O’Melveny Extends Streak on American Lawyer’s “A-List” of Top Law Firms
July 24, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Firm jumps two spots in 2019 rankings to #7, its eighth consecutive year on the prestigious measure of diversity, revenue per lawyer, pro bono work, and associate satisfaction
NEW YORK—July 24, 2019—For the eighth straight year, O’Melveny has been named to The American Lawyer’s A-List, one of the legal industry’s most coveted honors. The firm moved up two spots to #7—its seventh time in the Top 10.
As in years past, the 2019 A-List reflects a holistic survey of law firm performance, with firms ranked on a combined assessment of revenue per lawyer, pro bono work, racial diversity, and associate satisfaction. Since 2017, AmLaw has added racial and gender diversity among partnerships in its assessment of overall excellence.
“When it comes to running a well-rounded law firm, leaders can’t treat issues such as profitability, diversity and pro bono individually,” AmLaw wrote in its July 24 story on the 2019 rankings. “To be their best, they have to think and operate holistically.”
The magazine added, “It’s not enough to keep associates happy or dedicate a few extra hours to their pro bono commitments. To make the A-List, all of these issues have to share top priority.”
In moving O’Melveny up the rankings, AmLaw highlighted the increase in the firm’s percentage of women equity partners, which jumped 16 points in the survey, along with “a near-perfect associate satisfaction score of 99.5.” The firm is hitting diversity markers in other areas: 80 percent of this year’s new partner class were women, minorities, or members of the LGBTQ community.
The publication also cited O’Melveny’s numerous initiatives “such as affinity groups, engagement surveys and a two-way communication policy to continually give colleagues a voice and everyone at the firm something to work toward.” As O’Melveny Chair Bradley J. Butwin explained, these efforts reflect core values, not sideline issues.
“They’re part of our everyday vocabulary, and they’re ingrained into our DNA and our firm strategy,” he told AmLaw. “We expect everyone to participate, and we make that expectation very explicit.”
Butwin added that these priorities help the firm address multiple A-List metrics at once.
“Many of the pro bono opportunities O’Melveny takes on deal with issues that affect marginalized groups, which, in turn, inspire our associates,” he said.
The A-List is just the latest recognition O’Melveny has received for the quality of its workplace culture. In June, the firm was again awarded Gold Standard Certification by the nationally based Women in Law Empowerment Forum; the certification reflects the firm’s success in hitting specific benchmarks for advancing women attorneys. Also in June, O’Melveny became the first and only law firm to earn #1 ranking on Vault’s three key “Quality of Life” categories: Best Law Firm to Work For, Best Overall Diversity, and Best Summer Associate Program.
About O’Melveny
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Contact:
Christopher Rieck
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 212 326 2218
crieck@omm.com