SAN FRANCISCO — Morrison & Foerster appears to have avoided getting the boot from the contentious trade secrets lawsuit between Uber and Waymo, Google's driverless car division. But the law firm is also now on track to be one of the many characters at trial.

The result is an example of just how complicated things can get when a firm takes on different kinds of work for a single client. Although such arrangements can be lucrative and efficient, they also can get sticky in the context of litigation.

MoFo wore many hats in the series of events leading up to Waymo's decision to sue Uber this past February. Deal lawyers from the firm represented Uber in its acquisition of a company founded by former Waymo engineer, Anthony Levandowski. MoFo also initially represented Levandowski when Waymo launched an arbitration over his employment contract last fall.