Just this past year, Best Lawyers® listed attorney Randy Bullard was named Co-Chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Latin American Desk. He is an openly gay lawyer and advocate with decades of legal experience under his belt. Bullard, who’s based in Miami year-round, has been a partner at the firm since June 2019 and has worked primarily in the financial law and corporate finance practice areas. Historically, Morrison & Foerster has always been progressive, never shying away from openly advocating on behalf of the LGBTI community both domestically, in their hometown of San Francisco, as well as internationally, with their clients spanning the world over.
Long before the topics of sexual orientation and sexuality were ever introduced or discussed in a law firm environment, Morrison & Foerster always aimed to break down societal barriers. Per Law.com, the firm officially added sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policy in 1984, nine years before any other law firm decided to start discussing the rights of LGBTI lawyers. In 1995, the firm expanded benefits to same-sex couples. The firm eventually went on to make history by becoming the first major law firm to hire an openly gay man, Keith Wetmore, as chair in 2001.
Many nations still openly and aggressively ostracize members of the LGBTI community. In Latin America, the narrative is quite different, with nations like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay having a much more progressive outlook on the matter. Argentina, a nation which in some ways has acted as a catalyst of change for an entire continent, became the first South American nation to legalize same sex marriage in 2010. Through these channels of progressive thinking, in the midst of Pride Month, Bullard has been able to link with several top law firms in South America to form LGBTI affinity groups, furthering the idea of inclusivity and continuing to foster change in the field of law globally.
Morrison & Foerster has continued to be a pioneer of change, fostering an accepting work environment with a focus on inclusion, equality and support for all employees. For 2021, Best Lawyers proudly listed 133 Morrison & Foerster attorneys around the globe in The Best Lawyers in America© and 39 U.S. attorneys in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. The firm is nationally ranked in 38 practice areas and regionally ranked in 102 practice areas in the 2021 edition of U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms.”
Randy Bullard has been listed in Best Lawyers since 2019 in Banking and Finance Law and since 2020 in Mergers and Acquisitions Law.
