Pro Bono

Activities

Contributing to the community through pro bono work and other forms of volunteerism is a core tenet of the culture at Munger, Tolles & Olson.

The firm was one of the charter signatories to the American Bar Association’s pro bono challenge and consistently devotes more than three percent of all attorney time to delivering needed pro bono legal assistance. We are proud to be one of the select group of firms to have received the ABA’s coveted Pro Bono Publico Award.

Munger Tolles encourages its attorneys to choose pro bono matters that they care about deeply. The American Lawyer described it as “the Munger, Tolles & Olson way … a sense of ownership that extends from patriarch Ronald Olson all the way down to the first-year associates.”

Munger Tolles’ attorneys have made an impact on many social issues through pro bono advocacy, including veterans rights, civil liberties, affordable housing and LGBT rights, among others. For example, we have a robust practice focused on helping clients obtain immigration relief and reforming anti-immigrant policies.

Our attorneys are equally committed to contributing in meaningful ways by serving on non-profit boards or donating their time to organizations that inspire them. From arts and education associations to civic and political groups, our attorney involvement in organizations is extremely diverse. Munger Tolles attorneys serve on the boards of numerous organizations, including the following: Human Rights Watch, Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, MacArthur Foundation, Southern California Public Radio (KPCC) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

In 2017, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) opened its doors to its new headquarters, named the Ron Olson Justice Center in recognition of our name partner’s commitment to public service. The facility houses Los Angeles’s frontline law firm for low-income residents.

MTO Foundation
Started in 1982, the Munger, Tolles & Olson Foundation is a non-profit public benefit corporation organized to give money to Section 501(c)(3) organizations, primarily Los Angeles and San Francisco based providers of legal services to the indigent and underserved that are supported by the firm’s attorneys. The MTO Foundation is entirely funded by contributions from the firm’s partners.

From its relatively modest beginnings, the MTO Foundation has grown to be a significant contributor to law-related charities and other community organizations, with aggregate donations now in excess of $1 million per year. Some of the largest recipients of the MTO Foundation’s grants include:

  • Alliance for Children’s Rights
  • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
  • Bet Tzedek
  • Legal Aid Society of San Francisco
  • Constitutional Rights Foundation
  • Los Angeles Music Center
  • Human Rights Watch
  • Public Counsel
  • Inner City Law Center
  • Western Center on Law & Poverty

The MTO Foundation does not accept grant requests that originate from outside of the firm.

The Paul Davis MTO Associate Fund
Formed in 2000, the Paul Davis MTO Associate Fund is funded by voluntary contributions from MTO’s associate attorneys. Named in the memory of its co-founder, former MTO associate Paul Davis, the Fund is managed by a board of MTO associates, with oversight from the board of the MTO Foundation. The goal of the Fund is to make well-informed and meaningful charitable contributions to worthy organizations in the Los Angeles and San Francisco communities, particularly organizations in which Munger Tolles associates are actively involved. Since its founding, the Fund has made donations of approximately $250,000.

The Paul Davis MTO Associate Fund does not accept grant requests that originate from outside of the firm.