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Morrison Foerster Named a 2025 Bloomberg Law Pro Bono Innovator

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Morrison Foerster has been recognized by Bloomberg Law as one of nine Pro Bono Innovators of 2025, honoring our lawyers’...

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Morrison Foerster has been recognized by Bloomberg Law as one of nine Pro Bono Innovators of 2025, honoring our lawyers’ creativity and commitment to advancing access to justice worldwide. The recognition highlights two groundbreaking matters that exemplify MoFo’s global approach to pro bono service: expanding legal protections for refugees in Hong Kong and securing safe housing for wildfire survivors in Los Angeles.<h4>Expanding Access to Justice for Refugees in Hong Kong</h4>Through our partnership with Justice Centre Hong Kong, we developed tools that are transforming how lawyers and advocates serve refugees and asylum seekers facing detention. MoFo lawyers helped create Hong Kong’s first publicly accessible immigration detention case law database and co-designed a Detention Self-Help Toolkit with the refugee community. These resources empower individuals to understand their rights and equip local advocates to drive systemic reform. Since launch, these efforts have reached hundreds of people and trained a new generation of refugee paralegals.<h4>Securing Safe Housing for Wildfire Survivors in Los Angeles</h4>When wildfires devastated Los Angeles County, MoFo mobilized with the Disaster Legal Assistance Collaborative to deliver critical legal resources and direct support for displaced residents. Working with Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County, our lawyers led landmark litigation that resulted in the “Altadena Presumption,” a new county policy ensuring prompt inspections and remediation of rental housing affected by wildfire contamination. The settlement provides a model for climate-related tenant protection nationwide.From advancing refugee rights in Asia to building frameworks for climate justice at home, these efforts reflect Morrison Foerster’s longstanding belief that innovation and collaboration are key to lasting pro bono impact.Read a Q&A with our lawyers and see all the honorees on <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/pro-bono-innovators-2025-honoree-morrison-foerster-74" target="_blank">Bloomberg Law’s Pro Bono Innovators list</a>.

Morrison Foerster Named a 2025 Bloomberg Law Pro Bono Innovator

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Jennifer K. Brown is Supervising Counsel, Pro Bono at Morrison Foerster, 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.

Jennifer Brown

Supervising Counsel, Pro Bono

Kira is an experienced courtroom lawyer who assists life sciences companies in high-stakes patent litigation.Kira is the head of Morrison Foerster’s Los Angeles Litigation Department, a partner in the IP Litigation Group, and a member of the firm-wide Life Sciences + Healthcare Leadership Team. She regularly serves as counsel in intellectual property lawsuits involving cutting-edge technology, including foundational antibody technology, antibody cancer immunotherapies, fusion proteins, small-molecule therapeutics, transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement devices, and genetic testing and genomics technology. Kira litigates on behalf of both patentees and defendants and has significant experience representing innovators in disputes arising out of proposed generic and biosimilar launches.    Kira has been recognized by a number of regional and national publications, including as a Litigator of the Week by The American Lawyer. In 2023, she was named a Top Healthcare Lawyer by the Daily Journal.   Kira’s approach is to gain a deep understanding not only of the technology at issue, but also of her clients’ business objectives and goals, and to work closely with her clients to build litigation and pre-litigation strategies that match those goals. As a trial lawyer, Kira is known for her levelheaded and trustworthy style, allowing client witnesses to shine through on direct examination and cutting through the noise on cross-examination.In addition to U.S. district court litigation, Kira regularly advises clients on proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, both in matters with co-pending litigation and in stand-alone PTAB proceedings. She also often coordinates global patent litigation strategy across multiple jurisdictions, including England, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland.Kira also has experience representing clients in connection with other types of litigation and investigative matters, including antitrust litigation, contract disputes, white-collar criminal matters, complex commercial disputes, sports-related matters, and internal investigations.Kira began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable John M. Rogers in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Prior to joining the firm, Kira was a partner at Durie Tangri, a premier litigation boutique.Kira received her J.D. summa cum laude from Cornell Law School. She received her B.A. in classics from Ohio Wesleyan University.She is admitted to practice in California and New York.

Kira Davis

Partner

Marcia Ellis is a Senior Counsel in our New York office and a Partner in our Hong Kong office. Marcia’s practice focuses on private equity transactions and complex mergers and acquisitions involving companies and other assets located in Asia. Having practiced in Asia for more than a quarter of a century, Marcia is one of the most experienced M&A lawyers active in the Asian market. In the past three years, she has advised clients on deals with a total aggregate value well in excess of US$249.8 billion.​Marcia regularly advises leading investors on M&A transactions, including SoftBank Vision Fund, Alibaba, GLP, Bain Capital, BlackRock, Farallon Capital, Ascendent Capital Partners, Silver Crest Acquisition Corp., PAG, Hillhouse, Hony Capital and Celadon Partners. In addition, she is experienced in representing U.S., UK and Asia based institutional investors in the acquisition, financing and disposition of real estate in China, Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia, including numerous logistics and internet data center projects, and investment in and acquisition of real estate developers.From 2008 through 2011, she was the Chief Legal Officer for Asia of D. E. Shaw, where she assisted various group entities in making, restructuring, and exiting investments in various countries in Asia, including a number of significant and highly structured investments in China and India.Clients consider Marcia as a "super skilled technical lawyer" who offers "incredible problem-solving skills on all aspects of matters, both legal and commercial". A client said that "Finding a lawyer whose judgement you trust and who knows how far they can push the boundaries is not easy, and Marcia is the best lawyer I've worked with."Marcia is a member of our global board of directors and a member of our global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Steering Committee. She served as a Global Co-Chair of the firm's Private Equity Practice. In 2022, she spearheaded the launch of MoFo’s annual survey of the ESG and DEI policies and practices of Asia-headquartered PE firms. She has also been named to Law360’s 2022 and 2023 Private Equity Editorial Board and elected as the Co-Chair of AmCham Hong Kong’s Women of Influence Committee. Marcia has been recognized as one of the Women of Influence in Private Markets: Private Equity by Private Equity International in 2024.

Marcia Ellis（艾琳）律师的执业重点是涉及亚洲境内公司和其它资产的私募股权交易和复杂并购。Ellis律师在亚洲执业超过二十五年，是活跃在亚洲市场经验最丰富的并购律师之一。在过去三年间，她为客户完成的交易的合计价值超过2498亿美元。Ellis律师经常为大型投资者提供并购交易法律咨询，这些投资者包括软银愿景基金、阿里巴巴、普洛斯、Bain Capital、贝莱德、Farallon Capital、上达资本、Silver Crest特殊目的收购公司、PAG、高瓴资本、弘毅投资以及Celadon Partners。此外，在代表美国、英国、亚洲机构投资人方面她也富有经验；她代表客户处理收购、融资、处置中国、香港及亚洲其它地区的房地产，其中包括许多物流和互联网数据中心项目，也处理对房地产开发商的投资与收购。从2008至2011年，Ellis律师是德劭集团亚洲区的首席法务官。在德劭集团，她协助各集团实体处理在亚洲多个国家进行的投资、投资重组及投资退出事宜，包括在中国和印度进行的多个重要及高度结构化的投资。客户评价Ellis律师是一位"技巧高超的律师"，她拥有 "极其出色的解决问题的能力，包括法律问题和商业问题 "。一位客户称："找到一位拥有令人信任的判断力，并能尽力突破极限的律师并不容易，而她是我合作过的最好的律师"。Ellis律师是美富律师事务所的全球董事会成员，兼本所全球环境、社会与治理(ESG)指导委员会委员之一。她曾任本所的全球私募股权业务联席主席。在2022年，她率先发起了美富对总部位于亚洲的私募股权公司的环境、社会与治理以及可持续性的政策与实践的年度调查。她还当选《法律360》(Law 360)2022年度和2023年度私募股权业务编辑委员会成员，以及香港美国商会最具影响力女性(WOI)指导委员会联席主席。Ellis律师还荣获Private Equity International评为2024年“私募股权领域：私募市场最具影响力女性”之一。

Marcia Ellis

Senior Counsel (New York) | Partner (Hong Kong)

Dorothy L. Fernandez is Senior Pro Bono Counsel based in the Denver office of Morrison Foerster. 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 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.

Dorothy Fernandez

Senior Pro Bono Counsel

Whitney O’Byrne is a first-chair trial lawyer who represents technology companies, growth-stage startups, life sciences companies, and institutional clients in complex, high-stakes litigation. She handles disputes spanning intellectual property, class actions, trade secrets, product liability, and commercial litigation.Whitney recently served as lead counsel in a landmark DMCA Section 1202 jury trial in Hartford, CT, holding a multibillion-dollar statutory damages claim to less than 1% of the amount sought.Her broader trial experience includes a multidistrict antitrust case in the Southern District of New York, several patent trials in the Northern District of California and District of Delaware, criminal trials in California and New York, and multiple JAMS and AAA arbitrations. Whitney is also a NITA trial skills instructor and has taught trial advocacy at multiple levels for over 10 years.In the emerging artificial intelligence space, Whitney helped lead trial efforts in a landmark copyright class action involving a leading generative AI company that resolved in a $1.5 billion settlement. The case presented novel questions regarding fair use and large language model training, positioning her at the forefront of industry-defining AI litigation.Clients rely on Whitney not only for courtroom advocacy, but also for strategic counseling in the lead-up to trial, including risk assessment, expert development, and dispositive motion practice.Whitney serves as Hiring Partner for Morrison Foerster’s Los Angeles office, where she plays a central role in recruiting and integrating litigation talent. She also co-founded the firm’s Middle East North Africa (MENA) Affinity Network and serves on the boards of the Southern Center for Human Rights and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County.Before joining Morrison Foerster, Whitney most recently practiced at a premier litigation boutique, where she worked on trade secrets, legal malpractice, and class action litigations for companies ranging from early-stage startups to established technology companies. Whitney also served as a law clerk in the Eastern District of New York.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Representing major healthcare company in trade secrets litigation concerning remote patient monitoring.</li><li>Representing leading online and mobile marketplace in class action litigation alleging employee misclassification.</li><li>Representation of victim and witness in connection with prosecution of Michael Avenatti for extorting Nike.</li><li>Representation of a Fortune 100 investment bank in connection with DOJ investigation.</li><li>Representation of large Japanese bank with respect to investigations conducted by multiple regulators.</li><li>Representation of Argentine sports marketing agency in connection with various investigations related to FIFA corruption.</li></ul>

Whitney O'Byrne

Rachel Williams is Senior 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.

Rachel Williams

Ferdinand’s practice focuses on private equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financings, as well as other general corporate matters.Ferdinand received his J.D. and P.C.LL. from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019 and 2020, respectively, where he was placed on the Dean’s List, named a Silver Scholar and received the Gallant Ho Prize in Law.Ferdinand is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.<h4>Representative Matters</h4><ul><li>CPE, a Chinese alternative investment firm, in connection with its US$350 million joint venture with Restaurant Brands International (RBI), one of the world's largest multinational fast food holding company, to operate Burger King in China which has around 1,250 restaurants in total. This transaction is one of the most significant private equity-led transactions in China’s consumer sector in 2025.</li></ul><ul><li>Six Waves Inc., a leading global publisher of mobile games based in Hong Kong, in its US$201 million acquisition by Stillfront Group AB (publ), a Sweden-based powerhouse of gaming studios listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.</li><li>LSE-listed Tate & Lyle PLC, a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, in connection with its acquisition of Quantum Hi-Tech (Guangdong) Biological Co., Ltd, a leading probiotic dietary fiber business in China, from ChemPartner Pharmatech Co., Ltd.</li><li>A private equity investment management firm in its EUR180 million leveraged buyout of a Hong Kong-based private industrial company and its subsidiaries.</li><li>A multinational conglomerate holding company on its restructuring of a PRC asset valued at US$930 million.</li><li>A leading global real estate logistics provider in its restructuring of assets valued at US$480 million.</li></ul>

卢晖洋律师的执业领域主要为私募投资交易、并购、风险投资融资以及其他一般公司事宜。卢律师分别于2019和2020年获得香港中文大学法律博士学位和法学专业证书。在求学期间，他荣登“院长嘉许名单(Dean’s List)”，并荣获“银奖学者(Silver Scholar)”称号和“何耀棣法学成绩优异奖”。卢律师精通英语、普通话和粤语。<h4>具代表性的交易项目</h4><ul><li>代表中国另类投资公司CPE源峰就其与世界上最大的餐饮公司之一餐饮品牌国际集团（Restaurant Brands International，简称 RBI）成立价值3.5亿美元的合资企业。该合资企业将负责汉堡王在中国的运营，目前在全国拥有约 1,250 家餐厅。本次交易是 2025 年中国消费行业中由私募股权基金主导的最具代表性交易之一。</li></ul><ul><li>代表总部位于香港的全球领先手游发行商Six Waves Inc.处理其被纳斯达克斯德哥尔摩上市的瑞典游戏工作室巨头Stillfront Group AB (publ)以2.01 亿美元收购的事宜。</li><li>代表在伦敦证券交易所上市的泰莱集团(Tate & Lyle PLC)处理其从睿智医药股份有限公司协议收购其旗下量子高科（广东）生物有限公司的事宜。</li><li>代表一家私募股权投资管理公司处理其以1.8亿欧元通过杠杆方式收购一家香港私有工业公司及其子公司的事宜。</li><li>代表一家跨国企业集团控股公司处理其9.3亿美元中国资产的重组事宜。</li><li>代表一家领先的全球房地产物流供应商处理其4.8亿美元资产重组的事宜。</li></ul>