Joseph Daniel Lee

Mr. Lee is a partner in the Los Angeles firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.

Mr. Lee received a B.A. Degree in English Literature from UCLA in 1979, graduating magna cum laude.  He is a 1982 graduate of Boalt Hall School of Law, where he was Order of the Coif and Managing Editor of the Ecology Law Quarterly.  Mr. Lee served as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger Robb of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit during the 1982-83 term.

Mr. Lee joined Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP in August 1983 and has been a partner since 1988.  He has had substantial experience in civil and white collar criminal matters, focusing on complex commercial litigation matters and corporate internal investigations. 

Mr. Lee has litigated a wide variety of complex litigation matters, including consumer class actions, False Claims Act litigation, and large commercial contract disputes.  Representative litigation matters that Mr. Lee has handled include:

•           Representing the General Electric Company in antitrust, RICO, and unfair competition lawsuits in California state and federal court

•           Representing GE Aircraft Engines in three related wrongful death actions arising from the November, 2004 crash of a China Eastern airplane in the People’s Republic of China

•           Defending Verizon and Verizon Wireless in California and New Jersey class action lawsuits alleging overcharges for telephone services and other billing irregularities

•           Defending Northrop Grumman, and other U.S. defense contractors in False Claims Act litigation and investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office

•           Representing world’s largest bicycle components manufacturer (Shimano, Inc.) in federal court litigation against an alleged infringer of U.S. patents

Mr. Lee has substantial experience in conducting internal investigations regarding possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other laws.  Mr. Lee has conducted internal investigations into alleged FCPA and similar violations in Latin America (Mexico, Colombia and Brazil), Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, and China), Europe (England, Russia, Germany, and Spain), and the Middle East (Israel and the United Arab Emirates).  Mr. Lee has conducted investigations into other alleged violations of U.S. laws, including allegations of title reinsurance kickbacks, backdating of stock options, misuse of funds held by a California charitable trust, and alleged accounting irregularities at a large private university.  In connection with these investigations, Mr. Lee has represented companies in voluntary disclosures to, and negotiations with, the United States Department of Justice, the Securities & Exchange Commission, the California Attorney General, and the California Commissioner of Insurance.

Mr. Lee has counseled major U.S. companies on internal corporate controls and compliance issues and has drafted FCPA compliance programs for U.S. companies.  Mr. Lee has assisted GE and The Boeing Company in drafting procedures for conducting internal investigations.

Mr. Lee has argued cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the California Court of Appeal, and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.  Mr. Lee has tried cases in Los Angeles Superior Court and the United States District Court for the Central District of California.