Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP - The Inside View

There’s no doubt about it, when it comes to litigation, Munger, Tolles & Olson is right up there aMung the heavyweights. You’ll find the firm nestled in the top-tier of the Chambers USA guide’s litigation rankings across both general commercial litigation and media & entertainment litigation in California, but there are also impressive nods in energy litigation, securities litigation, appellate and white-collar crime & government investigations-related litigation in the firm’s home state. In many ways, it’s a firm that packs a surprisingly big punch for its size, with just three offices across the US in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington DC. But this was part of the appeal: “I wanted somewhere more tight knit,” one junior associate told us, “to feel like a more important part of the firm.” The general consensus was that they’d got everything they hoped for and more: “I could really hit the ground running, had opportunities to face clients, and engaged in more advanced legal work.”  

Munger Tolles is recognized as an Excellent Performer for Associate Satisfaction and three other categories in our 2025 survey.

Strategy & Future 

According to litigation partner and co-managing partner Hailyn Chen, the plan moving forward is very much “to do what we’ve always done to drive success. We continue to be unique in the legal industry in that we give lawyers the opportunity to work on complex matters in a firm that is not hierarchical.” In fact, the firm makes a point of trying not to create too severe a distinction between the levels of seniority. It’s paying dividends too. 2024 was the most successful year in the firm’s history. As Chen explains, “what we do best is taking on clients in the most complex of cases.”  While there aren’t any active plans for significant geographical expansion, Chen adds that “we’re growing our practice representing states’ attorney generals, and we continue to see growth in our crisis management and litigation, intellectual property, mass torts, antitrust, securities and appellate practices.  

The Work 

Litigation is the order of the day at Munger Tolles, and the majority of the associates we spoke to stemmed from the firm’s litigation group. While there is a corporate department at the firm, irrespective of practice, “everybody is hired as a generalist” to begin with, with newbies free to choose the matters they’d most like to engage with: “You have complete freedom to come in and express areas you’d be interested in working in,” one junior explained. Associates described the work allocation model as “generally free-market,” but the firm recognizes the difficulties of being a first year and a work coordinator is readily on-hand to track your hours and find where you have capacity. Known internally as the ‘First-Year Committee’, “you’re encouraged to reach out” and find your own work, but with the option of a fallback system available to support you. 

Associates who fell under the litigationbanner at Munger Tolles told us that no matter what kinds of cases you’re brought onto in the early stages, nothing is “locked in.” Juniors spoke about working on everything from the likes of anti-trust and commercial litigation to government investigations and labor & employment matters. “I’ve worked on product liability cases, counselling, fraud, and copyright issues,” one source explained. Clients in the practice include “a broad range of corporations, organizations, and individuals” – from tech companies to high-net-worth individuals and universities. While “most associates will find one or two niches they like to practice,” sources explained that litigators at Munger Tolles are under no pressure to specialize, and instead the firm simply leaves juniors to tailor their practice as they please.  

“The firm doesn’t like to divide people into juniors and seniors…” 

One of the real benefits of such an established practice is that “you get given as much responsibility as you feel comfortable with.” As one associate put it: “The firm doesn’t like to divide people into juniors and seniors,” so newbies are often afforded mid-level and senior-like tasks. “I’ve been blown away by the responsibility I’ve been given,” another remarked, as associates have often found themselves working alone with a partner on a number of different cases. The consensus too was that there is “no better learning experience.” Interviewees felt the work was substantive and, perhaps most importantly, “I feel my work is valued.” Typical junior associate tasks included drafting discoveries, preparing depositions, reviewing contracts, and doing research, with many noting further experiences of brief and memo drafting, and engaging in client calls.  

Litigation clients: Hawaiian Electric Company, University of Southern California, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Represented Activision Blizzard against a lawsuit brought by the California Civil Rights Department over alleged sex discrimination in pay. 

Career Development 

With formalized training on offer once a week on topics relevant to new associates, we heard of sessions covering the likes of how to run discoveries, complete filings, and write briefs. With NIDA deposition training at the firm too – typically spanning a weekend away – associates recalled the promise of a mid-level academy once that stage is reached. What’s more, with a “plethora of funding available for attending conferences,” interviewees expressed how Munger Tolles really “puts their money where its mouth is” regarding budgeting for juniors’ development. Mentorship was described as “the best thing,” and associates explained that “there’s a strong culture of informal mentorship. A lot of the firm’s decision making is built around hallway walking to get an idea of the consensus, and we have a formal mentoring program where we get paired with three mentors at different stages of their career.”   

“Of course, you have to prove yourself and show you’re committed, but you’re an associate because they think you’d be a great partner.” 

As one junior put it, Munger Tolles is “thoughtful about how to give associates the right experience.” In fact, “they do actually care about us being happy and they want us to know that we’re growing and contributing to the firm!” The knock-on effect of this is that the path to partnership begins to feel like a realistic one, and while juniors were fully aware that the firm “has stringent requirements” and “can be picky and selective with those they give offers to,there are no more hoops to jump through.” The feeling was that they had the firm’s backing: “Of course, you have to prove yourself and show you’re committed, but you’re an associate because they think you’d be a great partner.” In short, “if you want it it’s attainable!”  

Hours & Compensation 

Associates explained that Munger Tolles doesn’t really have an official billable target, though 2,000 hours was the unofficial figure thrown around by those we spoke to. Described as “achievable,” sources noted that “my understanding is that it’s a loose requirement. The firm is very understanding of various things that may have happened and prefersto look at things holistically.” As such, “they take into account the other work you’re doing,” with extra projects like pro bono and recruiting matters counting towards the billable number. Insiders explained that only when reaching the desired 2,000 will the full bonus be achieved, but “there’s some headroom on a case-by-case basis. They want to make sure we’re well compensated.”  

We heard that average working hours at the firm were a bit of a moving target too, with many noting that 40–50-hour weeks remains the most probable average: “It’s been all over the place!” one associate quipped; “I’ve had periods of being really busy, and then suddenly I’m not!” Consequently, it’s difficult to pin down a typical day, “when I’m busy it might be 8am to 10pm, but then once you get a filing done and suddenly you don’t have that much, it’s more like billing 4-5 hours per day.” While late evenings and weekends were at times required given the nature of the job, sources reassured us that these remained few and far between. Associates are encouraged to be in the office two or three times a week. We heard Mondays and Thursdays acted as the predominant anchor days, with lunch provided and CLE presentations offered on both days to entice juniors into the office. 

Culture 

The firm’s efforts to remove the sense of hierarchy from the old-world law firm structure is paying off: “One of the things I was told whilst being recruited was that the line between partner and associate exists, but it’s not a focus.” Instead, “everyone is viewed as a Munger Tolles attorney first.” As a result, according to one source, Munger Tolles offers a “very humane” culture within BigLaw: “I worried that expectations would be so high and demanding, and while of course in a sense they are, I’ve never been worried or concerned about submitting anything!” Why? Because “the people here are really nice and pleasant to work with. Folks are collaborative and actually care about each other’s wellbeing.”  

“I worried that expectations would be so high and demanding, and while of course in a sense they are, I’ve never been worried or concerned about submitting anything!” 

This kind of care extended to decision-making at the firm: “One of the things that’s really special about Munger Tolles,” one source explained, “is their openness regarding firm policies.” For instance, “there’s a management committee that makes the ultimate decisions,but the meetings are open to all attorneys.” As such, “they really value the thoughts of younger attorneys” to the point that “you never feel the higher ups have made a decision and I’m being told after the fact.” While we heard of Thursday happy hours in addition to holiday events, associates noted how Munger Tolles does not possess “as much of an out of work culture. It’s definitely not a work hard play hard kind of vibe.” Rather, “a lot of people log off at 5.30pm, spend time with their family, and log back on later.”  

Munger Tolles is recognized as a Strong Performer for Quality of Life in our 2025 survey.

Pro Bono 

Left entirely uncapped, interviewees delighted in the wide-ranging pro bono opportunities on offer at Munger Tolles. Associates told us that “I’ve not heard of any kind of ceiling for how much we can do,” nor a time in which somebody was told they’re doing too much. “There’s of course a sense that your plate should be balanced,” one associate sensibly suggested, “you can’t be doing only pro bono! But there are established pipelines and lots of pre-existing relationships with organizations and non-profits.” Our interviewees appreciated the “flexibility” afforded to them on a number of cases - from immigration to community legal clinic work, but “you can really work on whatever project you’re passionate about.”  

Pro bono hours 

• For all US attorneys: 27,075 
• Average per US attorney: 136 

Inclusion 

With a number of affinity groups at the firm, associates felt this spoke to Munger Tolles’ commitment to inclusion within the legal profession. Representing lawyers from LGBTQ+, Black, Asian, and Hispanic backgrounds in addition to those with disabilities – just to name a few examples – one source explained “we meet on a semi-regular basis,” and through that “we’ve been thinking about professional development events.” What’s more, interviewees explained Munger Tolles’ work with an organization called LEAP, which provides aspiring law students with the necessary resources to bolster their legal pathway chances. “A bunch of associates mentor those from underrepresented backgrounds, and we help them with their law school applications,” one associate explained. While this all shows “the firm is committed to these efforts,” sources were quick to point out that the firm “is of course going to follow the law.” Neatly summarized by one interviewee, “for what is lawfully permitted, the firm will continue to support its attorneys to the fill extent it can.”

Get Hired 

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus  

OCI applicants interviewed:  142

Interviewees outside OCI:  22

 Historically, MTO conducts OCIs at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Chicago, Michigan, Penn, Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Loyola,  and USC. The firm’s hiring partners tell us: “We also hire students from schools outside of those where we typically conduct OCI, including Northwestern, Georgetown, Duke, University of Texas, University of Virginia, and UC Irvine, among others.” Munger associates have often undertaken clerkships, and the hiring partners explain: “For our post-clerkship hiring, recruits most commonly have graduated from law schools at which we also recruit for our summer program. But we also hire students out of federal clerkships who graduated at or near the top of their classes from other law schools.”   

 In addition to academic excellence, Munger looks for candidates who bring “leadership, intellectual curiosity, and a sense of individuality to an already extremely talented and diverse group of lawyers.” The hiring partners add that the firm is looking for commitment: “Unlike other law firms, we only hire lawyers we believe have the potential to ultimately become partners at the firm.” Associates involved in recruiting told us: “We’re looking for people who can exhibit initiative and resilience. We want people who have demonstrated that they can be the best in a way that goes beyond their GPA.”   

 Top tips for this stage:   

“We are looking for students genuinely interested in practicing law, and doing it with us. Be yourself during the interview. We have your resume and will see your transcript; the interviews are a chance for you to convey your interest in working with us to help solve our clients’ toughest problems, and for us to get to know you better as a person.” – Munger’s hiring partners  

 Callbacks  

Applicants invited to second stage interview:   51

Callbacks for summer associate candidates consist of “a series of 30-minute interviews with lawyers of varying seniority.”  The hiring partners explain that in addition to traditional interviews, the firm uses “a competency-based interviewing method – also known as 'behavioral interviewing'. This process allows candidates to showcase their experience and gives our interviewers a more thorough understanding of the knowledge, skills and abilities a candidate could bring to our firm.”   

 Top tips for this stage:   

“In order to prepare for the interview, we recommend that you think through professional or school-related circumstances in which you faced conflict, displayed leadership, and/or had to work with others to achieve a common goal. Our interviewers will ask you for specific examples, so be prepared to share the situation, the actions you took, the outcome, and what you learned from the situation. We also ask you to take some time to learn about us, what differentiates us, and what makes us a unique – and, we think, special – place to practice law.” – Munger’s hiring partners  

 Summer program  

Offers:  37 (2Ls) 

Acceptances:   25 (2Ls)

 Those who are lucky enough to snag a spot in Munger’s summer program will be given “a realistic idea of what it is like to practice law at our firm, where new lawyers get early responsibility from day one,” the hiring partners explain. They add “You will work closely with attorneys on matters that interest you, doing meaningful assignments. Your summer will include invitations to attend frequent lunches hosted by our lawyers and firm alumni about cutting-edge areas of law; training programs; and thoughtfully curated social events.” On top of this, summers are assigned a work coordinator and a social adviser; the former "will find assignments that are of interest to you and provide guidance and feedback during the summer," say the hiring partners, while the latter “will help ensure that you meet and get to know a broad swath of lawyers at the firm and get a true sense of what it is like to practice law in our distinct and uniquely collegial and collaborative culture, where early responsibility and radical transparency are the norm.”    

 And finally...   

"Most of our summer associates return as junior associates. When associates join the firm full-time, they make the choice as to what practice area they want to focus on, whether that is litigation, corporate, or something more specific (i.e. a particular type of litigation)." – Munger’s Hiring partners