Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Visit Website: www.mto.com
Summer Program: Learn More
Munger Tolles is incredibly selective, but if you’re hired, you’ve just joined a top-notch, tight-knit firm where associates participate in major firm decisions. With strong mentorship, new associates tackle exciting work from day one. Today, Munger Tolles operates over a half-dozen practice areas, with growing strength in criminal investigations and defense, as well as appellate work. Niche practices include tax and bankruptcy.
Total No. Attorneys (2021)
No. of Partners Named (2021)
Featured Rankings
No. of Summer Associates (2021)
Base Salary
No. of U.S. Offices
Getting in the door at MTO is no easy feat—the firm wants top credentials and clerkship experience. Hiring decisions require a firmwide vote and come after an intense set of interviews focusing on behavioral and substantive legal questions. You’ll be held to high standards here, but the firm is described as a truly special place to work—cultural descriptors include caring, tight-knit, and team-oriented. And transparency is the name of the game: Associates have a say in all major firm decisions. There is no billable-hours requirement, and finding work is on the free-market system, but there is more than enough of it to go around. Compensation is market, with bonuses tailored to individual performance and billables. There isn’t much of a ramp-up for new associates: Lean staffing mea...
Munger, Tolles & Olson is a SoCal elite, with offices in Los Angeles; San Francisco; and Washington, DC. The firm is best known for its litigation chops, and through its highly selective recruiting process, draws in a high number of clerks.
Cali Firm with Cornhusker Friends
Munger Tolles was founded in 1962 by seven partners, including Charles Munger and Edwin Leroy Tolles. Munger departed after three years, but this proved to work in the firm’s interests. A close friend of investor Warren Buffett, Munger went on to become vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, which in turn became a long-time Munger Tolles client.
Tolles passed away in 2008, leaving Ronald L. Olson as the last name partner still in active practice at the firm. Olson, who joined in 1...