Achieve with O’Melveny

Jeeho first became involved with the firm’s recruiting efforts as a junior associate. Eventually, she became responsible for heading up recruiting across O’Melveny’s 18 global offices. “Part of being a leader is remembering what it was like when you were a fresh face, then using that perspective to guide your staffing and talent development efforts,” she said. “As a young lawyer, I was never the most confident person in the room, but O’Melveny provided me with so many opportunities and encouraged me to take them. They believed in me before I believed in myself.”

During her tenure as Firmwide Hiring Partner, Jeeho worked to align O’Melveny’s recruiting strategy with a fast-evolving legal profession. She and the rest of the talent development team wanted to foster inclusivity and leadership development in the firm’s talent pipeline, so they developed processes that would boost long-term retention and training. “The firm is so thoughtful about the experience we create for our summer associates, and we needed to keep that momentum going,” Jeeho said. Her team began to formally document each summer associate’s goals and interests, which would be used to inform their practice area and mentorship placements when they returned. “Being intentional about these pairings helps us sow the seeds of meaningful connection. It’s important to help set up our associates for success. They need mentorship from lawyers who understand—and share—their unique experiences.”

Jeeho’s leadership of the Capital Markets group also prioritizes connection among colleagues. “I’ve been a member of this practice group for almost my entire career, and I still have the same goal: How can I support my neighbor? We can always do more together.” With a keen focus on collaboration and teamwork, its approach is bold, fresh, and dynamic. She and her colleagues have parlayed that energy into innovative solutions for some of the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions, including American Honda Finance Corporation, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan.

Jeeho is a firm believer in O’Melveny’s “best of both worlds” philosophy. Whether speaking to a law student or a lawyer in the Capital Markets group, she’s quick to point out that a career at O’Melveny can lead to personal fulfillment as well as professional success. “Times are changing, and people want to work for a firm that genuinely cares about them as individuals,” she said. “Everyone knows us for our empowering, collaborative culture. But it’s the high caliber of work we do while maintaining that culture that really makes us special.”

Bianca first came to O’Melveny as a Staff Attorney in the eDiscovery group, where she helped establish some of the firm’s core case management protocols. Animated by her “natural affinity for empowering people,” she became active in several employee networks at the firm. “Eventually, I realized I wanted to cover this ground in my day-to-day role,” Bianca explained. She took advantage of O’Melveny’s personalized career development coaching and mentoring opportunities to plot a new course, leading to her current role as the Senior Manager of Associate and Counsel Staffing on the Talent Development team.

Bianca’s involvement in various non-profit and community-based programs continued apace over the years, resulting in recognition from firm leadership as well as the profession at large. In 2014, her work with the AIDS Legal Services Project earned her the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Honorable Benjamin Aranda III Outstanding Public Service Award. In 2016, O’Melveny awarded her its highest honor, the Warren Christopher Values Award. Finally, one of her most rewarding roles has been co-chairing the African American Professionals Affinity Group (AAP), which she took on in 2019.

“As co-chair, my guiding principle has been, and always will be, connectivity,” Bianca said. “That’s why we’ve made internal networking a priority, and the AAP is open to all firm employees.” Fostering and maintaining relationships with firm alumni is another priority. “Our vision for the future is all about building long-lasting relationships and enhancing the O’Melveny experience, and these strategies play an instrumental role. We want to make people really feel at home here.”

More than anything, Bianca is struck by the potential for meaningful solidarity across individuals of all backgrounds and perspectives at the firm. “As my team and I work to train and mentor junior lawyers at O’Melveny, it’s an approach I want us all to keep top of mind. Those connections are what will power the next generation of legal leaders.”

Shortly after joining O’Melveny as a third-year associate, Vino plunged headfirst into a sprawling multidistrict litigation. His work took him from coast to coast as he coordinated with local counsel and worked with experts to draft expert reports. With only weeks of notice, Vino was asked to master a certain factual issue that figured prominently in the litigation. Whenever the issue was implicated, the trial team came to him for guidance, and he ended up preparing partners for multiple cross-examinations in the case. “I hadn’t done much trial work before, being so junior, but the partners trusted us to learn quickly and execute for the team,” Vino said. “When we got out of that particular trial, they told me they thought I was ready to start first-chairing depositions, which I think is unusual for a third-year elsewhere.”

Vino soon graduated to a leadership role, overseeing a large team of lawyers for a new aspect of the litigation. “The partners entrusted me to become the ‘O’Melveny voice’ in that jurisdiction, both among a large and active group of lawyers from other plaintiff and defense firms, and in front of the court,” he said. “That was another opportunity I hadn’t expected to receive at my seniority level.”

For Vino, this stable of cases proved to be the ideal platform for career development. By the time he was promoted to counsel, he had taken countless depositions and made oral arguments in various venues. “I went from being the ‘keeper of the keys’ for one niche issue to an experienced litigator who knew every facet of the case, inside and out,” he said.

Vino credits much of his success to the support of his senior colleagues. “Partners here are incredibly invested in associates’ careers,” he explained. “They’ll take you aside and ask what you want out of your career, sit in with you during depositions, coach you when you need it, make sure you have everything you need to do your job well. Their confidence sets the stage for you to determine the trajectory of your career. You figure out what kind of lawyer you want to be, and they help you make it happen.”

“I didn’t know any lawyers growing up, and I never expected to become a lawyer,” she said. “I took a job in the corporate world after college, assuming I would be happy there.” Five years later, Courtney made a pivotal decision. She decided to enroll in law school, taking classes at night so she could continue to work during the day.

Her early years at O’Melveny—first as a summer associate, then as a first-year—coincided with the strengthening of the antitrust practice at the firm, led by partners who rejoined the firm after having recently done stints at the Federal Trade Commission. Courtney’s interest was instantly piqued. “The way you have to think about antitrust matters really appealed to me as someone with a corporate background,” she said. “I could use my knowledge of organizational behavior and strategic decision-making to help clients achieve the best results with the least antitrust risk.”

Over the past two decades, Courtney has helped clients globally defend proposed and consummated mergers and acquisitions before antitrust agencies. Impressed by her track record as well as her dedication to mentoring younger lawyers, O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin asked Courtney if she would be interested in formally assuming a leadership role. “I said yes, of course, though I did have some concerns about balancing my practice with all the responsibilities of being an office managing partner,” Courtney said. “What I quickly realized, though, was how many resources were available to me. The partners in the DC office are phenomenal—they’re hands on, and they lead by example. I only have to ask for support once, and I’ll have a line out the door of people willing to pitch in.”

According to Courtney, the firm’s values—a dedication to excellence, a drive to lead and innovate, and a deep sense of civic responsibility—are foundational to the success of the DC office. “People thrive here because we all are guided by these important values and genuinely enjoy working with each other. Our office is home to an unbelievable caliber of talent, from ex-government officials to Supreme Court clerks, but no one takes themselves too seriously. That collegiality and camaraderie, coupled with our focus on employees’ well-being, is what makes us successful across all metrics and trusted by our clients.”