Brad D. Brian

LOS ANGELES - In June, Brad D. Brian was reelected as firm chair of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP for a second three-year term. Along with running the 188-attorney three-office shop, Brian, a general commercial litigator, had a string of successful settlements.

Among them: his representation of PG&E Co., which faced billions of dollars of liability for the 2019 Kinkade Fire and the 2021 Dixie Fire in Northern California. The blazes impacted Lassen, Plumas, Tehama, Butte, Shasta and Sonoma counties.

As part of his effort, he said that in March, "PG&E's general counsel and I spent a day in the car driving 450 miles to meet with the DAs in their offices in Susanville, Quincy and Red Bluff. We negotiated a global deal" that resulted in no criminal charges for the Dixie Fire and criminal charges being dropped for the Kinkade Fire. The utility agreed to pay $55 million over five years. People v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., SCV-270567 (Sonoma Co. Super. Ct., filed Apr. 8, 2022); People v. Pacific Gas and Electric Co., CV22-00061 (Plumas Co. Super. Ct., filed Apr. 11, 2022).

Brian also settled a massive legal malpractice suit against Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in which consumer lending company CashCall sought billions of dollars in the fallout from a faulty lending scheme. He and colleague Bethany W. Kristovich made the deal for an undisclosed amount in August 2021, just a week before trial. CashCall Inc. v. Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, 30- 2017-00914968 (O. Co. Super. Ct., filed April 14, 2017).

"We were looking forward to that trial," Brian said.

In a new matter, Brian and a Paul Hastings LLP partner, Elena R. Baca, were retained in early 2022 by Activision Blizzard, Inc. to defend against accusations by state employment regulators that the Santa Monica-based video game maker fosters a sexual harassment culture. Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard Inc. et al., 21STCV26571 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed July 20, 2021).

"We're in the midst of a lot of discovery disputes," Brian said.

He added: "I'm at the stage now where in addition to trying cases, I try to open the door to our young lawyers. Early in my career, I benefited from working with some of the best lawyers in the profession, both at our firm and elsewhere." He named Andrea S. Ordin, Ronald L. Olson, Bert H. Deixler, Carolyn B. Kuhl, Alan D. Bersin, Michael R. Doyen, Richard A. Sauber and Theodore V. Wells. "As I advanced in my career, I've had the opportunity to mentor a number of lawyers who have established themselves as first-rate trial lawyers." Brian included Munger Tolles partners Glenn C. Pomerantz, Hailyn J. Chen, Bethany W. Kristovich, E. Martin Estrada, Daniel B. Levin, Lisa J. Demsky, Jonathan I. Kravis, Laura D. Smolowe and Craig J. Lavoie plus Bart H. Williams and Luis Li, who work elsewhere. "I am very proud of all of them and whatever small role I might have played in helping their careers," Brian said.