Morrison & Foerster

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox Law Firm Morrison & Foerster LLP (also known as MoFo) is an American multinational law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California, with 17 offices located throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe.

History

File:Alexander Francis Morrison.png

Alexander Francis Morrison

In 1883, Alexander Francis Morrison (1856–1921), an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley, and Hastings College of the Law, founded the firm's oldest ancestor in San Francisco under the name O’Brien & Morrison.<ref name="Hara, Eileen 2006 pp. 5">O’Hara, Eileen, et al. (2006). Morrison & Foerster LLP: The Evolution of a Law Firm. RR Donnelly. pp. 5</ref> His aim was to practice "principally in the line of corporation business."<ref name="law360.com">McAfee, David (July 21, 2014). California Powerhouse: Morrison & Foerster. Law360. Retrieved November 18, 2015.</ref>

In 1891, Morrison formed a partnership with Constantine E.A. Foerster (1860–1898).<ref name="Hara, Eileen 2006 pp. 5"/> However, Foerster died in 1898 at age 37 from tuberculosis.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_11">Template:Cite book</ref> After his death, other attorneys came in as partners and the firm's name changed several times over the next two decades.

By late 1924, the firm of Morrison, Dunne & Brobeck had seven partners and eight associates.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_28">Template:Cite book</ref> On November 29, 1924, everyone arrived at work to find on their desks a letter signed by partners Herman Phleger, William I. Brobeck and Peter F. Dunne which announced the "reorganization" of the firm.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_28" /> By "reorganization" they actually meant dissolution of the firm, effective December 31, 1924.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_47">Template:Cite book</ref> Morrison's widow May was furious at the three men for wrecking the firm which she regarded as her late husband's legacy and prohibited them from using the Morrison name.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_30">Template:Cite book</ref>

A 1996 history of the Brobeck firm claimed that Phleger had persuaded Brobeck and Dunne that the law firm would be more profitable if they ejected the four other partners, so the three of them suddenly fired and locked out the four other partners, who then had to break into the office with a fire axe to retrieve their files.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_30" /> However, this story may be apocryphal because the Morrison firm's files include documents showing that the attorneys had attempted to provide for the "orderly dissolution of the old firm", the transfer of its files, and the settlement of fees for pending matters.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_31">Template:Cite book</ref>

The firm's attorneys organized two new law firms which began operations in January 1925: Dunne, Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison (later renamed Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison) and Morrison, Hohfeld, Foerster, Shuman & Clark.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_30" /> The "Foerster" of the latter firm was not the late Constantine E.A. Foerster, but his son Roland, who had joined the Morrison firm as an associate in 1916.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_36">Template:Cite book</ref> May Morrison was affectionate towards the four founding partners of the latter firm and actively assisted them in creating a new firm to carry forward the legacy of the old one.<ref name="O'Hara_Page_36"/> They were the "favorites" of her late husband Alexander, whom she called "Aleck", and she thus referred to them as "Aleck's Boys".<ref name="O'Hara_Page_36" />

Starting in the 1920s and 1930s, the firm developed a deep client roster, which brought stability to sustain the firm over the next three decades.<ref>O’Hara, Eileen, et al. (2006). Morrison & Foerster LLP: The Evolution of a Law Firm. RR Donnelly. pp. 71</ref>

In the 1960s, a group of young partners—John Austin, Dick Archer, and Bob Raven—set out to reinvigorate the firm in response to stagnant revenue and changes in the business and social environment.<ref name="Hara, Eileen 2006 pp. 77">O’Hara, Eileen, et al. (2006). Morrison & Foerster LLP: The Evolution of a Law Firm. RR Donnelly. pp. 77</ref> The strategy, resulting from the so-called "Schroeder's meetings" because they were held at the San Francisco restaurant, included ideas for modernizing the practice of law.<ref name="Hara, Eileen 2006 pp. 77"/> The partners replaced outmoded policies and insisted on budgets and operational plans. The firm started to recruit at law schools and began hiring women lawyers. In time, the firm rebuilt its litigation practice by training new associates on small bank cases.<ref>O'Hara, Eileen, et al. (2006). Morrison & Foerster LLP: The Evolution of a Law Firm. RR Donnelly. pp. 79</ref>

In 1974, the firm expanded outside San Francisco and opened an office in Los Angeles to better meet the needs of longtime client Crocker National Bank.<ref name="law360.com"/>

Soon after, the firm expanded again, opening an office in Washington, D.C. in 1979 and its first non-U.S. office in London in 1980.<ref>Moore, Tom (July 9, 2014). Morrison & Foerster Appoints Paul Friedman to Newly Created European Managing Partner Role. Legal Business. Retrieved November 19, 2015.</ref>

In 1987, the firm merged with New York-based litigation company Parker Auspitz and opened its Tokyo office.<ref>Sandburg, Brenda (March 3, 2006). [1]. The American Lawyer. Retrieved November 19, 2015.</ref>

The firm merged again in 1991, this time with Ciotti & Murashige.<ref>Somers, Terri. (September 4, 2007). Chemist in her element in biotech patent law. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved November 19, 2015.</ref> A decade later, Morrison & Foerster became one of the largest international law firms in Tokyo when it merged with Ito & Mitomi.<ref>Smith, Heather (December 4, 2003). Made in Japan. The American Lawyer. Retrieved November 19, 2015.</ref>

In 2003, Morrison & Foerster received their first 100% rating on HRC's Corporate Equality Index indicating they met all 7 of that year's criteria for having a positive record "toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors".<ref>Human Rights Campaign (2003). 2003 Corporate Equality Index. Page 25. Retrieved December 5, 2021.</ref>

In November 2013, the firm expanded its European presence by opening an office in Berlin.<ref>Smith, Jennifer (September 24, 2015). Willkommen in Deutschland: Morrison & Foerster Opens in Berlin. Wall Street Journal Law Blog. Retrieved November 19, 2015.</ref> The following month, the German team advised Axel Springer, one of Europe's largest media companies, on its acquisition of N24 Media, Germany's largest independent producers of information.<ref>Bulkeley, Andrew (December 11, 2013).Morrison & Foerster snares Springer mandate for N24 purchase Template:Webarchive. The Deal. Retrieved November 19, 2015.</ref><ref>Juve (December 10, 2013). Buying N24: Springer brought Morrison & Foerster first German prestige mandate. Retrieved November 20, 2015.</ref>

In 2022, Morrison & Foerster was a founding member of the Legal Alliance for Reproductive Rights, a coalition of United States law firms offering free legal services to people seeking and providing abortions in the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade.<ref name=law>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2025, Morrison Foerster has been named a Firm of the Year in the five practice areas listed below by China Business Law Journal (CBLJ) as part of its 2025 China Business Law Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Clients

The firm was the lead bankruptcy counsel to Residential Capital. ResCap.<ref>Chutchian, Maria (December 11, 2013). ResCap Ends Bankruptcy As Judge Confirms Liquidation Plan. Law360. Retrieved November 20, 2015.</ref> and secured their chapter 11 plan.<ref name="wsj.com">Checkler, Joseph (December 11, 2013). Bankruptcy Judge Confirms ResCap Liquidation Plan. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 22, 2015.</ref>

In July 2013, Morrison & Foerster represented SoftBank in its $21.6 billion acquisition of a 78 percent stake in Sprint Nextel.<ref>Bulkeley, Andrew (October 15, 2013). "Softbank forges Sprint takeover deal." Template:Webarchive The Deal. Retrieved November 20, 2015.</ref> According to The Wall Street Journal, the transaction was "one of the most complex and unusual deals in the annals of takeovers."<ref>MoFo Advises SoftBank in Landmark Sprint Nextel Acquisition. (Press Release). July 11, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2015.</ref> The firm also represented SoftBank in Alibaba's U.S. IPO—the largest IPO in history.<ref>MoFo Advises SoftBank on Alibaba's IPO. (Press Release). San Francisco, California: Morrison & Foerster LLP. September 19, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2015.</ref>