Munger, Tolles & Olson Celebrates 10 Years in Washington, D.C. 

Munger, Tolles & Olson is proud to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its Washington, D.C. office. Founded in 2016 under the leadership of former U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., the office has grown from three lawyers to more than 25 and become an integral part of MTO’s national litigation practice. 

“When we opened the D.C. office, we set out to recruit lawyers and build a practice that would uphold the firm’s commitment to excellence and to solving clients’ most challenging problems,” said Don. “Ten years later, I could not be prouder of the lawyers who have joined us, the results we have achieved and the collaborative culture we have forged together.” 

In addition to Don, the D.C. office includes lawyers with extensive experience at the highest levels of government, including a former Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, two former Assistants to the Solicitor General and a former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Counsel in the White House Counsel’s Office. Collectively, the team has argued 99 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and represented clients in appellate and trial courts across the country. 

Working alongside colleagues across the firm, MTO’s D.C. lawyers have secured major victories over the past decade, including:  

• A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision in Financial Management and Oversight Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investments, Inc., which upheld the constitutionality of the Oversight Board and made possible the reorganization of Puerto Rico’s finances. 

• A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning a $1.6 billion annual cut in Medicare reimbursements to hospitals in American Hospital Association v. Becerra. 

• A Supreme Court victory preserving the Affordable Care Act against a constitutional challenge in California v. Texas. 

• The Supreme Court’s rejection of the independent state legislature theory in Moore v. Harper, preserving the role of state courts in reviewing laws governing federal elections.  

• In the Federal Circuit’s first en banc proceeding in six years, a major decision in EcoFactor v. Google clarifying when expert testimony on reasonable royalty damages will be admitted in patent litigation. 

• A victory in the First Circuit in Cunningham v. Lyft narrowly interpreting an exception to the Federal Arbitration Act and requiring arbitration of disputes with workers who sometimes cross state lines. 

• MTO’s D.C. lawyers have also played a leading role in protecting the integrity of federal elections and in defending the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession, including representing Susman Godfrey in its constitutional challenge to an executive order targeting the firm and filing amicus briefs on behalf of more than 800 law firms in support of challenges to similar orders. 

“The growth of our D.C. office has strengthened the firm and expanded our ability to serve clients in their most consequential matters nationwide,” said Firm Chair Brad Brian. “The office embodies MTO’s culture of collaboration and excellence, while giving more junior attorneys meaningful responsibility and opportunities to learn from some of the country’s most accomplished advocates.” 

Looking ahead, MTO will continue to grow its D.C. office strategically, adding exceptional lawyers whose experience complements the firm’s strengths and deepens its capabilities in complex, high-stakes matters.