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O'Melveny & Myers Announces 2012 Partner Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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WASHINGTON, DC ─ January 13, 2012 ─ O’Melveny & Myers LLP is pleased to announce that 15 new partners will be admitted to the Firm, effective February 1, 2012. The members of the Firm’s 2012 partner class are:  Shannon Barrett (Washington, DC), B. Andrew Bednark (New York), Nancy Bruington (Century City), Jennifer DePalma (Silicon Valley), Kenneth Deutsch (Century City), Andrew Dolak (Newport Beach), Jeffrey Fowler (Los Angeles), Bingna Guo (Beijing), Andrew Hutton (Singapore), Mangyo Kinoshita (Tokyo), Adam P. KohSweeney (San Francisco), Andrew Parlen (Los Angeles), David I. Schultz (New York), Catalina Joos Vergara (Los Angeles), and Michael Walsh (Washington, DC).

“This year’s new partner class includes men and women from across our practices and offices who represent the very best of O'Melveny,” said Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., Chair of O’Melveny & Myers.

“This quality class of new partners will help shape the very bright future of our Firm,” added Bradley J. Butwin, Chair-Elect of the Firm.

O’Melveny & Myers LLP’s 2012 Partner Class

Shannon Barrett is a member of the Financial Services Practice and resides in the Washington, DC office. He focuses on ERISA-related litigation at both the trial and appellate level, with a particular focus on fiduciary issues, for financial institutions and plan sponsor clients. He also assists clients in responding to regulatory investigations. Barrett, who joined the Firm in 2001, clerked for the Honorable John R. Gibson of the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He received a J.D. from Harvard University Law School in 1997 and a B.A. from Duke University in 1994.

B. Andrew Bednark is a member of the Securities Litigation Practice and resides in the New York office. He has litigated securities, derivative, and other complex commercial cases in state and federal courts throughout the US. He regularly represents securities issuers, underwriters, and broker-dealers, with particular emphasis on advising financial institutions in disputes arising from the economic crisis. Bednark joined the Firm in 2002 after receiving a J.D. magna cum laude that year from University of Minnesota Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Minnesota Law Review. He earned a B.S. summa cum laude from New York University in 1999.

Nancy Bruington is a member of the Entertainment, Sports, and Media Group and practices in the Century City office. She represents studios, production companies, investors, and financial institutions in a diverse array of transactions, including film-slate financings and the formation and capitalization of entertainment companies. Bruington, who was named one of “The Best and Brightest” in Entertainment Law by Variety in 2011, has also advised lenders, borrowers, and equity sponsors in public and private debt and equity offerings. Prior to joining O’Melveny in 2006, Bruington received a law degree from Cornell University Law School in 2001 and a bachelor's degree from University of Washington in 1997.

Jennifer DePalma is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and resides in the Silicon Valley office. DePalma, who was named a “Rising Star” in Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities & Corporate Finance in Northern California by Super Lawyers in 2011, advises investors and public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance and intellectual property transactions. DePalma joined O’Melveny in 2005. She completed a clerkship with the Honorable Edith Brown Clement of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after receiving a J.D. in 2001 from University of Chicago Law School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Chicago Law School Roundtable. DePalma received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1996.

Kenneth Deutsch resides in the Century City office, where he practices in the Entertainment, Sports, and Media Group. He represents financial institutions, investment funds, motion picture studios, independent production companies, television networks, high net worth individuals, and other clients on complex financings and strategic joint ventures. Deutsch, who was named one of “The Best and Brightest” in Entertainment Law by Variety in 2011, also negotiates production, co-financing, and distribution agreements in the media and entertainment sector. Deutsch joined O’Melveny in 2003, after receiving a J.D. the same year from Harvard University Law School. He earned a B.A. from Columbia University in 2000.

Andrew Dolak is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and is resident in the Newport Beach office. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, and other transactions related to the development, acquisition, sale, and licensing of intellectual property for public and private companies in the technology sector. Dolak joined O’Melveny initially in 1993 and rejoined the Firm in 1998, after receiving a law degree the same year from Loyola Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Loyola Law Review. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1992 from California State University, Long Beach.

Jeffrey Fowler is a member of the Class Actions, Mass Torts, and Insurance Litigation Practice and resides in the Los Angeles office. A founding member of the Firm’s Electronic Discovery and Document Retention Practice, Fowler focuses on eDiscovery issues in complex class actions and multidistrict litigations. Fowler’s practice involves negotiating preservation, collection and production protocols and overseeing their execution in cases involving large volumes of electronic evidence. Prior to joining the Firm in 1998, Fowler received a J.D. from University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1994 and an A.B. in 1991 from University of California, Berkeley.

Bingna Guo is a member of the Business Trial and Litigation Practice and is resident in the Beijing office. A founding member of O’Melveny’s China-Based US-Listed Company Litigation Task Force, she represents clients in securities and cross-border litigation; anticorruption and other types of internal investigations; arbitration and mediation; and antitrust, compliance, and crisis management matters. Guo, who was named Euromoney Legal Media’s “Rising Star” in 2011, also has litigated in Chinese courts. She joined O'Melveny in 1998 as a legal consultant and rejoined the Firm as a lawyer in 2002 after earning her LL.M. from New York University School of Law the same year. She received an LL.B. from Fudan University School of Law in 1999.

Andrew Hutton is a member of the Corporate Finance and Capital Markets Practice and resides in the Singapore office. He represents both underwriters and corporate issuers in debt and equity offerings, including high-yield, RMB-denominated “dim sum,” convertible, and straight corporate bonds; and IPOs and secondary equities in regional, private, and SEC-registered transactions. Hutton, who has practiced in Asia since 2000, joined the Firm in 2010. He received his law degree with honors in 1991 from University of Minnesota, where he was Managing Editor of the Minnesota Law Review. He earned a B.A. and a B.S. from University of Kansas in 1988.

Mangyo Kinoshita is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group and is resident in the Tokyo office. He advises on a wide range of corporate matters, focusing on cross-border mergers and acquisitions. His client work includes consultation on unsolicited and friendly acquisitions, antitrust filings, and litigation procedures in Japan and other regions deriving from such transactions. Prior to joining the Firm in 2005, Kinoshita earned an LL.M. from Duke University Law School the same year. He received an LL.B. from Keio University in 1999 and a diploma from the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan in 2001.

Adam P. KohSweeney is a member of the Labor and Employment practice group and resides in the San Francisco office. KohSweeney, who was named a Northern California “Rising Star” in Employment & Labor in 2011 by Super Lawyers, represents clients in labor and employment litigation involving state wage-and-hour laws, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Railway Labor Act, employee raiding, and misappropriation of confidential information. KohSweeney joined the Firm in 2000, following a clerkship with the Honorable Howard Kestin of the Appellate Division of the State Superior Court of New Jersey. He received a J.D. in 1999 from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Rutgers Law Review. He earned a B.A. from Rutgers in 1995.

Andrew Parlen is a member of the Restructuring Practice and resides in the Los Angeles office. With a practice that spans both Chapter 11 matters and restructurings, Parlen was named a Southern California “Rising Star” in Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights in 2011 by Super Lawyers and advises distressed and potentially distressed companies, as well as committees, creditors, private equity sponsors, and asset purchasers. Parlen, who joined O’Melveny in 2007, completed a clerkship with the Honorable Stephen V. Wilson of the US District Court for the Central District of California after earning a law degree cum laude from Harvard University Law School in 2003. He earned an A.B. with highest distinction from University of California, Berkeley in 1999.

David I. Schultz is a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions Practice and is resident in O’Melveny’s New York office. Schultz represents both public and private companies and financial sponsors in connection with mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions. He also has experience with governance matters, the fiduciary duties of officers and directors, proxy contests, and securities reporting and compliance, as well as joint ventures, strategic relationships, and private venture capital financings. Schultz, who joined the Firm in 2007, received a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2001. He earned a B.A. from University of Michigan in 1997.

Catalina Joos Vergara is a member of the Class Actions, Mass Torts, and Insurance Litigation Practice and resides in the Los Angeles office. Named a Southern California “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, Vergara has successfully defended clients in complex matters, including multidistrict litigation in state and federal courts. In 2004, she joined O’Melveny after clerking for the Honorable James V. Selna of the US District Court for the Central District of California. Vergara earned a J.D. in 2002 from Georgetown University Law Center and received a B.A. in 1996 from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead Scholar.

Michael Walsh is a member of the Securities Litigation Practice and is resident in O’Melveny’s Washington, DC office. Walsh represents US- and China-based companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions and shareholder derivative cases, and is a founding member of O’Melveny’s China-Based US-Listed Company Litigation Task Force. He also advises clients in connection with internal, regulatory, and other governmental investigations and enforcement proceedings and has experience with all aspects of electronic discovery. Walsh, who joined the Firm in 2003, received a J.D. from Columbia University Law School in 2002. He earned a B.A. from Boston College in 1999.

About O’Melveny & Myers LLP
With approximately 800 lawyers in 15 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