| Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Los Angeles |
| No. of offices | 2 |
| No. of attorneys | 181 (2011) |
| No. of employees | 450 (2008) |
| Major practice areas | litigation, corporate, tax, real estate, bankruptcy, labor and employment, environmental |
| Key people | Sandra A. Seville-Jones, Managing Partner |
| Revenue | $198 million (2009) |
| Date founded | 1962 |
| Founder | Charlie Munger and Ronald Olson |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | |
| mto.com | |
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP (MTO) is a California law firm that has offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Charles Munger founded the firm in 1962 with six other lawyers.[1]
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Munger, Tolles & Olson is known for its defense of corporations in civil law suits and individuals in criminal trials and investigations. The American Lawyer described the firm as an "army of trial lawyers capable of waging war."[2] Chambers and Partners noted that the firm is a "litigation powerhouse."[3] High profile representations have included:
The firm has a transactional practice that represented Yahoo!'s board of directors during Microsoft's proposed takeover; Warren Buffett in his $31 billion gift to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and Berkshire Hathaway in its $22 billion purchase of General Reinsurance and $5 billion investment in Goldman Sachs.[11] Additionally, the firm served as legal counsel during the construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.[12]
In 2008, Munger, Tolles & Olson ranked as the nation's top law firm on the American Lawyer A-List based on financial performance, pro bono practice, associate satisfaction and workplace diversity.[13] [14] The firm topped the "A-List" list of the nation's most elite law firms again in 2009 [15] and 2010 [16]. After three years at the top of the list, the firm took second place in the 2011 rankings. [17].
The firm hires only a handful of top law school graduates each year and promotes from within. About seventy percent of attorneys have clerked for federal judges, including 18 for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.[1] Vault's 2012 Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms ranked the firm third in the nation for selectivity, and second in transparency.[18] Nearly half of the attorneys who started at the firm in the last twenty years continue to practice there.[1] Additionally, the firm ranked third on the American Lawyer's 2011 Diversity Scorecard, with 23.4 percent of the firm's attorneys and 16.1 percent of the firm's partners as minorities. [19]
There are 181 lawyers at Munger, Tolles & Olson.[1] In 2008, the Daily Journal named three attorneys to its list of the Top 100 Lawyers in California.[20] Prominent attorneys include:
Notable alumni include: