Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has opened in Boston after hiring a large team from a local finance boutique and making a further lateral partner hire.
The international firm recruited a 23 lawyer team, including eight partners, from Riemer & Braunstein to staff its new office, which will focus on technology, life sciences, finance and emerging companies.
MoFo also recruited Proskauer Rose partner Ori Solomon for its new branch. He has been appointed co-chair of the firm’s emerging companies and venture capital practice.
Among the eight partners who joined from Riemer & Braunstein was former senior partner David Ephraim who will lead MoFo’s new Boston office. The other seven are Gregory Bilton, David Givner, Jonathan Jacobs, Joseph O’Donnell, Alexander Rheaume, Charles Stavros and Beth Tunstall.
The remainder of the 30 strong team of fee-earners is made up of existing MoFo lawyers who have transferred to Boston.
Commenting on the move MoFo chair Larren Nashelsky said the new office was something the firm had been planning for some time but that they were waiting for the right opportunity. “We have been looking at Boston for a number of years,” he said. “To really move the needle and make a huge difference within the firm, we had to open at scale. For us the size was around 30 people and a significant amount of revenue. The group needed to fit in what we do and what we are known for by our clients around the world.”
The Boston office extends MoFo’s US network to eight offices. It also has five branches in Asia and three in Europe.
Nashelsky said the firm intends to expand the Boston office in the future. “We seek growth in the corporate area, in private equity and M&A, and in some litigation practices as well,” he said. “We won’t put a number or a timeframe on it, but we plan to grow.”