Hailyn J. Chen

Chen was recently elected co-managing partner of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, an appointment that demonstrates just how far she and her firm have come. Chen began her legal career as a summer associate at the firm and is its first woman of color to hold the position.

“We’ll be setting the strategic priorities for our firm,” said Chen, who leads alongside co-managing partner Malcolm Heinicke. “Do we keep doing what we’ve always done? What do we need to tweak?”

Chen, who works in the Los Angeles office, focuses on complex civil litigation and high-profile government and internal investigations. Her clients include Tokyo Electric Power Co., LG Display, the University of California, and Airbnb Inc.

She’s also serving a three-year term on the State Bar of California’s Board of Trustees and co-chairs the ABA Section of Litigation’s Woman Advocate Committee.

As the University of California’s lead counsel on a number of sexual misconduct matters across the university system’s 10 state campuses, Chen has found herself litigating on issues that have become part of a larger national conversation.

“It’s important for my clients to really do the right thing,” she said. “UC is looking holistically at what can be done to prevent sexual misconduct on campuses.”

Chen recently represented UC in appealing and reversing a U.S. District Court ruling on a case brought by a UC Santa Barbara student found responsible for sexual assault. The decision held that the plaintiff’s Title IX and section 1983 claims should be dismissed for failure to exhaust his judicial remedies by first filing for a writ of administrative mandate in state court Doe v. Regents of the University of California, No. 17-56110 .

For Airbnb, Chen was one of two lead trial attorneys who represented the hospitality company in a lawsuit filed by Aimco, a multi-family housing management company in Miami. Bay Parc Plaza Apartments et al v. Airbnb Inc., et al., 2017-003624-CA-01 (11th Circuit Fla. filed Feb. 14, 2017).

Aimco’s tenants had used the Airbnb platform to rent out apartments even though their lease agreements prohibited subleases. Aimco alleged that Airbnb had tortiously interfered with the lease agreements. Chen successfully opposed Aimco’s motion for a preliminary injunction and attained a favorable settlement just after the trial began last December.

—Jennifer McEntee