Susan Mac Cormac is a partner of global law firm Morrison & Foerster, serving as co-chair of the energy and clean technology groups.
Mac Cormac’s work focuses on advising innovative, forward-thinking sustainable and renewable energy companies and investors on corporate structure, equity and debt financings, mergers, acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, reorganizations, and joint ventures. She advises corporations on the intersection of fiduciary duties and environmental sustainability as well as disclosure around ESG. She has particular expertise on ensuring energy, sustainability, and other investments have positive impact through use of new corporate forms, hybrids, alternative debt and equity instruments, and disclosure.
In 2015, the Financial Times named Mac Cormac the “Most Innovative North American Lawyer” for her work championing impact investing and social enterprise legal innovation. She was named one of California Lawyer’s Attorneys of the Year in 2016 and in 2012, received the 2016 National Public Service Award from the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section for her innovative pro bono services to nonprofits, and has been recognized on several leadership lists, including the Daily Journal’s Top Female Lawyers for 2016, 2012, and 2011 and Top 100 Lawyers for 2012. She was a founding board member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, is a member of the Ceres President’s Council and the Board of Earth Genome Project, and is an advising board member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy’s Strategic Investor Initiative. She is also professor of social enterprise law at UC Berkeley School of Law.
Mac Cormac holds a B.A. from Williams College and received her J.D. and LL.M. degrees from Duke University School of Law.