Morrison Foerster Adds Litigation Heavyweight Ben Summerfield in London

Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Ben Summerfield, who joins the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department, based in London. Summerfield brings over two decades of complex commercial litigation and arbitration experience to the firm and has acted in many major disputes matters.  

Summerfield joins from a global law firm where he was the co-chair of global commercial disputes, leading the disputes group across Europe and the Middle East. He brings a broad practice to Morrison Foerster, with wide-ranging experience in complex, high-value, cross-border commercial disputes before the English courts and international arbitration tribunals. Summerfield’s experience spans multiple industries, including financial services, technology, telecommunications, media, entertainment, energy, and infrastructure.

Summerfield adds significant depth to Morrison Foerster’s Global Litigation Department and London litigation group, which has experienced rapid growth in recent years. This most recently included the addition of a four-strong Intellectual Property team led by Steven James in December 2022 and the expansion of the firm’s global Competition/Antitrust and UK National Security Practice with the arrival of partner Marie-Claire Strawbridge in 2022. Morrison Foerster and premier litigation boutique Durie Tangri also combined in January 2023, significantly expanding the firm’s U.S. West Coast trial experience.

“Ben is one of the top commercial litigators in the London market with an extensive track record of delivering for clients across high-stakes disputes and a reputation for practice building,” said Paul Friedman, Morrison Foerster’s Managing Partner for Europe. “Our Litigation practice in London is thriving, and our disputes, investigations and arbitration teams continue to experience robust demand. In the last five years, we have added strength and depth in London with numerous, strategic lateral hires, and Ben’s arrival is another terrific example of MoFo’s commitment to providing top-of-market advice for our clients’ business-critical disputes needs.”

Summerfield has represented clients in high-profile, complex matters before the English courts and in international arbitrations, including most recently acting for a global technology company defending minority shareholder claims in the English High Court relating to a failed healthcare joint venture; acting in a London seated arbitration in claims relating to the creation and use of fraudulent projections by the respondents in an expert determination; and acting for a leading food and beverage operator in two Swiss arbitrations defending claims for alleged breaches of license agreements.

“With Ben’s arrival, we are adding further strength to our global commercial litigation offering in a key market for our clients,” said Christine Wong, Global Co-Chair of Morrison Foerster’s Litigation Department. “Ben’s depth of experience and ability to handle market-leading disputes will make him a terrific asset for our clients. His addition is also another significant milestone in the continued expansion of our Litigation Department, following our combination with Durie Tangri on the U.S. West Coast at the start of the year, and comes at a time of continued demand growth from our clients globally.”

“Morrison Foerster’s collaborative culture, and top-tier reputation doing top quality work for top quality clients across its global platform, combined with the momentum the London disputes practice is experiencing, were all key factors in my decision to join the firm,” said Summerfield. “I look forward to collaborating with colleagues in London and across the firm’s global network to support clients on their most complex and high-stakes disputes.”

Summerfield holds an undergraduate degree in Management Sciences from the University of Manchester and completed his Legal Practice Course at the College of Law. He is admitted to practice in England and Wales.