Morrison & Foerster's Kate Murashige Wins Chambers Lifetime Achievement Award

NEW YORK and SAN DIEGO, June 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At its seventh annual Awards for Excellence dinner June 7, Chambers USA presented its 2012 "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Kate H. Murashige, senior partner in Morrison & Foerster's San Diego office.

Chambers honored Dr. Murashige for her significant and continued accomplishments in patent prosecution work. She was one of only three attorneys recognized individually for Chambers' Special Awards during this year's event, and the only lawyer to win the Lifetime Achievement Award. The other two honorees, who both won awards for "Outstanding Contribution in the Legal Profession," were appellate lawyer Seth P. Waxman from WilmerHale, and plaintiffs' lawyer Elizabeth J. Cabraser from Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein.

In honoring Dr. Murashige, Chambers noted that she "is the most distinguished name among a host of leading lights at Morrison & Foerster and is regarded as a pioneer for the entire technology industry thanks to her seminal work on patent prosecution for biotech and pharma clients."

Dr. Murashige has led a number of noteworthy matters during the course of her career. She prosecuted a bovine growth hormone patent on behalf of the University of California, which took approximately 20 years from application to its issuance in 2000. On the eve of trial, biotech giant Monsanto settled related infringement claims with the university in 2006. The long-term licensing revenue to the university was valued at potentially more than $250 million.

Dr. Murashige, who holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from University of California, Los Angeles, has served on the National Institutes of Health as a member of its National Biotechnology Policy Board, and has been a member of the Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Committee of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has also taught college chemistry and was the Physical Sciences Chairperson at the College of San Mateo for six years.

Also this year Chambers shortlisted Morrison & Foerster's Corporate/M&A and Bankruptcy practices for Awards for Excellence.

Morrison & Foerster Chair Keith Wetmore stated, "We are delighted to see Chambers recognize Kate's remarkable career as a trailblazer in intellectual property law. Kate's career is rich with milestones in advising many innovative technology companies in building and securing their patent portfolios. It's also gratifying to see both our M&A and bankruptcy groups spotlighted by Chambers for the annual Awards of Excellence, underscoring the firm's eminence and continued success in these practice areas."

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Contact: Amy Merriweather, Public Relations Manager, Morrison & Foerster 415-268-6063 [email protected]

SOURCE Morrison & Foerster