Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has hired team from Goodwin Procter in New York to boost its emerging companies and venture capital offering.

The group is led by partner Peter Fusco, who joins as co-chair of MoFo's 170-lawyer ECVC group. Joining him for the move are Jae Zhou and Frank Paz, who have been promoted to partner on the move, and "a team of at least four associates," MoFo said in a statement.

Fusco will lead the ECVC team alongside existing co-chairs Michael Glaser and Jim Krenn, who practise out of San Francisco and San Diego respectively.  

The team's hire marks the third time this year MoFo has hit Goodwin for tech-focused talent in New York. The firm hired technology transactions partner William Wilson in July, a few months after it recruited data, privacy and cybersecurity partner Boris Segalis.

The incoming group brings more than four decades of experience advising venture funds and tech companies throughout all stages of their life cycle, from pre-incorporation planning to angel, seed and growth rounds to exit in M&A.

"In addition to bringing a well-established and nationally recognised practice and expanding our footprint in New York’s dynamic business market, the group has a strong tech focus and client base, which have great synergies with our core strengths," Glaser said. He added that the group would also bring opportunities in "complementary and adjacent" practices at the firm, including M&A, technology transactions, patent prosecution and litigation.

Fusco pointed to MoFo's position as "a technology industry market leader," adding the firm had "impressive emerging companies and transactional capabilities, particularly in the areas of AI, consumer products and Fintech, all of which are synergistic with our client roster and practice focus”.

MoFo also boosted its ECVC practice in Denver early this year with the hire of partners Chuck Cotter and Finity Jernigan, who made partner on the move, from Holland & Hart.

MoFo chair Eric McGrath said at the time that growing its ECVC team had been a key initiative for the firm in recent years, adding that continued investment in ECVC capabilities would in turn help it grow other practice areas such as M&A and litigation.