Morrison Foerster Elects 17 Partners

The class of 2026 includes lawyers from 13 practice groups across our global platform.

NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the election of 17 lawyers to the firm's partnership, effective January 1, 2026. The class of 2026 includes lawyers from 13 practice groups.

"It is my privilege to welcome the talented members of our 2026 class of attorneys to the partnership at Morrison Foerster," Eric McCrath, chair of Morrison Foerster, stated. "The members of this class individually and collectively personify the firm's commitment to client service, the constant pursuit of excellence, and our collaborative professional environment. I am eager to see the myriad ways they will continue to contribute to the firm's success in the years to come."

The following lawyers have been elected as partners:

• Jake Burne is a member of the Finance Group in the Transactions Department, based in Denver. He represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions, including acquisition financings and leveraged buyouts, senior syndicated facilities, asset-based lending, and other secured and unsecured financings. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
• Josh Crawford is a member of the Patent Group in the Transactions Department, based in Washington, D.C. Josh's practice focuses on U.S. patent prosecution, international patent portfolio management, patent infringement and validity analysis, and IP litigation support. Josh has extensive experience drafting and prosecuting patents across a wide range of technologies. He also supports post-grant patent proceedings and patent litigation proceedings, with experience spanning network security, GPS technology, medical devices, display technologies, and integrated circuits. Josh received his J.D., with highest honors, from The George Washington University Law School.
• Caitlin Crujido is a member of the Government Contracts Group in the Litigation Department, based in Washington, D.C. She represents government contractors in a range of procurement matters including pre- and post-award bid protests, contract claims and disputes, and internal and external investigations. Caitlin also maintains an active transactional practice, which involves advising clients on both the sale and purchase of government contracting concerns and related assets. She routinely helps clients navigate various strategic and legal considerations associated with these transactions. Caitlin received her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law.
• Raff Ferraioli is a member of the Business Restructuring + Insolvency Group in the Transactions Department, based in New York. He has worked on a broad range of restructuring matters across various industries and has experience representing official committees of unsecured creditors, as well as ad hoc groups, creditors, debtors, and other parties in interest in all aspects of complex corporate restructuring strategies and bankruptcy cases. He received his LL.M. and J.D. from St. John's University School of Law.
• Lawrence Gallick is a member of the Technology Transactions Group in the Transactions Department, based in Austin. Lawrence brings to his practice a deep understanding of the software and technology arena built on his prior 12+ year career as a web UX and information architecture professional. He received his J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.
• Jenny Galloway is a member of the Investigations + White Collar Defense Group in the Litigation Department, based in London. Jenny has unique experience advising both corporate clients and senior executives facing concurrent government investigations (including UK public inquiries and parliamentary select committees), civil litigation, criminal exposure, and reputational issues. She received her LL.B. from King's College in London.
• Hannah Jiam is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group in the Litigation Department, based in San Francisco. Her practice focuses on the intersection of technology and law, and her litigation experience involves a broad range of technologies, including software, medical devices, and pharmaceutical drugs. She received her J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.
• Julia Koch is a member of the Securities Litigation Group in the Litigation Department, based in Boston. In addition to representing clients in securities and shareholder litigation, she also supports the Investigations + White Collar Defense Group with her experience in regulatory and criminal investigations. Julia represents a broad range of clients, including individuals and multinational entities, in high-stakes litigation, complex commercial and corporate governance disputes, and investigations concerning fraud, bribery, and securities laws violations. She regularly defends clients in both federal and state courts as well as in private arbitration. Julia received her J.D. from Boston College Law School.
• Astrid Menendez-Muharram is a member of the Mergers + Acquisitions Group in the Transactions Department, based in Miami, with a particular focus on domestic and cross-border private equity investments. Astrid represents clients in all aspects of their investment activity across a wide variety of industry sectors, including consumer and retail; defense and government contracting; food and agriculture; aerospace and transportation; business services; technology; and industrials. She received her J.D. from Florida International University College of Law.
• Christoph Nüßing is a member of the Antitrust Group in the Litigation Department, based in Berlin. His practice focuses on advising clients on digital regulatory compliance under EU-level and German technology and media laws, particularly in the areas of content moderation, electronic communications, media distribution, and cybersecurity. He regularly represents leading multinational companies in complex regulatory matters at the intersection of novel legal frameworks and emerging technologies. Christoph studied law at the University of Münster and passed his Second State Exam in Berlin.
• Hisatada Ohashi is a member of the Real Estate Group in the Transactions Department, based in Tokyo. His practice focuses on complex real estate transactions in Japan, including acquisitions and dispositions of office buildings, logistics facilities, residential assets, hotels, data centers, and R&D properties, as well as development projects, joint ventures, and real estate backed M&A, for a wide range of international investors. He earned his LL.B. from Kyoto University, his J.D. from the University of Tokyo School of Law, and LL.M.s from Stanford Law School and New York University School of Law.
• Ben Rosenzweig is a partner in the firm's Finance Group in the Transactions Department, based in Boston, where he represents leading commercial banks and other financial institutions in a wide range of domestic and cross-border lending transactions. Ben counsels lenders in single-lender and co-lender facilities involving regional, national, and international companies across the life sciences, healthcare, and technology sectors. Ben advises clients on all aspects of secured lending, with experience spanning venture debt, asset-based lending, second-lien and mezzanine facilities, acquisition financings, and international credit transactions. Ben received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
• Luke Rowland is a member of the Mergers + Acquisitions Group in the Transactions Department, based in London. He advises clients on a range of corporate transactions, with particular experience counseling clients on significant, cross-border public and private M&A, investments, and joint ventures. He received his L.P.C. from BPP Law School.
• Takaki Sato is a member of the Mergers + Acquisitions Group in the Transactions Department, based in Tokyo. He is a bengoshi specializing in complex M&A transactions with a distinctive focus on data privacy. His experience includes advising on private equity acquisitions, growth investments, joint ventures, and public company transactions. Takaki also brings deep expertise in protecting data privacy and counseling global tech companies on compliance, data-sharing frameworks, incident responses, and evolving regulatory requirements. His transactional privacy work enables clients to accurately assess risk, particularly in data-driven businesses and high-stakes investments. He received his LL.M. from Columbia Law School and his J.D. from the University of Tokyo.
• Sumaiya Sharmeen is a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group in the Litigation Department, based in Palo Alto. Her practice focuses on high-stakes patent and trade secret disputes in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. She has significant experience representing leading innovators in matters involving biologics, antibody-drug conjugates, gene therapy, and bio-manufacturing technologies. Sumaiya has litigated across multiple forums, including federal district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and arbitration tribunals. She also advises clients on patent portfolio development, pre-suit investigations, and strategic IP counseling. Sumaiya received her J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School.
• Camila Tapernoux is a member of the Complex Litigation Group in the Litigation Department, based in San Francisco. Her practice focuses on class action and commercial litigation, with an emphasis in unfair competition, false advertising, privacy, and product liability matters. Her clients include technology firms, consumer products companies, and healthcare providers. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School.
• Yuan Xia is a member of the Executive Compensation + Benefits Group in the Transactions Department, based in Palo Alto. Her practice focuses on the transactional aspects of executive compensation matters in the context of domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity investments, public offerings, and restructurings. Yuan also provides ongoing executive compensation advice to emerging companies and venture capital backed clients as well as publicly traded companies on a wide range of day-to-day compensation, equity, and governance matters. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

About Morrison Foerster

Morrison Foerster is a leading global law firm. Our clients include some of the most innovative companies—from startups to Fortune 100 leaders—in technology, life sciences, financial services, food + agriculture, and other industries. Highlighting the firm's commitment to client service, leadership in market-changing deals and impact litigation, and values‑based culture, Morrison Foerster has been named on The American Lawyer's A-List for 21 of the ranking's 22 years. Year after year, the firm receives significant recognition from Chambers and The Legal 500 across its various guides, including Global, USA, Asia Pacific, Europe, UK, Latin America, and FinTech Legal. Our lawyers passionately care about delivering legal excellence while living our values. We believe that an inclusive workplace is crucial to leveraging the talents of all people who work here and enhances our ability to provide top-class legal services for our clients. For more information, visit www.mofo.com.

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