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American Bar Association

ABA Career Counsel
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Attorney By Attorney
Career Profiles of the Profession

Who?

Name:
Jeffrey L. Bleich
jeff.bleich@mto.com

What?

Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields:
Complex business litigation, including appellate practice, intellectual property, media and communications, first amendment, and employment law.

When?

Years in Practice Area:
Since 1992

Years in the Legal Profession:
Since 1989

Where?

Employer:
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
http://www.mto.com

Size/Sector:
140 Attorneys, Private

City/State:
San Francisco, California

Law School:
University of California at Berkeley-Boalt Hall School of Law

Undergraduate School/Degree:
Amherst College

Other Post-Graduate Education:
Harvard

Why?

Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area:
The advantage is that the issues are tough, interesting and have high stakes.
The downside is that these cases have short fuses and rarely go to trial.

Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area:
First amendment, good sense of civil procedure, and an interest in technology.

Advice to Lawyers and Law Students Interested in Your Practice Area:
Try to get a clerkship. You can learn a great deal about the substantive law and good practice.

How?

Career Path to Current Position:
After getting a public policy degree and my J.D., I clerked in the federal courts. Since then, I've combined practice with teaching at U.C. Berkeley.

Influence and Mentors:
Professor Paul Mishkin, Professor Mark Moore, Judge Abner Mikva, Chief Justice Rehnquist, Ron Olson.

Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position:
Word of mouth.

Bar Affiliations and Activities:

President Elect Bar Association of San Francisco, Co-Chair of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Board Directors, Past President of the Barristers Club of San Francisco, Co-Chair Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (2004).

Recent Professional Publications:

California Lawyer, San Francisco Attorney Magazine, Federal Bar Journal

Recent Professional Presentations:

Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference

Memorable Career Moment:

Winning affirmative action case in trial against former Governor Wilson.

Intriguing Interests:

Bass Guitar, writing short stories.