Bryan Heckenlively Recognized in Bloomberg Law They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40

Munger, Tolles & Olson attorney Bryan Heckenlively was recognized in Bloomberg Law’s “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40” in its inaugural edition on July 14, 2021.

The “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40,” award recognizes the accomplishments of sterling young lawyers nationwide. The selected honorees were also recognized for their diversity and inclusion efforts, investing “time into making the legal profession a better reflection of our world.” The nominees were evaluated based on criteria including their record of success for clients in high-stakes client matters, their leadership in client matters and in other key firm roles, including pro bono and diversity & inclusion efforts, thought leadership and innovation, and recommendations from key legal industry stakeholders.

Bryan was acknowledged for his successes as a first-chair trial lawyer including a unanimous victory in 2020 on behalf of Wells Fargo before a San Francisco jury. The case was filed by a former senior manager of Wells Fargo’s foreign exchange business who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit and then, later, filed a separate lawsuit alleging that the recorded call used to terminate him was obtained illegally in violation of the California Penal Code. In the trial, after Bryan’s closing argument, the jury took less than an hour to conclude unanimously that limitations barred the illegal recording claim and that Wells Fargo had acted properly in recording the call.

In addition to his trial successes, the publication also highlighted Bryan’s deep expertise and passion in First Amendment law and higher education. Most notably, he has been the lead attorney for the University of California in high-profile First Amendment litigation. The University turned to Bryan’s to lead it through a series of cutting-edge litigation matters and reshape campus policies surrounding campus speech and protest issues that emerged after the presidential inauguration in 2017.

See Bryan’s profile and the entire list of 40 Under 40 honorees on the Bloomberg Law website.

Bryan Heckenlively is a litigation partner and trial lawyer in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles & Olson. He handles complex litigation for clients in the technology, financial services, and higher education industries and has successfully tried multiple cases to verdict as lead counsel.