Munger, Tolles & Olson Elevates Seven Lawyers to Partnership

Munger, Tolles & Olson announced today the promotion of seven lawyers to partner, effective January 1, 2022. The firm’s new partners work from its Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. offices. They have handled complex, high-stakes matters, ranging from the defense of the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives to counseling Intel Corp. in the $9 billion sale of its NAND memory chip business, from litigation stemming from the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash to advising the Los Angeles Clippers in a dispute related to its arena.

“The attorneys in our new partner class are exceptional at finding creative solutions to clients’ needs,” said Brad D. Brian, chairman of Munger, Tolles & Olson. “These attorneys pair stellar academic records with working experience including clerkships all over the country. We are incredibly proud of the new class and look forward to their future successes.”

This impressive group of lawyers collectively has 10 clerkships for judges in state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Fourth and Ninth Circuits and the Federal Circuit, before joining the firm. The class includes several former educators, a Bristow Fellow, a United Nations intern, and film producer. Each new partner has dedicated time to meaningful pro bono causes.

Read more about our new partners below:

Jennifer L. Bryant, based in Los Angeles, focuses on high-stakes complex commercial litigation with an emphasis on legal challenges faced by the entertainment and technology industries, including trade secret, copyright and privacy issues. She has experience litigating cases at all stages, from providing pre-suit counseling to writing dispositive motions, and from taking and defending depositions to examining witnesses at trial. A former clerk to Chief Judge George H. King of the Central District of California, Bryant was named one of The LGBT Bar’s “Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” in 2021.

Wesley T.L. Burrell’s practice spans a broad range of high-profile litigation matters concerning complex, often novel, finance, intellectual property and corporate governance issues on behalf of clients ranging from financial institutions and major corporations to start-ups. A Los Angeles litigator, Burrell also maintains an active pro bono practice, representing asylum seekers and domestic trafficking victims. Before joining the firm, he clerked for Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also served as a judicial extern to Judge Consuelo M. Callahan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Nicholas D. Fram is a litigator in the San Francisco office whose practice focuses on high-stakes complex commercial litigation, internal investigations and mass torts. He is active in the community and with local bar associations. Prior to joining the firm, Fram clerked for Judge Michael A. Chagares of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge George B. Daniels of the Southern District of New York.

Tyler Hilton, a Los Angeles lawyer, advises buyers and sellers in public and private M&A transactions. He also represents companies and investors in a variety of equity financing and commercial transactions, as well as corporate governance matters. He was part of the team that advised Intel Corp. in the $9 billion sale of its NAND memory chip business to SK Hynix Inc. Hilton maintains a pro bono practice representing immigrants before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and in asylum proceedings.

Craig Jennings Lavoie handles high-stakes civil litigation from Munger Tolles’ Los Angeles office. His major representations include the owners of the LA Clippers in litigation related to the team’s new arena in Inglewood, and Kobe Bryant’s widow in litigation against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s and Fire Departments regarding the improper taking and sharing of photos of human remains, which is scheduled for trial in February. He is a former law clerk to Judge Michelle T. Friedland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Vincent Y. Ling, based in Los Angeles, focuses on intellectual property litigation and counseling, including patent infringement and trade secret matters. He has represented clients across a range of industries, spanning biopharmaceuticals, wireless communications and computer technologies. Ling joined the firm after clerking for Judge Sharon Prost of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He also clerked for Judge Kent A. Jordan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge Sue L. Robinson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

Jonathan S. Meltzer handles appellate and complex civil litigation from Munger Tolles’ Washington, D.C., office. He frequently briefs cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts, including as a member of the team that defended before the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also regularly represents a range of clients in complex civil litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Meltzer served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan and Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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 over 155 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. The firm also has a rich legacy of providing full-service legal counsel on corporate matters ranging from industry-altering mergers and acquisitions to complex financing transactions and corporate governance issues. 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.