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Morrison Foerster Shortlisted in 15 Categories for the Americas Women in Business Law Awards 2022

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Morrison Foerster has once again been recognized by Euromoney Legal Media Group in its annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards as a top firm. MoFo has been shortlisted as a firm in eight categories, including Career Development, Diverse Women Lawyers, Gender Diversity, Pro Bono Work, Work-Life Balance, U.S. – Midwest, U.S. – South, and U.S. – West.

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Morrison Foerster has once again been recognized by Euromoney Legal Media Group in its annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards as a top firm. MoFo has been shortlisted as a firm in eight categories, including Career Development, Diverse Women Lawyers, Gender Diversity, Pro Bono Work, Work-Life Balance, U.S. – Midwest, U.S. – South, and U.S. – West. These recognitions underscore MoFo’s commitment to its core values of collaboration, excellence, inclusivity, professional development, and service.Reflecting the excellence of MoFo women, seven MoFo lawyers have been shortlisted in the following “Lawyer of the Year” practice area categories:<ul><li>Labour & Employment: Tritia Murata</li><li>Patent: Bita Rahebi</li><li>Product Liability: Erin Bosman</li><li>Securities: Christin Hill</li><li>Technology: Tessa Schwartz</li><li>Trademark: Joyce Liou</li><li>White Collar Crime: Lisa Phelan</li></ul> View the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://awards.womeninbusinesslaw.com/Americas-shortlist">full shortlist of nominees</a>.Honorees will be recognized at the Women in Business Law Awards ceremony and reception on June 9th, 2022 in New York, NY.Morrison Foerster has long championed the advancement of women within the legal profession, providing our clients with the best legal talent. Creating an inclusive culture that supports the growth and development of talented women lawyers is at the heart of our shared values and commitment. When our women succeed, we succeed as a firm.Learn more about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mofo.com/culture/women-of-mofo/">MoFo Women | Morrison & Foerster</a>.

Morrison Foerster Shortlisted in 15 Categories for the Americas Women in Business Law Awards 2022

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Bita Rahebi serves as co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s global IP Litigation Group and cross-disciplinary Intellectual Property Group and is a co-leader of its Semiconductor Industry Group. The world’s largest and most innovative technology companies turn to Bita for her trial skills and her strategic direction leading complex, high-stakes litigation matters. She litigates before state and federal trial courts, the Federal Circuit, and the International Trade Commission on a wide range of matters involving semiconductors, software, consumer electronics, medical devices and standard essential patents (SEPs).As a trial lawyer, Bita is known for zealously representing her clients’ interests. She brings an ability to explain complicated issues to juries and judges, a skill honed through years of experience working with cutting-edge technologies. She has obtained a complete defense victory as lead trial lawyer, invalidated numerous patents, and also obtained winning results for plaintiffs.Bita’s successes have built her reputation as a recognized leader for intellectual property litigation. Chambers USA noted that Bita “offers substantial expertise handling patent disputes for technology-sector clients,” and clients have called her a “razor-sharp” lawyer who “excels at trial and litigation strategy” and is “client focused.” Bita’s accolades include:<ul><li>Named a Top Intellectual Property Lawyer by Daily Journal for multiple years</li><li>Selected as the 2022 Patent Lawyer of the Year by Euromoney Legal Media in its annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards</li><li>Recognized for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation, California in the 2022 and 2023 Chambers USA guides</li><li>Recommended in the 2022 and 2023 Legal 500 US rankings for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation and in 2023 for Trade Secrets (Litigation and Non-Contentious) </li><li>Named one of the Top Women Lawyers in Southern California by Los Angeles Magazine</li></ul>Bita’s litigation practice includes patent, trade secrets, and copyright litigation. In addition to her litigation practice, Bita advises clients on strategic transactional issues and negotiates on behalf of clients in patent licensing discussions. Bita has also successfully tried criminal jury matters at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, securing a guilty verdict for every trial.Bita is the past president of the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association and she co-founded the organization’s Women in IP committee. She also served as a Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Lawyer Representative. Bita is a board member for ALM’s Intellectual Property Strategist.Earning her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, she served as president and editor-in-chief of the Daily Californian. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was an editor of the UCLA Law Review.

Bita Rahebi

Partner

Erin Bosman is chair of MoFo’s Complex Litigation + Advisement Practice Group and is a founder and co-head of the Artificial Intelligence Group. Clients value her business strategy, seeking her comprehensive counsel throughout the product life cycle, especially in high-stakes litigation and product recalls.Erin's clients value her litigation acumen, retaining her as national coordinating and trial counsel in class action cases and multijurisdictional and multidistrict proceedings. She navigates complex business relationships and serves as a defense liaison counsel in cases where multiple defendants have conflicting defenses. A skilled negotiator, Erin has a long track record of securing dismissals and favorable settlements for her clients. When trial is needed, her compelling courtroom skills have delivered successful jury verdicts and appellate victories.Outside the courtroom, Erin maintains a robust advisement practice, drawing on her litigation experience to counsel clients on product development, risk assessments, product labeling, and risk mitigation strategies to help them avoid and defeat product liability claims. When necessary, Erin advises on crisis management and guides clients through product recalls, representing clients before the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).Erin is a problem-solver through and through. In that role, she advises clients on some of their most difficult product questions, with particular focus on emerging technologies in untested regulatory and litigation landscapes. She is a leader in the fields of wearables and digital health, medical device and pharmaceuticals, and consumer products. Erin counsels clients that have innovative products in the technology and artificial intelligence sector. In addition to her knowledge and experience in the AI space, Erin has also advised clients working with autonomous vehicles, sensors, robotics, and IoT.Erin has received numerous accolades for her legal work, including by the Daily Journal, Chambers USA, and The Legal 500 US, where market commentators praised her as “an exceptional strategist with highly effective negotiation skills” who “has the respect and admiration of her team and her clients.” Erin is a two-time recipient of  “Product Liability Lawyer of the Year” from Euromoney America’s Women in Business Law Awards, honoring high-achieving female lawyers and progressive law firms. In 2025, Erin was again recommended in Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants by Best Lawyers in America. The Legal 500 continues to recognize Erin as a Leading Lawyer in Dispute Resolution: Product Liability, Mass Tort, and Class Action. She was also named as a “Top Healthcare Lawyer” by the Daily Journal, honoring her as a leading California lawyer who specializes in healthcare litigation, transactions, and counseling. Erin was also short listed in the Financial Times’ North American Innovative Lawyers Awards in the Most Innovative Legal Practitioner category for her expertise in solving clients’ problems.Erin is a member of the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC), a member of the editorial board for Product Liability Law 360, and a former editor of and frequent contributor to MoFo’s <a target="_blank" href="http://classdismissed.mofo.com/">Class Dismissed</a> blog.<h5>More About Erin</h5>In 1997, Erin was a judicial extern for the Honorable James F. Stiven, U.S. Magistrate Judge, Southern District of California. In 1999, she received her J.D. magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from the University of San Diego School of Law. During law school, she was an editor of the San Diego Law Review.

Erin Bosman

Christin Hill is a partner in Morrison & Foerster’s San Francisco office and a member of the Securities Litigation, Securities Enforcement, and Investigations + White Collar Defense practice groups. Christin has extensive experience representing clients in securities class actions, derivative actions and other complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts, as well as in government and internal investigations.With over a decade of experience in private practice, Christin has successfully represented public companies and their boards of directors and officers in securities fraud actions, derivative actions, SEC enforcement actions, internal investigations, and general corporate counseling. She also has experience working with pre-IPO companies in complex civil litigation in both federal and state court, internal investigations, responding to government inquiries, and advising on general compliance matters.Before joining Morrison & Foerster, Christin served as senior counsel at Uber Technologies, Inc., where she managed complex civil litigation including consumer class actions, intellectual property matters, and government investigations. She was also a lead member of Uber’s global compliance team, through which she created and implemented new compliance policies and training programs and advised company management in responding to government inquiries.Christin also served as an assistant district attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she successfully prosecuted three misdemeanor criminal jury trials. Early in her career, she served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable John A. Houston in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Christin J. Hill

Tessa Schwartz has an active practice counseling companies on intellectual property issues, and negotiating complex intellectual property and commercial agreements. She advises on a range of strategic transactions, including key patent licenses and acquisitions, technology procurement agreements, and complex development, collaboration, joint-venture and distribution deals. Tessa also regularly advises companies on the IP aspects of their M&A transactions.In addition to maintaining an active practice and working with clients on a daily basis, Tessa currently serves as co-chair of the firm’s Transactions Department. Tessa is also founder and co-chair of the Artificial Intelligence Group.Tessa advises clients primarily in technology and data intensive sectors, representing artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, machine learning, software, SaaS, cloud computing, hardware, consumer electronics and products, social media, Internet, mobility and wireless, e-commerce, advertising, healthcare, fintech, transportation, semiconductor, and other companies. Tessa’s M&A experience includes advising Autodesk, BlackBerry, Fortive, Honeywell, Salesforce, Uber, Unilever, Unity, Walmart, and others on the IP aspects of strategic transactions. Tessa provides clients with prelitigation and litigation advice. She frequently advises executives and senior management on strategic business, legal and commercial issues, including the structuring of transactions, risk management and contract compliance. She also counsels clients with respect to a wide variety of IP issues, including patent exhaustion and implied licenses, standing and standards, the protection of data and other trade secrets and the development and distribution of open-source software.In addition to her transactional expertise, Tessa’s litigation background includes representing clients in arbitration, as well as in state and federal courts in such areas as antitrust, false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contract, securities, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. Her litigation experience includes complex, multidistrict and class action litigation, as well as appellate advocacy.Tessa has been ranked in Chambers and Legal 500, with clients describing her as, “one of the best attorneys I've ever worked with.” Tessa has been recognized by Chambers USA 2022 as being highly experienced in the field of technology and intellectual property transactions. Clients have commented on Tessa as having "...the ability to translate complex topics into what's necessary to get a deal done. She does a good job of making our technology accessible”. Further, Tessa "ticks all of the essential boxes, timely, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful, but she really stands out by taking time to learn our business and our products so she can give practical and actionable advice. Tessa helps us focus on key issues and balance risks to make choices."Tessa’s pro bono efforts have included work for The Biomimicry Institute, Goodwill, Common Sense Media, Business for Social Responsibility, The World Wildlife Fund, Build Change and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). She also provides IP advice to a variety of cultural, media and arts organizations; and other assistance for nonprofits. She recently received the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services from the State Bar of California.Tessa received her B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1991. In 1996, she earned her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif.Tessa served as global managing partner of Morrison Foerster from 2016 to 2022 and previously served as co-chair of the firm’s Technology Transactions Group.

Tessa Schwartz

Joyce Liou co-chairs the Trademark Group and is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. She engages in a broad intellectual property practice, with an emphasis on both IP counseling and litigation for a diverse roster of clients. Joyce has litigated numerous district court disputes involving trademark, copyright, false advertising, right of publicity, and unfair competition claims, and has secured preliminary injunctions, summary judgment rulings, and trial verdicts for her clients. In addition to federal litigation, she routinely handles proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and has extensive experience with trademark clearance, prosecution, licensing, and due diligence. Joyce manages IP portfolios and provides global strategies for industry giants and startups alike, from a broad spectrum of fields, including technology, consumer goods, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, food, and agriculture.Joyce’s successes have built her reputation as a recognized leader in trademark law. In 2022 and 2023, she was shortlisted for Trademark Lawyer of the Year by Euromoney Legal Media. Joyce serves on the Legislation and Regulation Committee for the International Trademark Association. Outside of her practice, Joyce is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the greater community. She serves on the Development Committee for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and participates in clinics to help individuals seeking U.S. naturalization or asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.Joyce received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 2010. While attending law school, she externed for the Honorable William H. Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. She received her B.A. in economics and political science with distinction from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007.

Joyce Liou

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe class="sticky-video" allowfullscreen="1" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/Q0TTyb7UVt4?rel=0" title="Lisa M. Phelan" title="iframe"></iframe></div>Lisa Phelan, former Chief of the National Criminal Enforcement and Washington Criminal I Sections of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is a partner and co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Global Antitrust Law Practice Group and a member of the Investigations + White Collar Group. With more than 25 years of service at the DOJ as one of the leading authorities in criminal antitrust matters, Lisa draws upon her unmatched criminal investigations, litigation, and enforcement experience to guide clients through sensitive issues pertaining to domestic and international cartel actions and white-collar investigations and to rapidly assess and address their risk and total exposure to potential claims of unlawful collusion.Clients turn to Lisa for her knowledge and understanding when subpoenaed or when enforcement agencies execute a search warrant or stage a dawn raid. Few have the breadth of her experience to counsel and represent clients through each step of a cartel investigation, leniency application, plea negotiation, or criminal jury trial. Additionally, Lisa is an expert in the components of effective compliance programs and is an asset to clients in preventing antitrust problems before they arise. She has worked on complex antitrust matters across numerous major industries, including financial services, technology, aviation, automotive, shipping, paper, petroleum, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, among others.As Chief of the National Criminal Enforcement and Washington Criminal I Sections of the Antitrust Division, Lisa supervised and coordinated all investigative and litigation work on international and national criminal cartel cases. Lisa regularly coordinated investigations and prosecutions with cartel enforcement agencies worldwide, including in the European Union, Japan, Mexico, Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Brazil, among others. Additionally, she often interfaced with other law enforcement units when investigations raised non-antitrust issues.Before Lisa was appointed Chief of National Criminal Enforcement, she served as a senior criminal litigator in the Antitrust Division, leading investigations and trials of multinational corporations and their executives for price-fixing and related crimes. Lisa prosecuted more than 300 federal criminal cases and led and oversaw dozens of jury trials throughout her tenure at the DOJ.Lisa has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Presidential Rank Award, awarded by President Obama in 2015, the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, awarded by Attorney General Eric Holder in 2014; and, on multiple occasions, the Assistant Attorney General’s Outstanding Service Award, while serving as a lead trial attorney and a senior official at the DOJ.Law enforcement agencies and competition partners consult Lisa on best practices and policies in cartel enforcement and leniency programs. She has been frequently acknowledged for her insight and dexterity in the fields in which she practices. Recognitions include:<ul><li>“[Lisa’s] ability to distill information and come to solutions is amazing. We are lucky to be represented by her.” –Chambers USA, 2022 (Client Testimonial)</li><li>“[Lisa] is very knowledgeable on DOJ practices and policies.” –Chambers USA, 2022 (Client Testimonial)</li><li>“[Lisa] is excellent and gives well thought-out and practical advice.” –Chambers USA, 2021 (Client Testimonial)</li><li>“Lisa Phelan has three decades of experience as a DOJ attorney, including serving as Chief of the National Criminal Enforcement section of the Antitrust Division. She is prominent in the market and well-placed to advise clients on criminal cartel proceedings. Sources describe her as a 'fantastic lawyer,’ who ‘knows everything.’” –Chambers USA, 2020</li></ul>Lisa frequently speaks at American Bar Association (ABA), International Competition Network, International Bar Association, and various prominent white-collar crime conferences. She has been an active participant in ABA programs and activities for nearly three decades. Currently, she serves as co-chair of the Antitrust Section’s International Cartel Task Force, which regularly meets with competition agency heads from around the globe to provide thought leadership and to advise on competition law changes and practices, including leniency program criteria. She is also a leader on the Antitrust Section’s Influencer Task Force. Additionally, Lisa proposed and worked to establish the ABA Antitrust Section’s Women.Connected Committee.Lisa has long championed the advancement of women within the legal profession and in the Antitrust Bar in particular. Recognized by MLex as a “trailblazer” for women in antitrust, in recent years, she founded the “Women in Cartel” group, which has expanded its membership nationally and internationally. More than once, she has been named one of Global Competition Review’s Top “Women in Antitrust.” In addition, Lisa serves on the firm’s Women’s Strategy Committee, working closely with firm leaders to ensure that the advancement of women is a constant strategic priority. Lisa is a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.Lisa received her J.D. magna cum laude from American University, Washington College of Law, where she served on the International Law Journal. She received her B.A. summa cum laude, also from American University. Lisa is an adjunct Professor at AU law school, teaching a seminar on Criminal Antitrust.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Represent a European executive indicted in the U.S. on a criminal Sherman Act charge of bid rigging on government contracts.</li><li>Represent a major national healthcare company investigated by DOJ’s Antitrust Division on allegations of criminal agreements not to hire or solicit employees from another major national healthcare company. Obtained a non-prosecution agreement from DOJ for the company and all of its executives.</li><li>Represent a large national health staffing company in multiple grand jury investigations around the U.S. for various alleged Sherman Act criminal violations. Obtained non-prosecution commitment from DOJ for the company and its executives in all matters.</li><li>Represent a major Japanese component parts maker subject to a grand jury investigation by DOJ. Obtained a non-prosecution decision for the company and its executives.</li><li>Represent a large national media company in meetings with DOJ regarding possible anticompetitive conduct.</li><li>Represent a major prescription services company under investigation by the FTC for possible monopolization and abuse of dominance violations.</li><li>Represent an oil and gas industry company under grand jury investigation by the Antitrust Division and obtained a non-prosecution decision from DOJ.</li><li>Represent numerous CEOs and high-level executives in numerous criminal antitrust grand jury investigations.</li></ul>