For Seventh Consecutive Year, O’Melveny Honored Among “Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK—July 16, 2019—O’Melveny has been named one of the “Best Law Firms for Women” for the seventh consecutive year by Working Mother magazine.

O’Melveny is among 60 US law firms recognized by Working Mother for using best policies and practices to retain and promote women lawyers.

“We’re very proud to be honored once again by Working Mother,” said Bradley J. Butwin, chair of O’Melveny & Myers LLP. “Receiving this recognition for the seventh consecutive year is a testament to our efforts to recruit, retain, and advance women throughout the firm. We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees receive the support, mentorship, and flexibility they need to succeed.”

2019 also marks the fifth straight year that women have made up more than 40 percent of O’Melveny’s new partnership class. To help ensure the success and satisfaction of the firm’s working mothers, O’Melveny features a variety of leave, work-life balance, and career-advancement initiatives, including:

• Generous caregiver leave policies
• Access to CustOMMize, a comprehensive program offering flexibility options for attorneys—male and female—that can be tailored to meet different needs and circumstances
• Parenting Employee Networks
• Firm-subsidized backup care in all US offices for family members (infants through elders)
• Responsive leadership that has prioritized helping women, many of whom have spent their entire careers at O’Melveny, progress to equity partnership

“Women at O’Melveny play key roles at every level of the firm,” said Mary Ellen Connerty, O’Melveny’s Director of Diversity and Engagement. “They lead offices and practice groups, deals, and trial teams. They serve on our board and management team. And yet we know we can do better. Like Working Mother, we remain focused on the work that remains to be done.”

About O’Melveny

It’s more than what you do: it’s how you do it. Across sectors and borders, in board rooms and courtrooms, we measure our success by yours. And in our interactions, we commit to making your O’Melveny experience as satisfying as the outcomes we help you achieve. Our greatest accomplishment is ensuring that you never have to choose between premier lawyering and exceptional service. So, tell us. What do you want to achieve? Visit us at omm.com.

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The following press release was issued by Working Mother:

THE 2019 WORKING MOTHER 60 BEST LAW FIRMS FOR WOMEN

Honoring the firms most committed to advancing women.

July 3, 2019

For 12 years, Working Mother has recognized the U.S. law firms that utilize best practices to recruit, retain, promote and develop women lawyers.

For the third year, Working Mother collaborated with the ABA Journal as a knowledge partner in recruiting firms and publicizing results. At these 60 law firms, women made up 37 percent of new equity partners—compared with only 27 percent five years ago. The percentage of women lawyers in the ranks of the most highly compensated partners also jumped from 11 percent to 15 percent in five years. Plus, these firms offer more extended parental-leave benefits, encourage more lawyers to work remotely and use flexible hours, and are increasingly offering reimbursements for egg freezing and other fertility procedures.

A few key parental-leave, work-life balance and career-advancement initiatives taking place at firms featured on the list include:

• 15 weeks of paid parental leave is the average minimum;
• One firm on the list, which strives to set reduced schedules that enable both professional growth and work-life balance, reported that attorneys on reduced schedules comprised 33 percent of those promoted to partnerships as of the start of 2019;
• Several firms offer parent-resource groups, which support moms and dads;
• Many firms have expanded their women’s initiatives and programs dedicated to the mentoring, sponsorship and promotion of female lawyers, as well as diversity and inclusion programs.