The firm was founded in 1962 by a group of attorneys that included a woman. Since then, our managing partners have included two women, a woman of color, an LGBTQ man and an African-American man. We remain a leader in hiring, retaining and promoting the very best talent, and we consistently beat national averages in the number of women and other underrepresented lawyers in our associate and partner ranks. We also work hard to foster an inclusive environment where all of our lawyers can thrive and contribute fully and authentically to all aspects of firm life.

Munger Tolles At A Glance

• Since 2019:
  • Approximately 61 percent of Munger Tolles partners hired and promoted are from underrepresented groups;
  • As of March 31, 2025, approximately 41 percent are women; and
  • Approximately 14 percent of our attorneys are women of color.
• We have one partnership tier, and women are 33 percent of our partners.
• MTO is one of only 12 percent of law firms that have women managing partners with Hailyn J. Chen co-leading our firm.
• Attorneys from diverse backgrounds are active in all areas of firm governance, including serving on and/or chairing important committees such as the Management, Partner Compensation and Associate Review Committees.

Recent Accolades

• We again ranked number one on The American Lawyer’s 2024 A-List, in part for our success in recruiting, retaining and promoting attorneys from diverse backgrounds.
• We received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Corporate Equality Index.
• The Los Angeles County Bar Association awarded the MTO Fellows Program with the 2020 Diversity Impact Award.
• Munger, Tolles & Olson has been Mansfield certified+ for the past seven years.

Key Initiatives

Inclusion Committee: This committee is comprised of attorneys at all levels of seniority and from all three of our offices. It is responsible for leading all inclusion initiatives at the firm.

Affinity Groups: Our five affinity groups – focused on areas of particular concern to women and nonbinary attorneys, attorneys of color, LGBTQ attorneys, parents and lawyers with disabilities – meet regularly to build community, develop programming and provide support, advice and social opportunities. Membership is open to all attorneys in the firm, and includes partners, counsel and associates, as well as people who identify with the groups and allies.

Work/Life Integration: Munger Tolles has instituted a wide range of measures designed to ease the challenges all attorneys face integrating work and personal commitments. These include: Hope Street Friends, the first law-firm sponsored child care center on the West Coast; subsidized back-up care; a reduced-hours partner track; generous parental leave policies (18 weeks of parental leave within the first year following the birth or adoption of a child, and an additional 6-8 weeks for pregnancy disability); on-ramp/off-ramp mentoring; Milk Stork shipping for nursing parents who travel for work; and flexible work arrangements.

LEAP/MTO Program: An innovative outreach program for 25-40 prospective law students each year. The Fellows Program includes a firm-sponsored, customized LSAT course, as well as monthly workshops providing guidance on the law school application process and tools to succeed in law school and beyond.

Pipeline Programs: Munger Tolles has been a longtime supporter of pipeline programs designed to remove barriers to pursuing legal careers, such as UCLA Law Fellows and For People of Color, Inc., which help students attend law school, and Urban Debate Leagues, which help improve educational outcomes in secondary schools.

____________

For more information about Munger, Tolles & Olson’s robust inclusion initiatives, please email inclusion@mto.com.