17 corporate attorneys depart Munger Tolles for Baker McKenzie

At least 17 lawyers that comprised nearly the entirety of the corporate department at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP moved to Baker McKenzie. The group has worked on most of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s deals over the years.

Brett J. Rodda, a longtime M&A partner at Munger Tolles, said the group was looking for a larger platform. Munger Tolles has roughly 200 attorneys in three offices - in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Baker McKenzie has 6,500 attorneys and tax professionals in 70 offices globally.

"There were only 20 of us [in the corporate department]. There were no specialists. We had to associate with another firm to do international work. It was really hard," Rodda said. "The younger folks in particular wanted a bigger platform."

Leif King, head of Baker McKenzie's Transactional Group in California, called the group the "capstone" to an effort he began in 2019 when he moved from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates to build a potent transactions practice in California for Baker McKenzie.

Brett Rodda

Courtesy of Baker McKenzie

King, who has worked on some of the biggest deals in Silicon Valley of the last 20 years, said "I can't remember a move of this quality and this magnitude."

"It's been decades since there's been this level of shift. For us, this is a momentous occasion," he said.

All totaled, 11 partners are making the move to Baker McKenzie and at least six of the nine corporate associates at Munger Tolles are following them. The partners are Jennifer M. Broder, Kimberly A. Chi, David B. Goldman, Michael E. Greaney, Tyler Hilton, Judith T. Kitano, Kelly L.C. Kriebs, C. David Lee, Rodda, Matthew S. Schonholz and Nikole K. Zoumberakis. All of them are based in Los Angeles except for Rodda, who splits his time between LA and D.C., and Chi, who is based in Houston.

Neither King nor Rodda would say if Berkshire or other Munger Tolles clients would follow the group to Baker McKenzie, although Baker has done work for Berkshire in the past. [Disclosure: Rodda is the corporate lawyer for Daily Journal Corporation, the parent company of this newspaper.]

"We fully hope and expect that their clients will come along with them and enjoy the benefits of the full-service global platform that Baker can offer them," King said.

Peter Zeughauser of the law firm consultancy Zeughauser Group, called the move "significant."

"These are exceptionally talented and pedigreed corporate lawyers that any firm seeking to grow in LA would covet," Zeughauser said. "A real coup for Baker McKenzie, with a client base to support them and a long-time thirst for growth in LA."

Zeughauser agreed with King that large groups of high-end public company M&A and finance attorneys such as these have not moved in recent years. The most recent example appears to be the groups from Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP and Venture Law Group, but both of those law firms went belly-up following the 1990s dot.com bust, forcing their moves to Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Heller Ehrman LLP.

"I don't recall an entire corporate department moving," Zeughauser said, but added that it was "not inconsistent with Munger's gradual migration to more of a litigation shop. [This move] may be the best result for all concerned, considering the rise and success of trial boutiques like Hueston Hennigan."

Munger Tolles has long been known for doing the corporate work for Berkshire Hathaway, but that work represented a small part of its revenue compared to the litigation it handles. The firm has tried major cases for PG&E, Intel, Google, Disney, MGM Resorts, Northrop Grumman, Bank of America and Bechtel.

Rodda said he doubted the departure of the corporate department would have a major impact on Munger Tolles, pointing to other high-end and very successful litigation-only firms Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, Hueston Hennigan LLP, Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP and Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP.

"It's a great firm and it is a great litigation shop," Rodda said. "It doesn't need a corporate group for that."

Munger Tolles issued a statement that read: "We are sad to see our departing colleagues leave, and we wish them all the best. We are on track for our best financial year in firm history, our clients continue to trust us with their most important matters, including complex litigation and crisis management, and we continue to attract the best lawyers in the country."

King said the move would bolster his plan to build "the largest and best transactional practice in California to compliment [Baker McKenzie's] global platform."

He pointed to a 2019 Daily Journal article about his move to Baker McKenzie in which an anonymous source was quoted as saying that his plan to build a team of 30 high-end transactional lawyers in California was "astonishing, if true."

"With this move we are now 50. So be astonished," King said.