Market-Leading Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Partners Chuck Cotter and Finity Jernigan Join Morrison Foerster in Denver

(January 18, 2024) – Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Chuck Cotter and Finity Jernigan as Denver-based partners in the firm’s Emerging Companies + Venture Capital (ECVC) Group. Between them, Cotter and Jernigan bring more than three decades of experience and a market-leading practice in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) space to Morrison Foerster.

Cotter and Jernigan join Morrison Foerster from another law firm where Cotter and Jernigan most recently served as co-chairs of the Food, Beverage, and Consumer Products Industry Group. Over more than the past decade, Jernigan and Cotter have built a full-service emerging company practice focused primarily on consumer products with emphasis on the food, beverage, beauty, personal care, and fashion sectors, as well as ag tech and food tech transactions. Together, they have represented growing companies, funds and strategic investors, from early stages through to exit. Specifically, they help early and growth stage companies raise capital, negotiate key agreements, manage investor and board dynamics, and achieve successful exits, and they assist funds and other investors to grow their portfolios.

Jernigan and Cotter’s addition underscores the continued growth of Morrison Foerster’s global ECVC capabilities. The firm has added 13 ECVC partners around the globe in recent years, who were either promoted to partner or joined as lateral partners, to meet the needs of its clients across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This includes the high-profile arrivals of San Francisco-based ECVC partners Murray Indick and Michael Glaser, co-chairs of the firm’s ECVC practice, as well as partners Brad Kondracki and Mike LaPlante, and the recent promotion to partner of Christopher McKinnon, in addition to Cotter and Jernigan’s arrival this year.

“The growth of our ECVC practice has been a key initiative for the firm over the past several years,” said Eric McCrath, chair of Morrison Foerster. “In addition to being strong additions to our firm, and bringing a well-established, leading ECVC practice to our Denver office, Chuck and Finity’s arrival, coupled with the recent addition of several other prominent ECVC partners, is a testament to our continued investment in, and commitment to expanding, our firmwide ECVC capabilities and team, which in turn helps us grow other practice areas such as M&A, technology transactions, patent prosecution, and litigation.”

Over the span of his more-than-20-year legal career, Cotter has held several prominent roles both in house and in private practice. Prior to joining his last firm, Cotter was a partner and chair of the Consumer Products Group at another leading law firm. He also worked for nine years on Wall Street, practicing at two law firms and as in-house counsel at a major hedge fund. In his current practice, Cotter advises companies and funds at all stages of growth, from startups to ready-to-exit companies, helping them successfully raise capital and achieve successful exits. Cotter also regularly advises consumer products investment funds in investment rounds. He was recognized by Law360 as a Food and Beverage MVP for helping consumer startups and established brands disrupt the consumer-packaged goods market, in addition to being recently recognized in Chambers USA for Corporate/M&A, and securing several other industry awards and recognitions throughout his career.

Jernigan brings more than 15-years of experience to Morrison Foerster. In addition to her work serving clients in the CPG space at her previous firm, Jernigan was a partner in the Venture Capital & Emerging Growth practice at another leading firm. Prior to that, she practiced at another prominent law firm, and served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado. In her day-to-day practice, Jernigan is a go-to advisor for emerging growth companies and venture capital and private equity funds in the consumer products industry, including food, beverage, personal care, beauty, skincare, cosmetics, and other natural products, helping them to successfully raise capital, execute acquisitions and divestitures and manage various corporate governance and other matters along the way. In 2022, she was recognized by BizWest Boulder Valley among its 40 Under Forty Leaders.

“We are extremely excited for our clients and ourselves to join an internationally prominent firm. We will always have a highly personal and practical touch as our clients’ goals are our goals,” said Cotter.

“Serving our clients and helping them achieve their goals has always been and continues to be our passion. We are thrilled to be joining Morrison Foerster, which has incredible resources to support our clients and their constant evolution in an increasingly complex and competitive business environment,” added Jernigan.

Cotter earned his B.A. from Vassar College and his J.D. from Columbia Law School. He is admitted to practice in Colorado and New York. Jernigan earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Texas A&M University, and her J.D. with honors from University of Texas School of Law. She is admitted to practice in Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming.