Former solicitor general will open DC office for Munger Tolles
Former Solicitor General Donald Verrilli will open a Washington, D.C., office for Los Angeles-based law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson.
Joining Verrilli in the new office are Michael DeSanctis, who is moving to Munger Tolles from Jenner & Block, and former deputy associate attorney general Chad Golder. Law.com (sub. req.), the New York Times DealBook blog, Bloomberg Big Law Business, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post have stories. A press release is here.
The office is the first outside of California for Munger Tolles. Verrilli is a former Jenner partner. Law.com calls his move to Munger Tolles “surprising given that Munger doesn’t have an office outside California and isn’t known for its Supreme Court work.”
Verrilli told Bloomberg that he is expecting to build a Supreme Court practice that is “second to none” but is also “envisioning a broader practice than that.” Verilli hopes to expand the new D.C. office by “recruiting the very best young lawyers in the country,” he tells DealBook. He isn’t ruling out lateral hires, however.
Verrilli told the Washington Post he was interested in building an office for a firm with a “commitment to excellence and a deep, long-standing commitment to pro-bono and public service work.”
Verrilli had argued 37 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court as solicitor general. He left the job in June.
