MoFo Perspectives Podcast

Why should you be concerned with English Anti-Suits (no Harvey or Mike here), French arbitration and Russian proceedings? Join Chiraag Shah and Robin Bachmann on our recent arbitration episode, as they discuss the English Supreme Court’s in the recent Unicredit v RCA decision, and what this may spell for things to come …

Morrison Foerster partners Kate Driscoll and Nate Mendell, both former federal prosecutors in the firm’s Investigations + White Collar Defense Group, host the first episode of their new podcast titled When Your Life Sciences Are on the Line, where leading practitioners and thought leaders in the life sciences sector share the insights and advice you need to manage business and legal risk when your life sciences are on the line.

In this episode, Kate and Nate spoke with Jim Krenn, a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Emerging Companies + Venture Capital and Mergers + Acquisitions Practice Groups, about how emerging and established life sciences companies can build and preserve value by protecting their most valuable asset: their trade secrets. Listen in for strategies for emerging and established companies looking to position themselves for growth, for acquisition, and for going public. What are the right steps to take now that technology allows for more sophisticated and less detectable trade secrets theft? What is the value proposition of implementing protections, and what do investors expect now that cyberattacks are prevalent? Topics of discussion also include strategies for scaling compliance programs and data security practices throughout a company’s lifecycle, and preferred strategies for testing existing policies and systems to identify vulnerabilities.

Watch our videocast or listen to the podcast conversation with Fractional CMO Amy Wilson and personal brand guru Matt Swain, on how founders can build a personal brand and the importance of emerging companies of having a well-thought-out marketing strategy.

The legal framework on AI in the UK is in a state of flux, with the UK government’s desire to be a “pro-innovation” hub for AI businesses yet to be underpinned by a clear legal framework.

Join AI and Technology partner Charlotte Walker-Osborn and IP partner Steven James to discover some of the areas you need to be thinking about when developing, deploying or using AI systems.

AI is rapidly changing the way we do business. AI presents exciting opportunities for founders and emerging companies but the laws governing AI in the UK are in a state of flux. There are many different laws and guidance to understand and contend with, which can be challenging for emerging businesses.

Join AI and Technology partner Charlotte Walker-Osborn and IP partner Steven James to hear about some of the areas you need to be thinking about as a founder, investor or advisor and when to start having those discussions.

The 14th episode in this series focused on “Business Leadership in the Context of 2024’s Elections,” with Aron Cramer, President and CEO of BSR, interviewing Daniella Ballou-Aares, Founder and CEO of the Leadership Now Project.

Daniella started the Leadership Now Project in 2017 to focus business leaders on the critical actions required to renew American democracy. Daniella began her career at Bain & Company, working across the firm’s offices in the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. From there she became a founding partner at Dalberg, where she led the Americas business and transformed the startup into the largest social impact strategy firm, with 25 offices worldwide. She spent five years in the Obama administration as the Senior Advisor for Development to the Secretary of State, serving under Secretaries Clinton and Kerry. Daniella’s perspectives have been featured in publications such as the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Fast Company, and POLITICO, and at the World Economic Forum. Daniella is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was a 2014 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. She holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School, and a B.S. cum laude in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell.

The Leadership Now Project is a membership organization of business and thought leaders taking action to protect and renew American democracy. The organization mobilizes its members’ influence, expertise, and investment for high-impact solutions for American democracy. Leadership Now members are the foundation of the organization, driving action and enabling impact. Founded in 2017 by a group of Harvard Business School alumni, the Leadership Now Project today has members across more than 25 states and collaborates with faculty at 15+ colleges and universities.

More than a quarter of respondents (26%) in our survey say they have left sustainability policies unchanged because of concerns raised by principals or investment professionals; almost as many (24%) cite the concerns of their limited partners (LPs). In this podcast, we discuss the backlash against ESG in the US and how it impacts Asia-headquartered GPs. Should GPs tweak their ESG policies or their implementation to ensure they are acceptable to all LPs? Is it possible to please all LPs?

The thirteenth episode in this series focused on “ESG: Looking Back and Ahead,” with Aron Cramer, president and CEO at BSR, and Susan H. Mac Cormac, co-chair of the ESG + Sustainability and Social Enterprise + Impact Investing practices at MoFo.

The ESG and impact space witnessed interesting developments in 2023, ranging from new regulations to anti-ESG legislation, litigation, and enforcements. This discussion provided insights and reviewed key events that took place in the ESG and impact space last year, as well as highlighted trends and predictions for 2024 and beyond.

In certain states in the US, the EU and the UK, there is a growing expectation for companies and funds to extend sustainability due diligence throughout their global supply chains. Companies and funds are also facing increasing customer demands with respect to sustainability. In this podcast, we discuss how companies and funds can think holistically about third-party risks, compliance, and

sustainability-related subject matters—including steps they can take to balance local compliance requirements with global sustainability requirements applicable in jurisdictions within their supply chain, navigate business relationships in high-risk areas, and partner with subject matter experts on supply chain diligence to provide guidance on redirecting and diversifying their supply chains in new markets.

MoFounders Podcast: How to Disrupt an Outmoded Industry and Scale an App Nationwide by Morrison & Foerster LLP (MoFo)