Morrison & Foerster Alumni News - Winter 2020

MoForever Winter 2020 | 8 the notorious Maze prison, which was interesting. The case also had multiple appeals to the Ninth Circuit, one of which I argued. While the final appeal was pending, the British withdrew their request for our client’s extradition, and, as a result, he is still in the United States today. We’re very proud of that result. You founded MoFo’s San Diego office in 1999. What was that like? Exhilarating as well as scary. Kate Murashige, newly retired MoFo Patent Counseling + Prosecution senior of counsel, and I took many risks. We didn’t know if we could be successful in a new geographic market. We had the great fortune to make fantastic initial hires that set us on the path to success. It was a real team effort to make that office what it is today. It also set a new trajectory for my career. I uprooted my family and moved, which I hadn’t expected to do. Then I didn’t just practice law in San Diego; I also handled many different business aspects of opening the office and later had the honor of working with Keith Wetmore, Larren Nashelsky, Pam Reed, Laurie Hane, and Fred Lodge in my role as a Managing Partner of Operations. Moving to San Diego set me on a path that led me to where I am today at Clorox because I had to be professionally pliable. I had to be willing to roll up my sleeves in areas I’d never touched, on both the business and legal sides. And I developed a broader vision for how I could achieve success beyond trial or litigation work. How important is it for you to stay in touch with MoFo colleagues? I find it very gratifying to stay in touch with former MoFo colleagues. I really enjoyed attending the recent San Diego office’s 20th anniversary party and reconnecting with those I’d been in the trenches with. MoFo is one of the greatest firms I’ve worked with, both when I was there as a partner and now with MoFo as one of our outside counsel. Staying in touch feeds my soul, and it helps achieve successful results for my company.