Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Alvarado Hospital Medical Center
Black Canyon Capital LLC
Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, Inc.
International Game Technology
Johnson & Johnson
La Senza Corp
Lionsgate Entertainment
Merck & Co., Inc.
New Century Financial Corporation
QLogic Corporation
Southern California Edison
Skechers USA, Inc.
Trader Joe’s
University of California
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Los Angeles
Having an international law firm with a strong Los Angeles presence provides a critical link to one of the world’s key economic, political, and social centers. As the city’s oldest and largest law firm, O’Melveny’s downtown office is home to more than 250 lawyers who are passionate about tackling our clients’ most important legal work and helping them achieve their key strategic goals, whether it’s completing a billion-dollar merger or defending against criminal prosecution. Political leaders, Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, those too poor to afford legal assistance and everyone in between turn to us for guidance. When Henry O’Melveny founded the Firm in 1885, Los Angeles was little more than a bustling village on the western edge of the American frontier. Today, our Los Angeles lawyers work seamlessly with O’Melveny offices across the United States, Europe, and Asia to stay abreast of developments in an increasingly complex global economy.
Key Facts
- O’Melveny has the highest number of litigators among offices in downtown Los Angeles. Unlike other major litigation firms, our litigation department takes cases to trial—about a dozen in the past year. We handle matters in federal and state courts throughout the country for clients such as Merck & Co., Inc., CIGNA Corporation, and ExxonMobil Corporation. Our transactions department benefits from a global practice and a robust Los Angeles economy—the world’s ninth largest—ahead of countries such as Mexico, Spain, India, and Russia.
- In 2008, O’Melveny was named to The American Lawyer’s A-List, a list of the 20 firms judged as best in the nation at balancing a thriving business with their obligations to the profession. This prestigious recognition is based on a firm’s performance in the areas of revenue generation, pro bono casework, associate satisfaction, and diversity.
- Chambers USA (2008) features 19 of our Los Angeles practitioners in its guidebook America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
- The Firm earned its reputation early, representing clients in a variety of matters that played an important role in California’s history and growth. The tradition continues. In 2007, Corporate Board Member magazine named us the “Best Corporate Law Firm in Los Angeles.”
- The Los Angeles County Bar Association awarded its first ever Pro Bono Service Award to O’Melveny in 2006. The Firm was chosen because of its immigration pro bono work and how that work serves to enhance diversity in the community.
Related Services
- Antitrust and Competition
Our lawyers represent clients before antitrust and competition agencies around the world. Our antitrust team currently represents Advanced Micro Devices against Intel in what promises to be one of the largest antitrust cases ever commenced. The case alleges that Intel has monopolized the x86 microprocessor industry worldwide by engaging in a campaign to coerce customers to refrain from dealing with AMD. The Firm’s representation has included domestic litigation alleging violations of Section 2 of the Sherman Act and investigations by several antitrust authorities including the European Commission, the Japan Fair Trade Commission, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the Korean Fair Trade Commission.
- Business Tax
Our Los Angeles tax lawyers combine a thorough knowledge of tax law with a pragmatic, problem-solving approach. Our team recently represented a leading real estate developer in a closely watched case of first impression decided by the US Tax Court. The case involved an estate’s ability to pay federal estate tax on the value of a closely held business in installments over a 10-year period after a five-year deferral. The issue before the court was the requirement that our client post adequate long-term surety in order to make the election under the applicable statute. As a result of our representation, the client was able to make the election without furnishing a bond, and his business operations continued without interruption.
- Corporate Finance
Our lawyers structure complex financings, including syndicated credits, acquisition financings, bridge and mezzanine lending, public and private debt offerings, second lien and subordinated loan financing, asset-based facilities, securitizations of a wide variety of assets, and derivatives for large financial institutions and asset managers. We represented affiliates of KKR Financial LLC in numerous structured financings, including what is believed to be the largest non-bank arbitrage collateralized loan obligation transaction on record in any market, with an initial issuance size of more than US$3.5 billion, and the potential for upsizing to US$5 billion. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, KKR Financial LLC operates as the external manager for KKR Financial Holdings LLC, a specialty finance company with assets of more than US$18 billion, and KKR Strategic Capital Fund, a private credit opportunity fund with capital commitments totaling in excess of US$1 billion.
- Intellectual Property and Technology
We represent a diverse array of clients in civil and criminal matters involving patent, copyright, trade secret, and trademark issues. We protect valuable innovations and defend against allegations of trade secret misappropriation in civil and criminal proceedings and in unfair business practice litigation. O’Melveny became patent litigation counsel for International Game Technology (IGT), a global leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of computerized gaming machines and systems products in 2004. When IGT’s “Wheel of Fortune”® machine—described as “the most successful slot machine in history”—was threatened by an infringing machine produced by rival Bally Technologies, the company turned to us to enforce the patents that protect the product’s core technology. Trial is set for late 2008 in Las Vegas.
- Labor and Employment
Our labor and employment lawyers handle disputes brought as individual claims, aggregated suits, and class actions based on employment discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, wage and hour, ERISA, and employee benefits challenges. We also counsel employers on union organizing and collective bargaining obligations. We recently represented Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“CGMI”) in a federal court state-wide putative class action challenging the exempt status of CGMI’s Financial Consultants (stockbrokers) and Financial Consultant trainees under both federal and state law, and seeking recovery for alleged unpaid overtime, lost meal and break periods, improper deductions and docking of employee compensation and other wage and hour violations as well as a violation of California Business & Professions Code § 17200.
- Mergers and Acquisitions
The M&A team at O’Melveny guides sophisticated companies and financial investors through the complexities of merging, acquiring, investing in and disposing of businesses, whether public or private, domestic or international. In 2007, our clients entrusted us with more than 175 announced M&A transactions with an aggregate value of over US$100 billion. Recently, our lawyers represented Goodman Global, Inc., a leading manufacturer of residential and light commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment, in its US$2.65 billion acquisition by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman LLC.
- Products Liability and Mass Torts
We serve as lead or co-lead national counsel in dozens of multidistrict litigations involving allegedly defective products, and we have defended numerous companies in regulatory investigations and aggregated litigation brought by federal agencies and state attorneys general. Currently, lawyers from our Los Angeles office represent Merck & Co., Inc. and Johnson & Johnson in matters that range from developing and coordinating defense strategy to acting as trial counsel in individual cases.
- Restructuring
The Los Angeles financial restructuring group regularly counsels the full panoply of participants in the bankruptcy and restructuring arenas, including debtors, informal and official committees, distressed investors, creditors, lenders, bondholders and shareholders. Currently, O’Melveny represents New Century Financial Corporation, one of the largest subprime lenders to have filed Chapter 11, in general bankruptcy, corporate and litigation matters as debtor in possession; in 2006, it originated or purchased over US$60 billion of mortgage loans.
- Securities Litigation
Our securities litigation lawyers are among a select few who have successfully tried securities-related cases to jury verdicts. But our experience extends well beyond the courtroom. We represent companies and audit and special committees in internal investigations involving allegations of complex accounting fraud and potential financial restatements. For example, after five years of litigation and appeal, O'Melveny client Skechers USA, Inc. has been vindicated in the private class action securities lawsuit against the company and its senior management. In April 2008, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a ruling of the US District Court for the Central District of California, which twice had dismissed the shareholder lawsuit in its entirety. The lawsuit alleged that Skechers and several of its directors committed fraud when they made optimistic projections in 2002 press releases and conference calls while knowing that the company was experiencing a decrease in product demand. The Ninth Circuit concluded that the plaintiff shareholders failed to state facts giving rise to an inference that defendants made fraudulent statements.
- White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations
Our white collar lawyers defend against a range of securities, regulatory, and misconduct claims, representing companies, audit committees, directors, and corporate officers in high-stakes government investigations. In the courtroom, we have continued a tradition of excellence by representing institutions and individuals of the business and political community in high-profile trials. Currently, we are representing a former executive of W.R. Grace who, along with the company and six other former employees, is awaiting the commencement of a federal criminal trial in Missoula, Montana.
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400 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
United States of America
Phone +1-213-430-6000
Fax +1-213-430-6407
Local Weather
Local Time: 10:23 PM
Local Date: 11/20/2009
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