O’Melveny’s Sestito Named to Daily Journal’s “Top 20 Under 40”

February 04, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Amber Burke
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
415.894.8891
aburke@omm.com

LOS ANGELES - February 5, 2015 - O’Melveny & Myers LLP partner Dawn Sestito has been named to the Daily Journal’s “Top 20 Under 40” list highlighting the most outstanding lawyers in California under the age of 40. Sestito was recognized for her litigation successes across a diverse range of areas, including technology patent disputes, major environmental litigation, and pro bono.

A member of O’Melveny’s Business Trial and Litigation Practice, Sestito focuses on commercial litigation, including litigation involving intellectual property, unfair business practices, energy and the environment, natural resources, employment issues, contract disputes, and damages issues.

In a profile of Sestito published on January 28, the Daily Journal spotlighted Sestito’s pro work in Latta v. Otter, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a landmark decision overruling the State of Nevada’s ban on same-sex marriage in 2014. Sestito notes in the article that a key part of the strategy in the case was to show that because Nevada already recognized the rights of same-sex couples in a comprehensive domestic partnership statute, the refusal to ascribe to same-sex couples the title of “marriage” only acted as an impermissible badge of inferiority that marked discrimination based on sex and sexual orientation. "We thought that was a strong indication that excluding same sex couples from marriage was just to stigmatize them," she said. "There could not possibly be a rationale for drawing this distinction."

Sestito devotes a significant amount of time each year to the UCLA Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic, which allows UCLA law students the opportunity to work with O’Melveny lawyers representing pro bono clients at the federal appellate level. She has been actively involved with the clinic since its inception in 2008, and in 2012-2013 she served as a clinical professor overseeing two Ninth Circuit appeals.

About O’Melveny & Myers LLP
With approximately 750 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.