Xiaonan April Hu named a 2026 Appellate Rising Star by The National Law Journal. August 25, 2026 Munger, Tolles & Olson Partner Xiaonan April Hu has been recognized as an Appellate Rising Star as part of The National Law Journal's 2026 D.C. Legal Awards. The award recognizes 40 promising lawyers age 40 and under in the Washington, D.C., region for their influence, innovation, client successes, and leadership. April is a litigator whose practice focuses on antitrust and appellate matters. She represents companies in trial and appellate proceedings, government antitrust inquiries, and high-stakes internal investigations. Her experience includes disputes involving unfair competition, constitutional challenges, and trade dress infringement.

Cordell Brown named to The National Black Lawyers' Top 40 Under 40 list. August 21, 2026 Munger, Tolles & Olson Associate Cordell Brown has been named to The National Black Lawyers' Top 40 Under 40 list in Southern California. The list recognizes the top 40 African American lawyers under the age of 40 in each state or region who provide excellent legal representation in their respective practice areas. Cordell's practice focuses on intellectual property, technology and high-stakes investigations. He also maintains an active pro bono practice and served as lead trial counsel in a lawsuit alleging that a school district's closure of several elementary schools violated the California Constitution. He has also represented clients seeking relief from removal and conducted extensive research supporting efforts to expand access to justice for detained individuals. The National Black Lawyers is an invitation-only organization and membership is based on member referrals and independent research.

Elizabeth Dyer returns to Munger, Tolles & Olson as of counsel in Los Angeles. August 10, 2026 Munger, Tolles & Olson is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Dyer has rejoined the firm as of counsel in its Los Angeles office. Elizabeth brings extensive experience counseling employers on complex workplace and employment law matters, with significant in-house experience advising leading technology companies on a broad range of employment issues. Most recently, Elizabeth served as senior employment counsel at OpenAI, following her tenure as employment counsel at Block. In these roles, she advised business leaders on U.S. and global employment law matters, including employee relations, workplace investigations, compensation, mergers and acquisitions, workforce compliance and employment policies for rapidly growing organizations. She also developed strategies to help prevent and resolve workplace disputes and employment litigation. "Elizabeth combines sophisticated employment counseling with valuable in-house experience advising innovative companies through complex workplace issues," said Katherine Forster, co-chair of MTO's Labor & Employment practice group. "Her practical perspective and litigation background will further strengthen our ability to help employers solve their most difficult employment challenges in an ever-changing legal landscape." Prior to her time in-house, Elizabeth practiced labor and employment law at MTO, where she represented employers in single-plaintiff and class action employment matters and advised clients across industries on employee terminations, arbitration agreements, accommodation requests, inclusion initiatives and wage and hour compliance. "I am excited to return to Munger, Tolles & Olson, a firm known for its collaborative culture and commitment to excellence," said Elizabeth. "After several years in-house, I'm grateful for the opportunity to bring that perspective back to the firm and work alongside such talented colleagues once again." Earlier in her career, Elizabeth built a broad litigation and counseling practice at Am Law 100 firms in Los Angeles. She earned her J.D. from the University of Southern California and her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego. "Elizabeth's return reflects our continued dedication to providing clients with outstanding labor and employment counsel," said Co-Managing Partner Martin Estrada. "Her experience advising leading technology companies brings a valuable perspective on the workplace issues our clients face every day. We are delighted to welcome her back to the firm."