O'Melveny Appoints Richard Goetz Head of Class Action Practice

May 12, 2009

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Piper Hall
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
202.220.5022 (office)
202.870.1800 (cell)
phall@omm.com

Marjory Appel
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
212.408.2471 (office)
917.287.7674 (cell)
mappel@omm.com

Sonja Steptoe
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
213.430.6384 (office)
323.578.1586 (cell)
ssteptoe@omm.com

LOS ANGELES, CA —O’Melveny & Myers LLP has named partner Richard Goetz head of its Class Action, Mass Torts, and Aggregated Litigation Practice. Goetz will lead O’Melveny’s nationally recognized team of approximately 120 lawyers who defend class actions in courts across the country.

Goetz was selected in 2008 as one of the top products liability lawyers in the United States by Institutional Investor’s Benchmark: Litigation Guide, and was recognized by Legal 500 United States for “excellent” products liability defense work. Also the head of O’Melveny’s Products Liability Practice, Goetz has defended individual, mass, and class actions across the country against medical device and prescription drug manufacturers, food companies, hotel chains, an automobile manufacturer, a boat manufacturer, a retail store chain, and a mining company. Under Goetz’s leadership, the Firm’s Products Liability Practice was shortlisted to receive an “Award For Excellence” from Chambers USA (2008). Goetz’s clients include Johnson & Johnson, Merck and ACE.

“We are delighted that Rich will bring his outstanding creativity and talent to this role,” said Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., Chair of O’Melveny & Myers. “During his 25-year tenure at O’Melveny, he has played an integral part in some of our most significant and high-profile class action matters helping his clients achieve victories through innovative strategies and excellent legal skill.”

In addition to his products liability work, Goetz also has extensive experience litigating insurance disputes and he is recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top insurance litigators in the United States. He represented insurers in the highly publicized class actions challenging insurance broker compensation, and is currently lead counsel in a major insurance coverage action pending in the California Supreme Court. He has been invited by the California Court of Appeal to file amicus briefs in highly publicized insurance coverage litigation.

O’Melveny’s class action group includes lawyers who are recognized authorities in such fields as products liability and mass torts, financial services, wage-and-hour, health care and insurance and have successfully defended class actions in all 50 states and federal courts around the country. The O’Melveny class action team includes several members of the American Law Institute’s consultative group on the principles of aggregate litigation; the chair of the Federalist Society's class action committee; a member of the Board of Overseers of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice; the chair of the Los Angeles County Bar’s Federal Courts Committee; and numerous other nationally recognized practice leaders based on both the East and West Coasts.

“I look forward to leading O’Melveny’s class action practice group. It’s an honor just to be a member of this impressive group of outstanding lawyers who have strong institutional ties with clients in a variety of industries,” said Goetz. “Our thought leadership has been recognized in diverse areas ranging from products liability and mass torts to health care and insurance to financial services and beyond. It has been a rewarding experience to be a part of this team, and I look forward to many more exciting challenges in the years ahead.”

About O’Melveny & Myers LLP

With more than 1,000 lawyers in 14 offices worldwide, O’Melveny & Myers LLP helps industry leaders across a broad array of sectors manage the complex challenges of succeeding in the global economy. We are a values-driven law firm, guided by the principles of excellence, leadership, and citizenship. Our commitment to these values is reflected in our dedication to improving access to justice through pro bono work and championing initiatives that increase the diversity of the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.omm.com.