Munger, Tolles & Olson Partner Martin Estrada Sworn In as U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California
Munger, Tolles & Olson partner Martin Estrada was sworn in today as United States Attorney for the Central District of California. The swearing in follows confirmation by the Senate on September 13, and nomination by President Joe Biden on June 6.
Mr. Estrada re-joins the U.S. Attorney Office, where he formally served as Deputy Chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and as International Organized Crime Coordinator.
During his previous tenure as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Estrada prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases including one of the nation’s largest RICO organized crime prosecution targeting associates of Eurasian organized crime and one of the largest bank fraud and identity theft prosecutions.
A seasoned trial attorney, Mr. Estrada focused his practice at the firm on complex litigation and investigations arising from business disputes, product liability, technology matters and government investigations.
In addition to representing household name companies, Mr. Estrada has maintained an active pro bono practice in the areas of immigration, education and indigent services. Some of his most notable work includes representing the Bruce family in successfully defeating a lawsuit that sought to prevent Los Angeles County from returning to the family beachfront land known as “Bruce’s Beach” that was wrongfully taken from the family through a racially discriminatory condemnation action in the 1920s, and leading one of the largest education rights cases in the country over New Mexico’s failure to meet the educational need of students.
Mr. Estrada has been an active member of the legal and civic communities, having serving on the boards of the Federal Bar Association of Los Angeles, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, and the Alliance for Children’s Rights, and past member of the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) of the State Bar of California. He was also an Adjunct Professor for Loyola Law School’s Ninth Circuit Appellate Clinic, part of the Alarcón Advocacy Project, where his teams have repeatedly achieved success for indigent clients.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Estrada has been widely recognized by his peers and community. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Estrada has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal and twice received the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) award. He also received the U.S. Department of Justice’s prestigious Director’s Award for Superior Performance, as well as awards from the Federal Bar Association, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and the Daily Journal.
“Our firm has a storied history of serving as a springboard for prominent government roles and we fully support Martin’s decision to return to the Central District. He is not only an exceptional trial lawyer, but a person with a deep commitment to law and justice,” said Firm Chair Brad D. Brian. “His appointment speaks to our firm’s longstanding practice of hiring exceptional lawyers with unflinching integrity who can navigate the most challenging issues. I have no doubt that Martin will do a great job as a United States Attorney.”
Mr. Estrada is one of several Munger Tolles alumni who have been appointed to government roles.