Morrison Foerster is an international law firm with lawyers practicing throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. Click to discover more.

mofo_share_image.jpg

Morrison Foerster

common-default.jpeg

Terms / Notices

Cookies

Privacy Policy

Reporting Hotline

Attorney Advertising

Alumni

  Linkedin

MoFo LinkedIN

  Facebook

MoFo Facebook

YouTube

MoFo Youtube

Morrison Foerster - Footer

ESG: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Your Company Needs to Know (2025 Update)

You have not solved the recaptcha challenge yet or session expired, try again.

Email Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our <a href="https://www.mofo.com/about/privacy-policy.html">Privacy Policy</a>, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.

Feedback

mofo-logo-2022.svg

People

Capabilities

Resources

About

Community

Offices

Careers

Stay Connected

Kate Driscoll, Carrie H. Cohen, and Elizabeth Weil Shaw presented a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program with Lawline titled...

<h3>Sorry, we weren’t able to find the terms you entered.</h3>Please try a different term or keyword.

People

Capabilities

Resources

Not Found Cards

Kate Driscoll, Carrie H. Cohen, and Elizabeth Weil Shaw presented a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program with Lawline titled “ESG: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Your Company Needs to Know (2025 Update).”This updated program explores the evolving landscape of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations and their growing impact on corporate governance, risk management, and stakeholder expectations.Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of what ESG means in 2025 and practical tools for supporting clients or organizations in developing thoughtful, defensible compliance strategies. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.lawline.com/course/esg-what-it-is-why-it-matters-and-what-your-company-needs-to-know-2025-update" target="_blank">program website</a>.<hr>

ESG: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Your Company Needs to Know (2025 Update)

Sign Up

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

Partner

Carrie H. Cohen is global co-chair of the Investigations + White Collar Defense practice group and the firm’s State + Local Government Enforcement team. Prior to joining the firm, Carrie served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) where she prosecuted public corruption and securities matters, including obtaining the first trial conviction of former Speaker of the New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver. Carrie also served in the New York State Attorney General’s Office as Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau and an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau where she received the Louis J. Lefkowitz Memorial Award for outstanding service. As a former federal and state prosecutor, Carrie routinely represents corporations, boards, and c-suite executives in government-facing investigative and regulatory matters with a particular focus on state and local government matters. Carrie’s extensive trial experience and distinguished record of success in high‑stakes, white collar defense matters cement her position as a leading lawyer who often is called upon for particularly sensitive matters. Carrie’s trial and white collar expertise have been recognized by a variety of organizations including Chambers USA, which describes her as “a terrific trial lawyer with great judgment and timing, [who] knows how to present complex cases in a digestible way.” Carrie also routinely prepares clients who are called to testify before Congress and state and city legislatures and works on matters that involve multijurisdictional investigations and significant media attention.Carrie is a recognized industry expert in public corruption and state and local government actions. She is frequently selected by government agencies to serve as independent counsel and issue public reports, including her appointment as independent monitor for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, special counsel to the New York City Council, special independent counsel to the City of Rochester, and counsel to the California Attorney General’s Office (CA AG) as well as being part of the Monitorship Team appointed by DOJ for the global Odebrecht corruption matter. She was also appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul to the Metropolitan Transit Authority Inspector General’s Board and serves as its acting chair, and was appointed by the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York as counsel to the Court’s Grievance Committee. Carrie is also an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she teaches a seminar on Public Corruption and the Law.Carrie serves on multiple bar committees and task forces as part of her efforts to promote the rule of law. She was appointed as chair of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Task Force on Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes and served as a member of the NYSBA Task Force on Wrongful Convictions. As a leader of the Bar, Carrie was appointed as co-chair of the Federal-State Judicial Advisory Council and previously served as a vice president and trustee of the Federal Bar Council and president of its Inn of Court as well as prior service as a vice president of the New York City Bar, chair of its Executive Committee, and member of its Nominating Committee. Carrie was also appointed by the SDNY to its Criminal Justice Act Panel to serve as counsel to indigent defendants in federal criminal cases.<h4>Representative Experience</h4>Government Appointments/Public Corruption Matters. Independent counsel for federal, state, and local government agencies. Representing elected and appointed public officials, public entities, and individuals doing business with the government in a variety of public corruption-related matters with a focus on public-facing reports, including:<ul><li>Independent monitor for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation related to workplace issues.</li><li>Special independent counsel to the New York City Council related to investigations of certain council members for misconduct and corruption.</li><li>Special counsel to the MTA related to an examination of time, attendance, and overtime, which included presenting a report to the MTA Board.</li><li>Independent counsel to the CA AG related to conducting a review of its public release of confidential personal information associated with firearms permit holders and applicants, which included the preparation and release of a public report.</li><li>Service on the DOJ-appointed Monitorship Team for the global Odebrecht corruption matter.</li><li>County officials related to allegations of official misconduct and bid rigging.</li></ul>Trial Counsel. Serving as first-chair trial counsel for individuals in federal and state court criminal matters. Representations include Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren for state campaign finance charges; Hon. John A. Michalek for state and federal public corruption offenses; and Hon. Sylvia Ash for federal obstruction of justice charges.Financial Institutions/Securities Matters. Representing banks and other financial institutions in investigations of regulatory and consumer-related matters. Representing corporations and individuals in a variety of criminal investigations and regulatory matters involving federal and state securities laws.Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Representing corporations in FCPA investigations across industries and in numerous jurisdictions. Serving on the DOJ-appointed Monitorship Team in the criminal prosecution of Odebrecht.Workplace Misconduct. Conducting investigations for corporations and boards related to workplace misconduct and #MeToo issues and providing related advocacy and legal advice.Cybersecurity. Conducting investigations of cybersecurity incidents and representing companies in related government and regulatory matters concerning disclosures of data and privacy issues.RICO/Civil Fraud/Commercial Litigation. Representing a wide variety of public and private corporations in civil fraud, RICO, and commercial litigation including at trial. Represented UPS at trial in SDNY in a case brought by the NYAG and the City of New York alleging illegal transportation of untaxed cigarettes.

Carrie Cohen

Elizabeth (Liz) Weil Shaw is an associate in the firm’s Investigations + White Collar Defense Group and is based in the Denver office.Liz advises clients on a variety of white-collar matters, including internal corporate investigations and representing clients before government enforcement agencies.  Liz’s practice focuses on defending clients facing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions and conducting internal investigations. Additionally, she represents clients in all stages of civil litigation, contributing to the firm a well of experience in early case assessment from drafting pleadings to taking and defending depositions. Her practice also includes counseling clients in the audit, development, and implementation of anticorruption and other compliance programs.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Liz worked at a global law firm where she represented the broker-dealer subsidiary of a large retirement plan service provider in an SEC investigation into potential violations of anti-money laundering rules. Liz was instrumental in conducting a thorough internal investigation and making detailed presentations to the government, leading to a favorable outcome for the client.Liz received her J.D. from the University of Denver. While attending law school, she served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Christine Arguello at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and externed with the Denver District Attorney’s Office and San Francisco Unified School District. Prior to attending law school, Liz taught in Denver Public Schools as a Teach for America corps member.

ESG: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Your Company Needs to Know (2025 Update)

06 Nov 2025