O’Melveny Recognized with 2021 John H. Pickering Award
August 11, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK—August 11, 2021—The Pro Bono Institute (PBI) has selected O’Melveny to receive its 2021 John H. Pickering Award to honor the firm’s “outstanding commitment to pro bono and its robust pro bono practice.” The firm will be honored at PBI’s annual awards gala on October 14, 2021.
Presented by PBI in conjunction with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and the Pickering family, the award is named for the late John H. Pickering, a distinguished appellate attorney and leader in the legal profession known for his extraordinary commitment to pro bono and public interest work.
“We are honored to receive the Pro Bono Institute’s John H. Pickering Award,” said Bradley J. Butwin, chair of O’Melveny. “Since the earliest days of the firm, we have channeled the creativity and passion of our lawyers into public interest work. It is essential to who we are as a firm and we remain deeply committed to using our legal training to create a better world.”
Brett Williamson, O’Melveny’s partner in charge of pro bono and chair of its Community Legal Services Committee, added: “John Pickering was a towering figure in pro bono and an inspiration to O’Melveny. We have long sought to follow his example by extending our commitment to legal excellence to the most vulnerable in our society.”
O’Melveny’s award-winning pro bono program regularly takes on pressing issues, including immigration, housing, women’s rights, foster care, education, veterans affairs, racial justice, criminal justice reform, and voting rights.
The Pro Bono Institute, established in 1996, provides research, consultation services, analysis and assessment, and training to a broad range of legal audiences. O’Melveny is a signatory to its Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® initiative, which was developed by law firm leaders and corporate general counsel to create a single standard for the world’s largest law firms.
To learn more about O’Melveny’s award-winning pro bono program, visit our pro bono page or download our most recent pro bono program review.
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 www.omm.com or learn more in our firm at-a-glance, annual report, and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Visit The Boardroom for our insights on pressing issues facing global corporations.
Contact:
Christopher Rieck
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 212 326 2218
crieck@omm.com
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The following release was issued by the Pro Bono Institute:
Congratulations to the 2021 John H. Pickering Award Recipient
Pro Bono Institute® (PBI®) is proud to present the 2021 John H. Pickering Award, in conjunction with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (WilmerHale) and the Pickering family, to O'Melveny & Myers LLP in recognition of the firm’s outstanding institutional commitment to pro bono and its robust pro bono practice.
O'Melveny, a signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® initiative, has been a longstanding leader in pro bono legal services.
From the inception of the firm, O’Melveny has channeled the creativity and passion of its lawyers into public interest efforts. Founder Henry O’Melveny, a prominent civic leader in Los Angeles at the turn of the 20th century, played a leadership role in multiple institutions that served the public good. His example guided scion Jack O’Melveny, who in 1929 helped found the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, the oldest and largest provider of legal services in California. The firm continues to build on that legacy.
O’Melveny’s robust and award-winning pro bono practice extends the firm’s commitment to exceptional client service to underrepresented members of society, tackling critical issues such as immigration, housing, women’s rights, foster care, education, veterans affairs, criminal justice reform, voting rights, and community building. O’Melveny’s pro bono clients—from military veterans to couples seeking marriage equality to nonprofits stitching together a social safety net—are as diverse as the communities the firm serves.
Today the firm’s pro bono program operates under the leadership of a partner-in-charge of pro bono, a full-time managing counsel for public interest and pro bono services, and a full-time pro bono counsel, as well as designated pro bono partners in each office. To underscore O’Melveny’s commitment, all attorneys are encouraged to complete at least 50 hours of pro bono work annually, with a 20-hour minimum expectation, and all new lawyers are required to handle at least one pro bono engagement during their first year at the firm. Additionally, each pro bono hour is treated the same as “billable” hours for all purposes, including bonus consideration. In 2020, O’Melveny devoted approximately 99,062 hours to pro bono, with participation from over 94 percent of its attorneys. Read more about O'Melveny's outstanding pro bono work.
About the John H. Pickering Award
PBI's award is given in honor of the late John H. Pickering, a distinguished appellate attorney and leader in the legal profession who was equally well known for his extraordinary commitment to pro bono and the public interest. PBI presents the award in conjunction with his law firm, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (WilmerHale), and the Pickering family to honor a law firm for its outstanding commitment to pro bono legal services. Read more about the award and view a list of previous recipients.
PBI will present the John H. Pickering Award during its 2021 Annual Awards Gala THURSDAY | October 14, 2021 | 6:30 PM (ET)
Click here for ticket and sponsorship information or contact Danny Reed, Director of Development, at 202.729.6691 or dreed@probonoinst.org.