Richard Johnson is a litigator in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles & Olson.
Mr. Johnson is currently on secondment.
Mr. Johnson’s practice is focused on high-stakes and high-complexity commercial claims, with a particular emphasis on class litigation and professional responsibility. He has represented several of the nation’s largest companies and law firms in their most sensitive matters, including multiple international law firms with collective exposures in the billions.
Mr. Johnson also maintains an active pro bono practice. Recently, he argued an appeal in the California Court of Appeal that led to a published decision.
Mr. Johnson serves via mayoral appointment on the City of Richmond’s ECIA Transportation Oversight Committee, which oversees Richmond’s allocation of public funds to transit projects and other transportation initiatives.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Johnson clerked for the Honorable Carlos T. Bea of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Immediately after the conclusion of his clerkships and before joining the firm, Mr. Johnson served as a Munger, Tolles, & Olson Fellow for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law during the 2020 election, to assist with cases ensuring voter rights and combatting voter suppression.
Before his clerkships, Mr. Johnson was a litigation associate with a major international law firm, where his practice focused on professional liability matters and securities litigation.
Experience
- Activision Blizzard in a complex class action involving parallel state and federal proceedings regarding alleged sexual discrimination and harassment.
- Lyft in various appeals in cases involving whether rideshare drivers are required to arbitrate their claims against the company or whether the drivers fall within an exception to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) that covers classes of transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce.
- American Express Company in a case alleging fraud in connection with an acquisition.
- Intel Corporation in a case alleging breach-of-contract and tortious interference claims arising from a joint investment.
- MGM Resorts International in an employee mobility/trade secret litigation.
- Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in civil cases arising from the 2021 Dixie Fire, one of the largest wildfires in California history.
- Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in a settlement against lender CashCall asserting the law firm approved a controversial business model under which CashCall partnered with a Native American tribe to avoid state lending laws that prohibit excessive rates of interest when making loans.
The following includes representations prior to Mr. Johnson’s affiliation with Munger, Tolles & Olson:
- A global law firm in connection with claims asserted by the Stanford Financial equity receiver and investors.
- An international bank in a cross-border tax investigation by the United States Department of Justice, Federal Reserve, and New York Department of Financial Services.
- A private equity client in threated litigation based on fraudulent inducement arising from an investment.
Education
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UC Berkeley School of Law (J.D. 2017) Order of the Coif; articles and essays editor, California Law Review; senior executive editor, Berkeley Business Law Journal; Board of Advocates
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University of California, San Diego (B.A., summa cum laude, 2014) High Honors; Eric Paul Allison Memorial Prize Recipient
Clerkships
- Judge Carlos T. Bea, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2019-2020
- Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 2018-2019
Bar Admissions
- California
- New York
Experience
- Activision Blizzard in a complex class action involving parallel state and federal proceedings regarding alleged sexual discrimination and harassment.
- Lyft in various appeals in cases involving whether rideshare drivers are required to arbitrate their claims against the company or whether the drivers fall within an exception to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) that covers classes of transportation workers engaged in interstate commerce.
- American Express Company in a case alleging fraud in connection with an acquisition.
- Intel Corporation in a case alleging breach-of-contract and tortious interference claims arising from a joint investment.
- MGM Resorts International in an employee mobility/trade secret litigation.
- Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) in civil cases arising from the 2021 Dixie Fire, one of the largest wildfires in California history.
- Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in a settlement against lender CashCall asserting the law firm approved a controversial business model under which CashCall partnered with a Native American tribe to avoid state lending laws that prohibit excessive rates of interest when making loans.
The following includes representations prior to Mr. Johnson’s affiliation with Munger, Tolles & Olson:
- A global law firm in connection with claims asserted by the Stanford Financial equity receiver and investors.
- An international bank in a cross-border tax investigation by the United States Department of Justice, Federal Reserve, and New York Department of Financial Services.
- A private equity client in threated litigation based on fraudulent inducement arising from an investment.
Industries
Education
-
UC Berkeley School of Law (J.D. 2017) Order of the Coif; articles and essays editor, California Law Review; senior executive editor, Berkeley Business Law Journal; Board of Advocates
-
University of California, San Diego (B.A., summa cum laude, 2014) High Honors; Eric Paul Allison Memorial Prize Recipient
Clerkships
- Judge Carlos T. Bea, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2019-2020
- Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, 2018-2019
Bar Admissions
- California
- New York