The transactions team has dominated Morrison Foerster’s 2023 partner promotions round that saw 18 lawyers made up across the US, Europe and Asia.

The size of the latest cohort marks a slight dip on last year’s 22-strong round that featured seven women, or 32% of the total. 

This round also features seven women, meaning the proportion has increased slightly to 39%. 

The promotions were divided between the US firm’s transactions and litigation departments, with the transactions arm gaining ten new partners and litigation eight. 

Like last year, most of the promotions this time round went to lawyers in the US. The firm’s San Francisco headquarters saw the most, with six, including Shaelyn Dawson in the patent litigation group and Lauren Navarro and David Wiener in the securities litigation, enforcement and white-collar defence team. 

Their promotions come in the same week that MoFo's tie-up with San Francisco-based litigation boutique Durie Tangri goes live to boost its West Coast intellectual property offering. 

The remaining San Francisco promotions went to lawyers in the technology transactions, private equity investments and buyouts and mergers and acquisitions groups in the transactions department. 

Washington DC welcomed three new partners, all in the litigation department. Brigid DeCoursey Bondoc moved up in the FDA and healthcare regulatory and compliance group, while Melissa Crespo was promoted in the privacy and data security group and Sandeep Nandivada was welcomed in the government contracts and public procurement team. 

Rounding out the US promotions are New York and Palo Alto, which each gained two new partners. Real estate lawyer Al Williams moved up in New York in the transactions department alongside Katherine Erbeznik, whose practice focuses on US tax law. 

In Palo Alto patent litigator Lily Li was promoted, as was Jim Ryan, who moved up in the transactions department in the emerging companies and venture capital team. The firm also boosted its emerging companies team elsewhere on the West Coast early last year with the hire of a quartet of partners from US rival Perkins Coie for its San Francisco and Los Angeles offices. 

Like last year, London was the only one of the firm’s three European offices to gain a new partner, with Patrick Barrett moving up in the mergers and acquisitions team. The firm also has bases in Brussels and Berlin. 

Having gained one new partner last year, MoFo’s Tokyo office welcomed three this round: M&A lawyer Yohei Nakagawa and real estate specialist Chris Spalding moved up in the transactions department while Tomoki Kodama was promoted in the litigation department in the corporate finance and capital markets team. 

The final promotion went to Per Lindberg, who represents clients on all aspects of energy and infrastructure deals and moved up in the finance and projects group in Singapore. 

“I am thrilled to welcome this exceptional group of lawyers to the partnership,” said Eric McCrath, who succeeded Larren Nashelsky as chair of Morrison Foerster last October. 

“Each of them has demonstrated a strong sense of ownership, deep sector knowledge, and an unwavering commitment to serving our clients across the firm’s global platform. They are all dedicated to their colleagues, our communities, and further enhancing the firm’s culture and values. I look forward to their contributions and achievements in the years to come.”