Former DOJ Senior Counsel Lauren Bell Joins Munger Tolles in D.C.
Veteran trial lawyer to handle internal and government investigations, white collar litigation.
WASHINGTON DC – MARCH 14, 2022 – Munger, Tolles & Olson announces today that Lauren Bell has joined the firm as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office. Ms. Bell spent more than a decade in government, including five years in the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division.
At Munger, Tolles & Olson, Ms. Bell will focus on investigations, white collar defense, regulatory compliance and complex civil litigation. Her arrival aligns with the firm’s strategy of recruiting top-tier talent to provide legal services worldwide. The firm’s Washington DC office, primarily known for its appellate work and corporate work, deepens its offerings in litigation, trials and investigations through Ms. Bell’s arrival.
“Lauren is a sharp investigator and skilled trial lawyer with a fantastic reputation as a mentor to less experienced attorneys,” said partner Donald B. Verrilli Jr., who leads the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. “Since launching the DC office in 2016, we’ve strategically recruited top-tier lawyers from government and private practice, while also hiring talented associates. Lauren will be a tremendous asset, and I know both our lawyers and our clients will benefit from her knowledge and experience.”
As Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Ms. Bell had oversight over the agency’s 16 criminal divisions. She also managed responses to congressional inquiries and, for a period, served as the division’s Acting Chief of Staff. Earlier, Ms. Bell was a Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes committed by elected and appointed government officials.
At Munger, Tolles & Olson, Ms. Bell will reunite with partner Jonathan Kravis, who joined the firm in 2020 and who Ms. Bell worked alongside at the Department of Justice for several years.
“Munger, Tolles & Olson presented me with an incredible opportunity to join a team of elite lawyers, including former Solicitor General Don Verrilli and my friend and former DOJ colleague Jonathan Kravis, in building out the D.C. office of a national powerhouse,” said Ms. Bell. “I’m thrilled to be joining the firm.”
Ms. Bell, who also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Ohio and as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, joins Munger, Tolles & Olson from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP.
“Lauren brings a wealth of experience leading trials and I am thrilled we were able to convince her to join our firm,” said Munger, Tolles & Olson co-managing partner Hailyn Chen. “As an elite lawyer, investigator and mentor, she embodies everything we look for in a Munger, Tolles & Olson attorney.”
Ms. Bell received her J.D. from Stanford Law School, her M.A. in economics from Stanford University and her B.A. in economics from Harvard University.
About Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
For nearly 60 years, Munger, Tolles & Olson attorneys have partnered with clients on their most complex matters. With a deep bench that includes former governmental luminaries and 144 former federal judicial clerks, our attorneys have extensive experience handling precedent-shaping cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and federal and state courts across the country. We have earned our reputation by providing clients with exceptional judgment, creative thinking, and a deep commitment to understanding the complexities of their businesses and industries.