L. Ashley Aull

An experienced trial and appellate strategist, Ms. Aull litigates business-critical and crisis cases, including commercial and intellectual property disputes. She has particular experience with multi-front litigation battles, management of experts, RICO, loss calculation, fraud, and matters involving complex and technical legal concepts. A former federal prosecutor, she also guides clients through sensitive government investigations and defends those charged with white-collar crimes.

Ms. Aull rejoined Munger, Tolles & Olson in 2021 after nine years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California – one of the largest in the country – where she spent her final four years as Chief of the Criminal Appeals Section. In that role, she oversaw approximately 300 appeals per year and was lead counsel in dozens of appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ms. Aull worked closely with prosecutors on high-profile and complicated cases that were expected to be appealed and served as lead counsel in four trials. For her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic –focused on helping the Department of Justice respond to the unprecedented halt in federal criminal trials and leading litigation strategy across the country – Ms. Aull was awarded the EOUSA Director’s Award, the highest honor available specifically to federal prosecutors.

Among the notable matters she handled were appeals from Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department members’ obstruction convictions, the appeal from a first-of-its-kind terrorism trial, a several-week-long immigration-fraud trial, and a multiyear test-litigation campaign concerning organic chemistry and methamphetamine. She also handled numerous cases involving fraud, RICO, and forfeiture.    

While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Aull managed teams handling complex multi-year litigation. She leverages that experience when defending clients in class actions and multidistrict litigation.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ms. Aull was an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson, where she focused her practice on litigating copyright, patent, DMCA, and other intellectual property disputes on behalf of high-tech and media clients. She also served as a law clerk to Judge Sandra Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for Justice Harriet O’Neill of the Supreme Court of Texas.

Ms. Aull earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and her A.B., magna cum laude, in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard College. She has served as a lawyer representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and she was selected by the Circuit as a member of its inaugural Law Clerk Resources Group.  She is also an accomplished teacher, and a former faculty member at the Department of Justice’s national training facility.