Morrison & Foerster Names Global Litigation Co-Chair

NEW YORK (May 8, 2013) – Morrison & Foerster has named Don Rushing, a partner in the firm’s San Diego office, co-chair of the firm’s global Litigation Department. He joins San Francisco partner Arturo González and succeeds New York partner Grant Esposito, who served as co-chairs of the department since 2010.

Mr. Rushing, former head of the firm's Products Liability Group, is a highly regarded trial lawyer and a recognized authority on bet-the-company defense of aviation, consumer product, chemical, and pharmaceutical companies. He has served as national coordinating and trial counsel for companies in mass disaster, serial tort, and toxic tort class and multi-jurisdiction/multi-district actions. He is ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers, Legal 500 US, Benchmark Litigation, and Euromoney’s Expert Guides. The Daily Journal has recognized him as one of California’s Top 100 leading lawyers, and Best Lawyers named him “San Diego Product Liability Lawyer of the Year” in 2013. Mr. Rushing is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of seven Morrison & Foerster litigators in that elite group, and is also an associate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a certified civil trial advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, and a member of the American Law Institute.

Larren M. Nashelsky, Chair of Morrison & Foerster, remarked that Mr. Rushing's demonstrated prowess as a trial lawyer, combined with his substantial experience in senior law firm leadership positions, makes him a strategic fit to lead the firm's largest and one of its most important departments.

“Don is an incredibly accomplished litigator and experienced leader who commands tremendous respect from his partners, clients and adversaries,” said Mr. Nashelsky. “We are delighted he will be taking on this critically important role.”

Mr. Rushing assumes leadership of a department widely regarded as among the very best in the world. Morrison & Foerster is consistently ranked as one of the top litigation practices by The American Lawyer, Chambers, The National Law Journal, Legal 500, Law360, and Benchmark Litigation. Showcasing the depth and breadth of Morrison  Foerster's practice, the editors ofU.S. News/Best Lawyers annual “Best Law Firms” report ranked the firm in the top tier nationally in 12 separate litigation practices in its most recent edition.

“Grant and Arturo were a dynamic duo and did a great job enhancing our position as one of the preeminent litigation practices in the world,” said Mr. Nashelsky. “Grant worked tirelessly in leading our litigators while maintaining his successful practice, to which he returns full time. We are grateful to him for his many contributions.” He added that, “We are excited about the team of Arturo and Don and believe that their different styles and their mutually relentless focus on results for clients will continue to drive us as an elite litigation department.”

Added Mr. Rushing: “I look forward to leading the department with Arturo. I deeply respect the work that he and Grant have done over the past few years and I share their commitment to litigation excellence in service to our clients. I’m honored to have been chosen for this role.”

Mr. Rushing earned his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles School of Law, his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California, and his B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy. During law school, Mr. Rushing was a member of the UCLA Law Review editorial board. Before law school, Mr. Rushing served as a U.S. Air Force officer with the Air Force System Command’s Space and Missile Systems Organization.

About MoFo Litigation

Morrison & Foerster has one of the most active and accomplished litigation groups of any firm in the world. The 500-attorney department is staffed by lawyers renowned for their prowess in high-stakes, complex and cross-border cases. They include some of the top trial and appellate lawyers in the United States, as well as leading practitioners in the areas of intellectual property and patents, securities, antitrust, white collar criminal defense, products liability, privacy, class action defense, unfair competition, financial services, trade secrets, and employment litigation. The firm also handles some of the most significant pro bono cases on the docket, including successful class certification in a battle against the U.S. military over alleged secret testing of chemical and biological weapons on soldiers; winning a U.S. Supreme Court case that prohibited the sentencing of juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole for non-homicide offenses; successfully advocating for the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; and won a landmark ruling declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.