Manuel F. Cachán is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson. In 2009 and 2010, Mr. Cachán served as lead trial counsel or co-lead counsel in two multi-million dollar jury trials in Los Angeles Superior Court. In 2011 and 2012, he was part of a trial team that defended dick clark productions against a lawsuit brought by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over the rights to the Golden Globe awards show. For five consecutive years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), Mr. Cachán has been named a “Rising Star” in the field of general litigation by Law & Politics Media, Inc., as published in Los Angeles magazine. His practice covers a wide array of complex civil litigation matters.
Complex civil litigation
A fluent Spanish speaker, Mr. Cachán often represents companies with operations in Latin America in U.S. litigation. Examples include:
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Representation of Occidental Petroleum in multiple suits brought against it in U.S. federal court under the Alien Tort Statute, based on its operations in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.
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Counseling Phillip Morris International on various legal challenges facing its operations in Uruguay, Paraguay, Panamá, Nicaragua, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Honduras.
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Representation of Univision in California state and federal lawsuits against its Mexico-based program supplier, Televisa.
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Conducting an internal investigation into alleged business irregularities at TV Azteca, Mexico’s second-largest television network.
Recently, Mr. Cachán has also handled disputes in the entertainment industry.
In addition to his work as a trial lawyer, Mr. Cachán provides litigation and counseling services to leading national and international corporations, such as Phillip Morris International, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Nogales Investors Management, dick clark productions inc. and Tesoro Refining and Marketing Co.
Pro bono and community service
Mr. Cachán has taken an active role in various pro bono activities, many centered around his interests in trial work and Latin America. For example, Mr. Cachán has served as a faculty member of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy’s “Mexico Project,” traveling to Mexico to help the country's judges, public defenders and prosecutors master basic trial skills. In addition, Mr. Cachán has traveled to Honduras to participate in a consultative session with the Supreme Court of Honduras, organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development, regarding a case that raised issues of first impression under Honduran law.
As part of his service to the community, Mr. Cachán serves on the board of the Mexican-American Bar Foundation, a charitable organization that has provided more than $1 million in scholarships to young Latinos enrolled in ABA-accredited law schools in Southern California.
Mr. Cachán is a member of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) of the State Bar of California, the State Bar agency that evaluates all candidates who are under consideration for a judicial appointment by the Governor.
Mr. Cachán is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy.
Personal background
Mr. Cachán attended Harvard College, after which he served as a Fulbright Fellow in Spain. Upon his return, he attended Harvard Law School. Following graduation, Mr. Cachán served as law clerk to the Honorable Arthur L. Alarcón of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Mr. Cachán is the son of Cuban exiles. He and his wife have two daughters.