Former Senior SEC Lawyer John Berry Joins Munger, Tolles & Olson

Munger, Tolles & Olson announced on Sept. 10, 2019 the addition of John W. Berry, a former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission senior official, as a partner in its Los Angeles office. Mr. Berry, who served as associate regional director for the agency’s Los Angeles office, will join the firm on Sept. 16, 2019.

“John is a veteran litigator with extraordinary experience overseeing government enforcement and civil litigation matters during his tenure as an associate regional director for the SEC,” firm chair and senior litigator Brad D. Brian said. “He is an accomplished attorney in both the public and private sectors, and adds significant depth to our government enforcement capabilities. On top of that, John is committed to our firm’s values of mentorship for rising attorneys at the firm and leadership in the community.”

Mr. Berry will join the firm’s Securities and White Collar and Investigations litigation groups, representing Fortune 500 companies and other clients across a broad range of industries.

Appointed to his most recent role at the SEC by former SEC Chair Mary Jo White, Mr. Berry was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Los Angeles office’s enforcement investigations and litigation. This included more than 100 investigations that led to the filing of more than 40 litigated or settled cases over a two-year period, including matters involving insider trading, financial and account fraud, offering and ICO fraud, investment advisor and broker fraud, and other non-fraud violations.

“It was a privilege to co-head the enforcement group in the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office, and I look forward to this next chapter of my career,” Mr. Berry said. “Munger, Tolles & Olson has earned a reputation for representing clients in their most high-stakes litigation and I’m honored to be joining an immensely talented group of attorneys.” 

Mr. Berry joined the SEC in 2011 as regional trial counsel of the agency’s enforcement division in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for managing a team of senior trial counsel and overseeing all lawsuits filed by the SEC following investigations by the office. Throughout his tenure at the SEC, he oversaw the court filings of almost 140 investigations.

Prior to joining the SEC, Mr. Berry worked as a partner in the New York office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, where he successfully litigated civil actions in state and federal trial and appellate courts and served as a member of the firm’s hiring and pro bono committees. During his career at the SEC and in private practice, he has argued over 40 dispositive motions and appeals in federal and state courts.

Mr. Berry earned his J.D. and M.B.A. degrees together in 1998 from the University of Virginia. He earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Duke University, graduating cum laude in 1992.