Usha C. Vance

Usha C. Vance

Usha Chilukuri Vance is a litigator in the San Francisco and Washington, D.C., offices of Munger, Tolles & Olson.

Her practice focuses on complex civil litigation and appeals in a wide variety of sectors, including higher education, local government, entertainment, and technology, including semiconductors.

Ms. Vance returned to the firm after clerking for Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court. She also clerked for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, then of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Amul Thapar, then of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Ms. Vance received her law degree from Yale Law School, where she was executive development editor of the Yale Law Journal and managing editor of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology. While at Yale, she participated in the Supreme Court Advocacy Clinic, the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, and the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project.

She holds a B.A. in history from Yale University and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Before entering law school, Ms. Vance taught American history as a Yale-China Teaching Fellow at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China.

Ms. Vance lives with her husband and three children in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a trustee of the Washington National Opera and has served on the board of the Gates Cambridge Alumni Association and as secretary of the board of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Speaking Engagements

  • Panelist, U.S. Supreme Court Update, Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s 46th Annual Federal Practice Seminar, 2021
  • Panelist, A Conversation with Former SCOTUS Clerks on Effective Amicus Briefing in the Supreme Court, hosted by the Multistate Tax Commission, 2021

Key Representations

  • PG&E in defending against a petition brought by the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) asking the CPUC to determine how much CCSF would have to compensate PG&E to acquire PG&E’s transmission and distribution assets used to serve customers in San Francisco.
  • Walt Disney Enterprises and its subsidiary Buena Vista Books in winning summary judgment in a copyright lawsuit that alleged a series of young adult novels in the superhero/fantasy genre, titled The Zodiac Legacy and credited to legendary comics creator Stan Lee, were copied from the plaintiff’s works. The judgment was granted on lack of access, lack of substantial similarity, and independent creation, reducing grounds for an appeal.
  • A major technology company in an expedited, 15-month arbitration arising from a contract dispute with hundreds of millions of dollars at issue.
  • The studio members of the Motion Picture Association in obtaining a $50 million stipulated judgment and permanent injunction against pirate streaming service, Omniverse.
  • The University of California in a variety of matters, including obtaining dismissal of a Title IX suit in federal court.

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

  • Yale Law School (J.D., 2013) executive development editor, Yale Law Journal; managing editor, Yale Journal of Law & Technology

  • University of Cambridge (MPhil, 2010) Gates Cambridge Scholar

  • Yale University (B.A., summa cum laude, 2007) Distinction in the Major; Phi Beta Kappa

Clerkships

  • Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court, 2017-2018
  • Judge Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 2014-2015
  • Judge Amul Thapar, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 2013-2014

Bar Admissions

  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • Ohio

Speaking Engagements

  • Panelist, U.S. Supreme Court Update, Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s 46th Annual Federal Practice Seminar, 2021
  • Panelist, A Conversation with Former SCOTUS Clerks on Effective Amicus Briefing in the Supreme Court, hosted by the Multistate Tax Commission, 2021

Key Representations

  • PG&E in defending against a petition brought by the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) asking the CPUC to determine how much CCSF would have to compensate PG&E to acquire PG&E’s transmission and distribution assets used to serve customers in San Francisco.
  • Walt Disney Enterprises and its subsidiary Buena Vista Books in winning summary judgment in a copyright lawsuit that alleged a series of young adult novels in the superhero/fantasy genre, titled The Zodiac Legacy and credited to legendary comics creator Stan Lee, were copied from the plaintiff’s works. The judgment was granted on lack of access, lack of substantial similarity, and independent creation, reducing grounds for an appeal.
  • A major technology company in an expedited, 15-month arbitration arising from a contract dispute with hundreds of millions of dollars at issue.
  • The studio members of the Motion Picture Association in obtaining a $50 million stipulated judgment and permanent injunction against pirate streaming service, Omniverse.
  • The University of California in a variety of matters, including obtaining dismissal of a Title IX suit in federal court.

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

  • Yale Law School (J.D., 2013) executive development editor, Yale Law Journal; managing editor, Yale Journal of Law & Technology

  • University of Cambridge (MPhil, 2010) Gates Cambridge Scholar

  • Yale University (B.A., summa cum laude, 2007) Distinction in the Major; Phi Beta Kappa

Clerkships

  • Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court, 2017-2018
  • Judge Brett Kavanaugh, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, 2014-2015
  • Judge Amul Thapar, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, 2013-2014

Bar Admissions

  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • Ohio