Munger, Tolles & Olson Named 2024 Recipient of Advancement of Women Award From Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Munger, Tolles & Olson is honored to have been named the 2024 recipient of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles’ (WLALA) Advancement of Women Award. MTO will be honored by WLALA at the 2024 Awards Installation and Gala on September 13, at 6:00 pm, at the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles.

Diversity, equity and inclusion have always been – and continue to be – a cornerstone of MTO. Managing partners have included two women, a woman of color, an LGBTQ man and an African American man. For the last 15 years, women have served as managing partners, thus putting MTO among only 12 percent of law firms that have women managing partners. Currently, 34% of MTO’s partners are women+ lawyers.

MTO’s commitment to advancing the interests of women in the legal profession also goes beyond these raw numbers. MTO is the only law firm that has had three of its partners serve as Presidents of WLALA. This has included: Carla Hills (1964-1965), Kathleen McDowell (2003-2004) and Katherine Forster (2008-2009). Lisa McLean also served recently as 47th president of the Black Women Lawyers (October 2021 – September 2022). Ms. McDowell was also president of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations (NCWBA) in 2008-2009.

In 2014, to support its working parents, MTO co-founded Hope Street Friends, a state-of-the-art childcare facility and early education center near the firm’s offices in downtown Los Angeles. Hope Street Friends is the first law firm-sponsored childcare center on the West Coast and provides care for children from infancy to pre-kindergarten ages 6 weeks to 6 years.

MTO’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee leads all DEI initiatives at the firm, including five affinity groups that foster community, develop programming and provide mentorship for women+, attorneys of color, LGBTQ+ attorneys, parents and lawyers with disabilities. MTO offers a range of support for work/life integration, such as subsidized childcare, a reduced-hours partner track, flexible work arrangements and Milk Stork shipping for nursing mothers. MTO is also a founding Mansfield Rule firm, achieving Mansfield Certification Plus status for six consecutive years, which reflects our ongoing dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive legal community.

Learn more about WLALA and purchase your tickets for the awards dinner today.