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History: the original MoFo Morrison & Foerster's roots can be traced back to 1883 when Thomas O'Brien and Alexander Morrison founded the firm O'Brien & Morrison. In 1890 Constantine Foerster joined the firm. Two years later, Morrison & Foerster named the firm after themselves. When Foerster died in 1898, the firm's name was changed to Morrison & Cope. In 1918 Ronald Foerster, son of Constantine, joined the practice and his family name was added back onto the sign in 1925. Fifty years later, after many deaths, arrivals, departures, and name changes, the name Morrison & Foerster was adopted for good. The firm has been lauded as a great place to work by several national publications. In 1998 MoFo was the sole law firm on Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" list, placing 52nd. The firm narrowly missed making the cut the next year. Working Mother magazine has included MoFo on its "100 Best Companies in America for Working Mothers" 10 times in the past 14 years. MoFo talk radio: all law, all the time (actually, 45 minutes a quarter) Morrison initiated an innovative marketing ploy in November 1999, launching "MoFo Talk Radio," a quarterly radio broadcast available from the firm's web site. The show, which runs approximately 45 minutes, deals with Internet issues ranging from obtaining funding to securing patents and copyrights. Valley firm moves in on the Alley Sensing an opportunity in the reluctance of established New York-area firms to take on risky Silicon Alley startups as clients, Morrison has gone after New York Internet companies with a vengeance. The firm's foresight has paid off: MoFo has participated in a number of Alley IPOs, including heavyweights like Razorfish and EarthWeb. Vault.com is another Silicon Alley-based client. Despite the sometimes speculative nature of the Internet industry, Morrison has enjoyed a healthy return on the practice. "We thought profitability would be years down the road," John Delaney, a partner at Morrison & Foerster's New York office, told The Legal Times. However, he said that the Internet has already proven "a successful practice." The Big Apple is just one of several areas outside of California where the firm has established a technology practice - it also has tech-focused lawyers stationed in DC, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. All over the map Morrison has other successful practices besides its Internet bulwark. It is perhaps best known for its work in intellectual property litigation and corporate finance. In IP the firm has represented Oracle and Fujitsu internationally. Additional clients include Chiron Corp. and Thomson Consumer Electronics. In May 1999, MoFo successfully represented the Regents of the University of California in a suit against Genentech challenging the validity of the university's patent on human growth hormone technology. All pro bono, all the time MoFo's strong pro bono service has been honored by numerous legal associations. The California State Bar presented the firm with the President's Pro Bono Service Award in October 1998. Later that year, the Bar Association of San Francisco named Morrison its Law Firm of the Year for pro bono work. Satellite offices in Denver, Los Angeles, and Orange County also received awards from local bar associations and legal groups for pro bono work. The firm has taken on several death penalty cases including that of James Lee Spencer, condemned for a murder he committed during a prison escape attempt. Spencer's sentence was changed to life after he was ruled mentally retarded by a Georgia jury. That case, among others, won Morrison the Lifetime Achievement Award from Death Penalty Focus of California. In March 2000, MoFo represented opponents of a California initiative to ban gay marriage. In another pro bono matter, the firm prepared a legal petition for a presidential pardon of Freddie Meeks, an African-American sailor convicted of mutiny during World War II. Meeks received the pardon in December 1999. MoFo lawyers also represented 23,000 Colorado students in an effort to change the state's public school financing system.
Seeking interesting people Insiders say that Morrison hires "interesting people who have had interesting experiences." One contact notes that foreign language skills can be especially helpful as well as "liberal leanings." "It is somewhat difficult to get in the door," one associate based outside the U.S. says. "Morrison is rather selective." Another source says that "we try to adhere to our hiring standards," which include targeting students at selected top law schools with excellent grades. However, like most law firms, growth and demand for attorney services has forced recruiters to expand their search. The foreign-based associate says that "qualified laterals have a somewhat easier time" getting into MoFo. Interview process: to each their own Initial interviews run for 15 to 20 minutes; callbacks are described as "relaxed." MoFo "already assumes that you've met the academic criteria" so the second round of interviews is a "matter of trying to figure out if you like the people." The firm "constructs an interview schedule that meets your interests. You can specify that you'd like to meet with a gay man, a lesbian, a Latino, a woman, someone from the labor department" or anyone else you'd like to see. One contact says that since you'll likely have a lot in common with your interviewer, "you don't need to do much preparation." Even so, it's "not a bad idea to run a Westlaw search to see if [your interviewer] has been in the news."
We are family One San Francisco associate says that MoFo is "very laid-back but professional. The lawyers respect each other's abilities but do not invade your space." The firm "still manages to be family in that everyone is willing to help another person out," says a real estate associate. A Palo Alto attorney says that "yellers and screamers [are] nonexistent" at MoFo. In keeping with the "relaxed" atmosphere, dress is business casual. The only qualification? "Just don't wear what you used to clean out your garage." High ratings for partners "The majority of partners here are very good to work with," says one litigation associate. A lateral hire says that while Morrison partners are much better than those at his previous firm, he has noticed in the last year that "partners are overworked and spend less time being nice." Despite that, MoFo associates are overwhelmingly satisfied with their superiors. One Orange County lawyer says partner-associate relations are "the single most outstanding characteristic of working at Morrison & Foerster." Another attorney says that "there is great recognition by the partnership that today's associates are tomorrow's partners." Turning down work to cut back on hours Like associates at all firms, MoFo lawyers tend to complain about the long hours required of those in the legal profession. "There's no getting around long hours in today's firm," laments one lawyer. "Last year was bad," says one source. "The partners are now making an effort to reduce everybody's hours by getting help from other offices and turning down work." Another contact reports that hours are "cyclical - one week I'll go home at 6:30 every night, the next I'm consistently here until midnight." That associate says the firm has no face time requirements and "people urge you to go home, in fact, and are honestly concerned about your work life." Reaping the benefits of Bay Area pay raises "My view is that I get paid a ton of money for work that is very demanding," says one associate. "It is not necessarily higher than other firms, it is comparable. You can talk all you want about the market but it is still a ton of money. Anyone who says otherwise lives in a different world." Those who live or at least work in MoFo's world receive compensation on par with other large firms. "Bay Area salaries have gone through the roof and most associates at large law firms are now very well paid," says one source. Another San Francisco lawyer reports that "associates are concerned that Bay Area attorneys do not get a cost of living adjustment to reflect how much more expensive it is to live here, as opposed to Los Angeles or other areas that are getting paid the same salary." Insiders say that the firm has a three-tier bonus structure with different financil rewards at 1,950, 2,100 and 2,200 billable hours. Every day is casual day Morrison attorneys receive the usual perks: cars and meals when working late, discounted gym memberships, sports and event tickets and firm social events. After 7:30, they get a $15 to $20 meal allowance. Moreover, "every day is casual day," with the usual restrictions related to client contact. "Dress ranges from flashy and hip to conservative and occasionally boring," reports one fashion maven. Diversity wins awards Could Working Women magazine have been wrong 10 out of the last 14 years? Not according to MoFo attorneys. As previously mentioned, the firm was on the publication's list of best companies for working mothers and the experiences and perceptions of associates at the firm seem to bear that out. "At Morrison & Foerster being a woman is not an issue, much less a handicap, and the firm aggressively pursues efforts to make it a better place to be a woman and a practicing attorney." The firm's maternity policy is described as "liberal" and the part-time policy is also praised. However, one female associate complains that "there is no set mentoring program for women." Unusually satisfied All told, MoFo insiders seem happy with firm life. "I don't think a big law firm can realistically get much better than MoFo," says one source. Another contact says, "I can honestly say that I cannot imagine working anywhere else. I don't really like big firm politics but I find the people I work with to be the best."
Jane Cooperman Recruiting Manager (415) 268-7665
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison;McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enerson;Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe;Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro;Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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