Overview
Simon Zhen is a litigation associate in the Los Angeles office of Munger, Tolles & Olson whose practice focuses on high-stakes civil litigation, with a particular emphasis on class actions, internal investigations and appeals.
He has represented and counseled some of the nation’s most prominent companies from a wide range of industries, including technology, media and entertainment, consulting, financial services and consumer goods. Simon has handled matters in every stage of litigation in both state and federal courts — from investigation and pre-litigation through trial and appeal. He has first-chaired arguments at both the trial and appellate levels, written dispositive briefs, worked with expert witnesses and managed discovery.
Simon maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing indigent individuals in asylum proceedings in Immigration Court and appellate proceedings before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Simon graduated from Yale Law School, where he was awarded the William K. S. Wang Prize for his academic achievements and the Raphael Lemkin Prize for his article “Combating Censorship in China: Forcing China’s Hand Through the WTO and Collective Action,” in the Cornell International Law Journal. He also served as a legal intern at Goldman Sachs and a legal extern at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Capabilities
Experience
Complex Civil Litigation*
Intel in securing summary judgment in a securities class action lawsuit alleging violations of the Securities Act. The ruling earned a runner up recognition in the American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week.
A tobacco company in multiple class action lawsuits around the country alleging products liability and false advertising claims relating to its line of nicotine pouches.
A Fortune 500 consumer goods company in an internal investigation addressing potential bribery and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act-related issues associated with a contractor’s conduct.
Blizzard Entertainment in a federal appellate proceeding arising from minors’ microtransactions in a popular video game.
A Fortune 500 technology company in an internal investigation relating to its investments in a big data and AI startup.
McKinsey & Co. in a bench trial in bankruptcy court, in which Jay Alix, through Mar-Bow Value Partners, objected to the debtors’ application to retain McKinsey on the basis that McKinsey’s Bankruptcy Rule 2014 disclosures were noncompliant and that McKinsey was not disinterested. The case was dismissed after eight days of trial testimony; McKinsey reached a comprehensive settlement regarding future bankruptcy disclosures with the U.S. Trustee.
A healthcare provider in a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that it operated its facilities negligently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
*Includes representations prior to Simon’s affiliation with Munger, Tolles & Olson.
More
- Two Russian nationals seeking asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture based on their opposition to the Russian government, including a trial in Immigration Court.
- An incarcerated individual suing federal officials for monetary damages for violations of his constitutional rights, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Publications
- “Combating Censorship in China: Forcing China’s Hand Through the WTO and Collective Action,” 53 Cornell International Law Journal 731 (2020)