company, and also led COVID-19-related government fraud investigations, involving the CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program.Kate received the 2019 Inspector General’s Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse for the successful prosecution and conviction of healthcare professionals who illegally distributed millions of dollars in prescription drugs. She was also part of the prosecution team that was awarded the Prosecutor of the Year Award for 2021 from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud regarding work on a significant arson, healthcare fraud, and tax fraud prosecution that impacted hundreds of victims and caused significant damage to the City of Philadelphia. Kate has advised and worked closely with a variety of federal and local law enforcement agencies.Kate is a lecturer at Yale University, teaching a course on white-collar investigations and prosecutions. Earlier in her career, Kate clerked for the Honorable Pamela K. Chen of the U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York. Kate earned her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her A.B. summa cum laude from Bryn Mawr College.<h4 dir="ltr">Representative Experience</h4>Defense Experience<ul><li dir="ltr">Represented McKinsey & Company in negotiating a $650 million five-year deferred prosecution agreement and civil False Claims Act settlement with DOJ and Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS-OIG arising from McKinsey’s past work for opioid manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma.</li><li dir="ltr">Representation of Anthony Ornato, a former senior career civil servant who recently served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff of Operations, in the January 6 Select Committee investigation and related government investigations.</li><li dir="ltr">Representation of a multinational pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer in various internal investigations relating to employees’ alleged kickback violations, submission of false claims, bribery, collusion with business partners, and corporate governance issues across North America.</li><li dir="ltr">Representation of a multinational holding company in a DOJ investigation arising from the client’s investment into a telehealth company under investigation for the unlawful prescription of controlled substances involving potential violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the FCA.</li><li dir="ltr">Advising a pharmaceutical company seeking to mitigate AKS risk in supporting commercially insured patients in the transition to a new biosimilar therapy.</li><li dir="ltr">Representation of a global manufacturing company in reviewing and enhancing their anti-corruption and bribery codes of conduct, third-party due diligence protocols, and procurement policies.</li><li dir="ltr">Internal investigation in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America on behalf of a financial institution, which involved over US$1.3 billion in potential liabilities.</li></ul>Government Experience<ul><li dir="ltr">Matter involving scientists employed by a multinational pharmaceutical company who were criminally charged for conspiracy, theft of trade secrets, wire fraud, and money laundering, all relating to theft of cancer research platforms, valued at more than US$550 million.</li><li dir="ltr">Matter involving a scientist who was extradited from Switzerland after indictment for conspiracy to steal trade secrets related to the theft of research and other confidential information from several multinational pharmaceutical companies.</li><li dir="ltr">Matter involving physicians criminally charged for prescribing more than US$5 million in prescription drugs used to treat opioid addiction outside the course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes.</li><li dir="ltr">Matter involving a financial advisor who was criminally charged for diversion of client funds through bank, mail, and wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.</li><li dir="ltr">Matter involving arson that displaced hundreds of victims and injured several firefighters. Obtained convictions for all defendants and US$22 million in restitution for the victims. Brought related indictments charging additional criminal conduct, including healthcare fraud, tax fraud, and federal benefits fraud.</li></ul><h4 dir="ltr">Memberships</h4><ul><li dir="ltr">National LGBTQ+ Bar Association</li><li dir="ltr">Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association</li><li dir="ltr">Pennsylvania Association Criminal Defense Lawyers (Planning Committee)</li><li dir="ltr">Federal Criminal Law Committee in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Executive Committee)</li><li dir="ltr">University of Pennsylvania Inn of Court</li><li dir="ltr">Women’s White Collar Defense Association</li></ul>

Kate Driscoll

Edward Imperatore is a former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He represents companies, financial institutions, boards, and executives in internal and government investigations and parallel regulatory and civil litigation. He is experienced in all aspects of white-collar crime and allegations of financial malfeasance, including securities and commodities fraud, accounting fraud, insider trading, market manipulation, BSA/AML violations, sanctions evasion, corporate fraud, digital currency crime, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He has represented numerous corporate and individual clients before the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, OCC, FDIC, FINRA, FRB, and OFAC, as well as state attorneys general.Edward is frequently recognized by leading industry publications such as Chambers USA where he is ranked as an Up and Coming lawyer in the Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations – New York category, and described as “smart, hard-working and sophisticated in his factual and legal analysis” and a “fantastic attorney.” He is also recommended as “one of the most experienced FCPA and securities prosecutors to come out of the government” by The Legal 500 US for Dispute Resolution: Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense.During his tenure in the SDNY, Edward was a senior member of the Securities & Commodities Fraud Task Force and also handled FCPA matters, including three of the largest-ever FCPA criminal resolutions. He is an accomplished trial attorney who tried more than a dozen jury trials to verdict as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. Among his trials were 10 complex, multi-week white-collar trials, including six trials in the SDNY’s Securities Fraud Unit, all of which resulted in convictions. He also argued 11 appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Edward is a recipient of the Assistant Attorney General’s Exceptional Service Award.Edward is frequently published and quoted by financial publications and media outlets on white-collar and securities law developments including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Law360, New York Law Journal, and Law.com, among others. He is also a member of the Federal Bar Council, Federal Criminal Practice Committee, and the New York City Bar, White Collar Crime Committee.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster and the SDNY, Edward served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Honorable Lewis A. Kaplan on the U.S. District Court for the SDNY and was a litigation associate at two prominent New York law firms.Edward graduated magna cum laude in the top one percent of his class from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a senior editor of the Georgetown Law Journal and elected to the Order of the Coif. Edward earned his B.A., magna cum laude, with distinction in History from Amherst College.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Defense</h5>Corporate Representations<ul><li>McKinsey & Company and McKinsey & Company Africa in a global resolution of FCPA charges arising from allegations of bribery in South Africa, with a deferred prosecution agreement with DOJ and a parallel criminal resolution with the South Africa National Prosecuting Authority.</li><li>A technology company in a multi-agency federal criminal investigation involving allegations of illegal gratuities, which included advising the company on remedial actions related to internal controls. DOJ and SEC took no action against our client.</li><li>Global financial institutions in DOJ and regulatory investigations of allegations of BSA/AML violations and sanctions evasion.</li><li>Global financial institutions in internal investigations of financial and compliance irregularities and related remediation.</li><li>A company conducting an internal investigation into alleged tax and accounting issues, which included counseling the audit committee of the board of directors on matters of corporate governance, including internal controls over financial reporting.</li><li>A multinational, publicly traded global Fortune 500 company before DOJ, SEC, and a multilateral organization in investigations of allegations of foreign bribery and corruption. DOJ and SEC took no action against our client.</li><li>An artificial intelligence company in an SDNY securities and accounting fraud investigation. The SDNY took no action against our client.</li><li>A fintech company in an SDNY criminal investigation of BSA/AML violations. The SDNY took no action against our client.</li><li>A healthcare provider in a one-week arbitration hearing concerning a medical billing dispute with a university physician practice.</li></ul>Individual Representations<ul><li>Senior executives of a public company in a DOJ and SEC accounting fraud investigation. DOJ and SEC took no action against our clients.</li><li>A senior executive of a public company in a DOJ and SEC insider trading investigation. DOJ and SEC took no action against our client.</li><li>A former executive of a global investment bank charged by DOJ with alleged FCPA and money laundering offenses arising from a financing transaction in Africa and Europe.</li><li>A senior executive of a national bank in multiple investigations by federal and state regulators and law enforcement, including SEC, DOJ, FDIC, and FINRA, and in civil class-action lawsuits alleging violations of federal securities laws.</li></ul>

Edward Imperatore

Fitz Collings is an IP litigator who puts science first to develop innovative litigation strategies for life sciences and technology companies.Fitz counsels some of the largest pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and technology companies in the world on complex intellectual property matters. His experience over the past decade includes high-profile patent litigation involving immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer, for which he was recognized by Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences in 2017 and 2018; trade secret proceedings in district courts and before the International Trade Commission; numerous Hatch-Waxman Act cases in district courts around the country; and representation of life sciences, biotechnology, and technology companies before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Fitz also regularly serves as a trusted advisor to emerging companies—for whom IP is often their greatest asset—in structuring their growth and preparing for future litigation.Fitz maintains an active pro bono practice in which he represents clients in Medicaid coverage disputes and immigration matters. His recent pro bono work involved representing some of the most vulnerable members of our communities in partnership with Maryland Disability Law Center, Children’s Law Center, Public Counsel, and Southern Poverty Law Center.Fitz earned his B.A. in biology from Cornell University. He received his J.D. from the College of William & Mary, where he served as the technical editor of the Environmental Law and Policy Review and as president of both the American Constitution Society and the Student Intellectual Property Society. Prior to law school, Fitz worked as a scientific researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, and he draws on this experience to provide legal advice grounded in science to all of his clients.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><div><ul><li>A major technology company in a complex intellectual property case involving trade secret, copyright, patent, and antitrust claims.</li><li>A global pharmaceutical company in worldwide patent litigation and PTAB proceedings involving a first-in-class antibody immunotherapy product.</li><li>A global pharmaceutical company in district court patent litigation under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act and PTAB proceedings involving a prominent biologic product.</li><li>A global pharmaceutical company in numerous district court litigations under the Hatch-Waxman Act involving a small-molecule product.</li><li>Global pharmaceutical companies in district court litigation involving a blockbuster small-molecule product.</li><li>A global pharmaceutical company in litigation to invalidate an antibody patent under license, securing a highly favorable settlement.</li><li>A biotechnology company in district court litigation and PTAB proceedings regarding microfluidic devices.</li><li>A chemical manufacturer in a trade secret dispute before the International Trade Commission.</li><li>A global pharmaceutical company in a trademark infringement and counterfeiting dispute.</li></ul></div><div style="position: absolute;left: -10000px;top: 0px;width: 1px;height: 1px;overflow-x: hidden;overflow-y: hidden;" id="_mcePaste">Fitz Collings is an IP litigator who puts science first to develop innovative litigation strategies for life sciences and technology companies.Fitz counsels some of the largest pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and technology companies in the world on complex intellectual property matters. His experience over the past decade includes high-profile patent litigation involving immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer, for which he was recognized by Who’s Who Legal: Life Sciences in 2017 and 2018; trade secret proceedings in district courts and before the International Trade Commission; numerous Hatch-Waxman Act cases in district courts around the country; and representation of life sciences, biotechnology, and technology companies before the Patent and Trademark Appeal Board (PTAB). Fitz also regularly serves as a trusted advisor to emerging companies—for whom IP is often their greatest asset—in structuring their growth and preparing for future litigation.Fitz maintains an active pro bono practice in which he represents clients in Medicaid coverage disputes and immigration matters. His recent pro bono work involved representing some of the most vulnerable members of our communities in partnership with Maryland Disability Law Center, Children’s Law Center, Public Counsel, and Southern Poverty Law Center.Fitz earned his B.A. in biology from Cornell University. He received his J.D. from the College of William & Mary, where he served as the technical editor of the Environmental Law and Policy Review and as president of both the American Constitution Society and the Student Intellectual Property Society. Prior to law school, Fitz worked as a scientific researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, and he draws on this experience to provide legal advice grounded in science to all of his clients. </div>

Fitz Collings

Jae Zou is a partner in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice. She advises emerging technology companies in all stages of the startup lifecycle, from formation to exit, and provides strategic advice to founders and investors in connection with complex transactions and other corporate issues.Jae was born in Shanghai and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

Jae Zhou

Frank Paz is a partner in the Emerging Companies + Venture Capital practice. His clients include first-time and veteran founders, venture capital firms, and startup, venture-backed, and growth companies across a variety of industries.Frank has extensive experience helping venture capital firms and companies with financing transactions, general corporate representation and counseling, and corporate governance. He advises companies through every stage of the corporate lifecycle, from pre-incorporation planning and formation issues through acquisition.Frank is fluent in Spanish.

Frank Paz

Peter Fusco is a partner in the New York office and serves as co-head of the firm's Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Practice.He represents venture funds and tech companies throughout their lifecycle, from pre-incorporation planning to angel, seed, and growth rounds to exit transactions.Peter has been representing tech companies for more than two decades in the New York ecosystem and serves as outside general counsel to many startups, growth-stage companies, and venture funds. He also works closely with NYU/Tandon Future Lab’s incubator ecosystem and its related programs.Prior to practicing law, Peter was a rifleman and crew-served weapons instructor in an Infantry unit in the Army Reserve and graduated as the Distinguished Honor Graduate for his class from the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Peter Fusco

Co-Head of Emerging Companies + Venture Capital Practice

Omar Pringle is a seasoned dealmaker and trusted advisor known for guiding clients through their most complex, high-stakes transactions with precision and insight.Omar has extensive experience advising on the full range of complex domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions for and across from financial sponsors, corporates and family-owned businesses. He couples a creative, solution-oriented approach with deep sector expertise.In addition to his knowledge of the private equity industry, Omar has extensive experience in the food and agriculture, consumer goods, technology and life sciences sectors, and acting for and across from the businesses that are driving and disrupting those verticals.Commended by Legal 500 US 2022-2025 as a Next Generation Partner for Corporate / M&A and Commercial: Private Equity Buyouts, he has played a critical role in the growth of the firm’s private equity offering in New York.Omar is an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, where he teaches a course on cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He is also a member of the firm’s global Food & Agriculture and Life Sciences steering committees.﻿He speaks fluent French and Spanish and is conversant in Arabic.

Omar Pringle

Brigid is a food, drug, and medical device lawyer who counsels life sciences companies on a wide range of U.S. Food & Drug Administration pre- and post-market regulatory issues.As the lead of our FDA + Healthcare Regulatory and Compliance Group, Brigid practices across the spectrum of FDA-regulated products, including medical devices, drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, food, cosmetics, dietary supplements, tobacco, laboratory-developed tests, in vitro diagnostics, radiation-emitting electronic products, combination products, and products that may not fit neatly into any of these categories. Accordingly, she counsels established and start-up companies in life sciences, healthcare, and consumer products on a wide range of FDA pre- and post-market regulatory issues. Brigid also frequently advises innovative product developers on threshold FDA jurisdictional questions and develops strategies for approval and marketing, while identifying and mitigating regulatory risks.In her day-to-day practice, Brigid advises on:<ul><li>product development and FDA’s pre-authorization requirements;</li><li>advertising and promotion of FDA-regulated products;</li><li>clinical trials regulation, including strategic advice for sponsors in receipt of a clinical hold;</li><li>responses to warning letters, Form 483s, import alerts, and FDA enforcement actions;</li><li>informal and formal dispute resolution for high-stakes issues;</li><li>compliance with FDA regulatory requirements such as current good manufacturing practice (GMP), quality system regulation (QSR), food safety preventive controls, adverse event reports, product recalls, radiological health issues, risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS), pharmacy compounding and the new track-and-trace regulations for prescription drugs; and</li><li>technical legal questions involving the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).</li></ul>Brigid also has experience in the development, regulation, and procurement of medical countermeasures (MCMs) against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats and pandemic infectious diseases, including animal rule approvals and special incentives for the development of MCMs.Complementing her focus on FDA regulatory law, Brigid has a strong litigation background and has served as FDA counsel in product liability cases, civil litigation, international arbitration, and FDA enforcement proceedings. She particularly enjoys providing clients with advice that integrates technical, legal, and political considerations.Brigid maintains an active pro bono practice focused primarily on reproductive health and especially enjoys working with inventors who aim to improve health outcomes for mothers and infants in the peri- and post-natal period. She has represented several clients before the Social Security Administration in appealing denials of applications for disability benefits. She has also worked on several appeals in criminal cases in the District of Columbia.Brigid is a graduate of the University of Tulsa, where she earned her B.S. in biochemistry before attending law school at Stanford Law School. Prior to law school, Brigid worked as an Environmental Policy Analyst in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation. She has also worked as a benchtop scientist in a number of laboratories, including FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Counseled online marketplaces regarding FDA compliance and enforcement for a variety of products.</li><li>Advised development-stage companies on regulatory considerations and FDA engagement strategies related to development and launch of products based on disruptive technologies.</li><li>Advised consumer technology companies with respect to potential FDA regulation under the medical device provisions of the FDCA;</li><li>Served as FDA regulatory counsel to clients evaluating compliance issues under reporting provisions of Corporate Integrity Agreements and related negotiated resolutions of government investigations.</li><li>Helped a large, publicly traded drug company comply with the FDA’s new track-and-trace pedigree requirements for prescription drugs.</li><li>Led regulatory team on numerous initial public offerings (IPO), stock and asset purchase agreements, acquisitions, mergers, and other transactions for life science company.</li><li>Provided strategic advice, conducting regulatory assessments and negotiating key FDA-related terms in connection with due diligence for transactions and post-acquisition integration activities.</li><li>Developed policy positions related to FDA regulation of laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) for multiple clients in this space.</li><li>Represented manufacturers in matters involving regulatory letters, inquiries, advisory comment proceedings, competitor complaints and citizen petitions focused on their products and policy issues affecting their strategic priorities.</li><li>Advised on issues related to promotion of drugs and medical devices, including communication of pharmacoeconomic/healthcare economic information (HCEI), communications by medical science liaisons (MSLs).</li><li>Provided solutions-oriented advice to development-stage companies confronting FDA regulatory issues for the first time, including good clinical practices (GCP), investigator-initiated research (IIR), pre-approval communications and strategies for obtaining FDA approval.</li><li>Collaboratively advised client on FDA, ethical, and product liability issues associated with early termination of a clinical study involving an implanted medical device.</li></ul>

Brigid Bondoc

Melissa Crespo helps clients navigate a wide range of challenging privacy compliance and data security matters with a focus on the health information and the health care sector. She regularly helps clients develop and implement privacy compliance programs and advises companies on managing risk in connection with cutting-edge technologies and data initiatives.Melissa has particular experience in advising clients on compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other laws governing the collection and use of medical and health information.Melissa regularly counsels clients responding to data breaches and security incidents. She has successfully defended clients in numerous regulatory inquiries regarding data security practices, including investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state attorneys general, and foreign regulators following data security incidents.Melissa also advises multinational companies on the privacy and data security aspects of their M&A transactions and has experience drafting and negotiating tailored privacy and data security contract provisions.In 2019, 2020, and 2021, The Legal 500 US recognized Melissa as a “Rising Star” in the area of cyber law, data privacy, and data protection. In 2016, she was shortlisted for the “Future Leader – Gender Diversity” award at the inaugural Chambers USA Diversity Awards. Melissa was a 2015 recipient of the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, which honors excellence in legal writing.Melissa earned her J.D., cum laude, from Howard University School of Law.

Melissa Crespo

Michael (Mike) Ward is co-chair of the firm's Life Sciences + Healthcare Group and Food + Agriculture Group.Life SciencesFor his work across the life sciences sector, Mike was named San Francisco Biotechnology Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America in 2020 and is recommended for his patent strategy and prosecution practice in LMG Life Sciences. He also led the team that was named 2022 Patent Management and Strategy Firm of the Year at the 2022 LMG Life Sciences Americas Awards.Food + AgricultureRecognized as “one of the world’s foremost plant and agriculture IP lawyers,” Mike manages a wide range of intellectual property issues related to plants and plant products. He and his team advise clients on plant and plant utility patents; licensing agreements for plant IP; litigation in U.S. state and federal court and before the International Trade Commission; and regulatory approvals from the USDA, FDA, and EPA for gene edited and genetically engineered plants.Patent Strategy + ProsecutionMike is a Legal 500 US Hall of Fame lawyer for patent prosecution and is consistently named one of the leading IP lawyers by Managing Intellectual Property, Chambers USA and Chambers Global, and IAM Patent 1000.Mike works closely with many clients to develop and manage their patent portfolios. He helps clients identify, monitor, and assess the infringement risks of third-party patents. He also assists clients in preparing both offensive and defensive patent portfolios, with a particular emphasis on drafting patent applications that will be utilized in licensing and in litigation efforts.IP Due DiligenceFor venture capitalists seeking to invest in early- and mid-stage companies, underwriters involved in IPOs, and companies seeking to acquire or merge with other companies, Mike has managed extensive IP diligence. His work includes assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of patent portfolios, evaluation of freedom to operate issues, and strategic recommendations for maximizing the value of patent portfolios going forward.Mike also works closely with the IP Litigation Group on various litigation matters including patent interferences to determine the first-to-invent and patent re-examination work and actively participates in both mediation and arbitration proceedings on behalf of clients in the life sciences and food and agriculture areas.He is a frequent lecturer and speaker. Among numerous speaking engagements, Mike is the IP instructor at the UC Davis Licensing Academy and founded Morrison Foerster’s annual Harvard Biotechnology Club Fall Patent Law Course.Mike holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology (biochemistry) and an M.S. in agronomy from the University of California, Davis; a B.S. in biology from the University of California, Berkeley; and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. He was a post-doctoral fellow in plant molecular biology at the Harvard Medical School and the Department of Molecular Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he worked on the Arabidopsis genome project.

Michael Ward

Boris Segalis is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Cyber, Data + Privacy Group. He advises companies at the intersection of data, technology, and regulation, helping them navigate complex legal frameworks while building and scaling data-driven products and services.As a leading privacy and cybersecurity lawyer, Boris’s practice is focused on issues where the law is evolving and the answers are not always clear. He works with clients to apply existing regulatory regimes to new technologies and business models, particularly in areas such as AI, data monetization, digital platforms, and emerging financial technologies. His work spans strategic product counseling, corporate transactions, and high-stakes regulatory matters, including representing companies in investigations by the Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and global regulators.Clients rely on Boris for compliance advice and for practical guidance on how to operate in uncertain environments, whether designing new products, assessing regulatory risk, or responding to government scrutiny. He regularly advises on U.S. and global privacy and cybersecurity laws, including U.S. federal financial privacy laws, state privacy regimes, emerging AI requirements, and foreign privacy and cybersecurity regimes frameworks.He represents a broad range of companies, from high-growth startups to global public companies, across industries including technology, AI, financial services and Fintech, crypto, life sciences, consumer platforms, AdTech, and media.Boris has been recognized for seven consecutive years by Chambers USA in Privacy & Data Security and is also ranked by Chambers Global in Privacy & Data Security – USA. He is recognized by The Legal 500 as a leading lawyer in cyber law (including data privacy and data protection) and was previously named to Crain’s New York Business’s 40 Under 40.Boris holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and has served as co-chair of the New York City KnowledgeNet chapter of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), as well as on the IAPP Research Board. He graduated from Riga Simon Dubnow Jewish Secondary School in Riga, Latvia, in 1991.

Boris Segalis

Matt Karlyn has 25 years of experience in working with companies in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, medical device, and technology industries on a wide range of commercial life sciences, licensing, and technology transactions. His clients range from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, and he regularly advises companies on matters involving IP commercialization, complex collaboration transactions, licensing initiatives, subscription-based economics, and business transactions related to the procurement, development, commercialization, and use of technology and life sciences products. He has also worked with a number of clients on corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, as well as private equity and venture capital financing.Matt is ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA for Intellectual Property: Licensing in Massachusetts. Clients in Chambers describe Matt as: “accessible and engaged, and he is really focused on getting the right answer for us."<h4>Life Sciences</h4>Life sciences clients, including pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare companies, rely on Matt for his breadth of knowledge in licensing, collaboration, and commercialization strategies across a wide range of transactions designed to strengthen operations and maximize value. Matt’s clients come from sectors across the global economy and include emerging companies, privately held companies, and many of the world’s biggest brands.Matt has broad experience with commercial transactions and agreements in the life sciences space, including:<ul><li>Intellectual property and technology licenses</li><li>Collaboration and development transactions</li><li>Commercialization agreements</li><li>Supply and manufacturing transactions</li></ul><h4>Technology</h4>Matt regularly advises on the use of technology in business, pricing strategies, and market terms across a wide variety of technology transactions that benefit clients both large and small. He has extensive experience negotiating a wide range of transactions, including:<ul><li>Enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management licensing and implementation transactions</li><li>Cloud-based transactions including software-as-a-services, platform-as-a-service, and infrastructure-as-a-service.</li><li>Software licensing</li><li>Supply chain and procurement deals</li></ul>Additionally, Matt has worked on many of the largest outsourcing transactions in the United States, representing numerous Fortune 100 companies on information technology, business process, finance and accounting, facilities services, and other outsourcing transactions.Matt is a frequent author and speaker on topics pertaining to drafting and negotiating commercial technology, outsourcing, and licensing transactions. He has published over 25 articles (including chapters in two books), given over 175 presentations on licensing, technology, outsourcing, and data security, and is the co-author of A Guide to IT Contracting: Checklists, Tools, and Techniques.Matt is currently co-chair of the Legal and Regulatory policy group at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. He served as chair of the New England Chapter of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, and served for five years on the board of directors of Julie’s Family Learning Program, a wellness program for mothers and children in South Boston. Matt has also been elected as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

MoForum | Life Sciences – Meeting the Moment

18 Sep 2025 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM EDT