Global law firm Morrison & Foerster announced the election of 12 lawyers to the firm’s partnership. The class of 2016 includes individuals from 10 practice groups across eight offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The following lawyers have been elected partners:

Alexis Amezcua, a member of the Commercial Litigation Practice Group, is based in the San Francisco office. Amezcua has practiced in a variety of substantive areas, including breach of contract, wrongful termination, trade secret theft, unfair competition, product liability, federal banking law, complex consumer class actions and wrongful death. Her clients range from major financial institutions, international product manufacturers, national retailers and individuals. She has extensive experience representing such clients in mass, complex consumer class actions, including in federal multidistrict litigation proceedings and state court coordinated proceedings.

Scott Ashton, a member of the Capital Markets Practice Group, is based in the London office. Ashton has a corporate finance practice with emphasis on cross-border securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and restructurings. His capital markets experience includes private placements and public offerings of debt and equity. His M&A experience encompasses public and private acquisitions, asset sales and tender offers. In addition, his restructuring experience includes debt restructurings, bankruptcy proceedings and corporate spin-offs. Ashton has specialized expertise in representing European and other companies who wish to make private placements of debt securities to institutional investors. He also advises companies and investors with respect to corporate governance matters, SEC reporting and U.S. securities laws.

James J. Beha II, a member of the Securities Litigation, Enforcement and White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice Group, is based in the New York office. Beha’s practice focuses on securities litigation, defending public companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, M&A litigation and other complex business disputes. In addition to his securities litigation experience, he frequently represents debtors, creditors and other interested parties in bankruptcy litigation. He also has extensive commercial litigation experience, including contract, partnership, real estate and employment disputes.

Matthew Chivvis, a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group, is based in the San Francisco office. Chivvis represents high-tech, Internet and life sciences companies. Though his practice focuses on intellectual property litigation in federal and state courts, he also regularly consults clients on plant intellectual property matters, including strategic use of plant and utility patents, plant-variety protection certificates and trademark rights.

Kristina Ehle, a member of the Technology Transactions Practice Group, is based in the Berlin office. Ehle’s practice focuses on advising German and international clients in the media, information technology, mobile and e-commerce, consumer electronics and products and clean technology industries on intellectual property issues as well as on Internet, IT, consumer, contract and commercial law matters.

Enrico Granata, a member of the Corporate Department, is based in the New York office. Granata specializes in M&A. His practice focuses on representing private and public corporate clients, private equity funds and hedge funds in negotiated and contested mergers, acquisitions, tender and exchange offers, proxy contests, takeover defense counseling and joint ventures. Granata has extensive M&A and private equity experience in a variety of sectors, including energy, infrastructure, financial services, technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, consumer products, defense and real estate/REIT.

Erik Knudsen, a member of the Corporate Department and Private Equity Investments and Buyouts Practice Group, is based in the Denver office. Knudsen focuses his practice on complex business transactions, including leveraged buyouts, strategic mergers, acquisitions, investments and joint ventures, reorganizations, growth equity and venture capital investments and divestitures. He has led transactions in a variety of industries, including healthcare, Internet, technology, real estate, distribution and manufacturing.

Diana Kruze, a member of the Intellectual Property Litigation Group, is based in the San Francisco office. Kruze focuses her practice on patent, trade secret and copyright litigation. She also has extensive experience with licensing, IP counseling for start-ups and patent post-grant review procedures. She represents clients in a wide range of technical disciplines including software, medical devices, nanotechnology, life sciences, smartphones, satellite systems and semiconductor processing and packaging.

John Pintarelli, a member of the Business Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group, is based in the New York office. Pintarelli represents debtors and creditors in complex domestic and international bankruptcy and insolvency matters, including judicial and out-of-court restructurings. His practice includes the representation of foreign liquidators and administrators in cross-border insolvency proceedings and chapter 15 cases. He also represents banks, investors and lenders in debtor-in-possession and exit financings, loan restructurings, asset sales and other aspects of bankruptcy cases.

Shannon Reaney, a member of the Patent Counseling and Prosecution Practice Group, is based in the Palo Alto, CA office. Reaney counsels pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients and specializes in patent matters in the areas of organic chemistry and small molecule pharmaceuticals. She develops and manages large patent portfolios for mid-size to large companies and provides strategic advice on lifecycle management and issues relating to regulatory considerations.

Elizabeth Sluder, a member of Project Finance Practice Group, is based in the Los Angeles office. Sluder focuses her practice on project finance, M&A, private equity and general corporate advice. She has substantial experience representing clients in renewable energy transactions, including construction and term debt financings, tax equity investments and negotiating supply agreements, construction contracts and off-take arrangements. She also represents lenders and borrowers in secured lending, as well as private banking and mezzanine and junior capital financing.

Noah Carr, a member of the Corporate Department, is based in the Tokyo office. Carr’s practice focuses on M&A and encompasses a range of cross-border strategic transactions in the technology and telecommunications industries.

“I am proud to congratulate this exceptional group of lawyers on their admission to partnership,” said Morrison & Foerster Chair Larren M. Nashelsky. “Our new partners are stellar examples of the values we represent at Morrison & Foerster – a strong commitment to extraordinary client service and legal excellence. We look forward to their continued growth and success at the firm.”