For more than a dozen years, Bradley J. Butwin has served as Chair of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, an internationally acclaimed law firm of more than 800 attorneys in 18 offices worldwide. The firm’s longest-serving chair since the founding family of O’Melveny & Myers, Brad began his tenure in early 2012 after heading the firm’s Litigation Department. His election to a fourth term in early 2024 extended his tenure until 2029.
Under Brad’s leadership, O’Melveny has ranked for 12 consecutive years in the top tier of The American Lawyer’s “A-List,” which recognizes the nation’s most “well-rounded” firms in the areas of revenue per lawyer, pro bono commitment, diversity representation, and associate satisfaction. O’Melveny has also been a perennial honoree in The American Lawyer’s “Litigation Department of the Year” competition, a recent two-time #1 finisher in AmLaw’s Midlevel Associates Survey, and a repeat winner in Vault’s Law Firm Rankings, regularly earning top marks in the “Best Firm to Work For” and “Best Overall Diversity” categories.
Brad has presided over a transformative chapter for O’Melveny, steering the firm through a period of strategic growth that spans the opening of the firm’s top-ranked Seoul office in 2012 to, more recently, the launch of three new Texas offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. He has also guided O’Melveny to nearly a decade of revenue growth, including crossing the billion-dollar revenue mark in 2022. In recognition of these and other achievements, the New York Law Journal recognized him with the 2023 “Distinguished Leader Award.”
Brad has also maintained a widely acclaimed practice. Chambers USA has ranked him among the top securities litigators in the nation and has rated him one of the leading commercial litigators in New York, calling Brad a “standout lawyer” who “is always reachable and responsive, [and] always wants to help.”
Beyond his legal industry leadership, Brad devotes himself to numerous philanthropic and civic causes. Earlier in his career, he was presented with the New York City Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award for his role in freeing a wrongly convicted man from Georgia’s death row. More recently, he met the challenges of 2020-2022 by cofounding and serving on the Board of Advisors of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, which has united more than 300 firms in the fight against structural racism in the law. He is also a dedicated member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity; the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Advancing Diversity; and the New York Attorney General’s Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health, formed in response to the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Additionally, Brad is a board member of Only Make Believe, a nonprofit that creates and performs interactive theater for children in hospitals and care facilities.
For his dedication to justice, Brad was also honored with the 2021 Judge Learned Hand Award from the American Jewish Committee. He previously received the Human Relations Award from the New York Lawyers Division of the Anti-Defamation League.
A longtime supporter of his alma maters Fordham University School of Law and the University of Wisconsin, Brad serves on the External Advisory Board of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business and, at Fordham, is a member of both the Dean’s Planning Council and the Advisory Board of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, which recently recognized him with its Spirit of Service Award. The Fordham Law Alumni Association has also awarded Brad its highest honor—the Medal of Achievement.
Before entering private practice, Brad served as a law clerk for US District Judge David N. Edelstein (S.D.N.Y.).
Brad and his wife, Randi, have four children, three of whom played Division I soccer at the collegiate level and are now practicing lawyers; their youngest, age 21, is a talented dance instructor and proud Badger.
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- US District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
- US Court of Appeals, Second and Eleventh Circuits
Education
- Fordham University, J.D., 1985: Commentary Editor, Fordham Law Review
- University of Wisconsin, B.B.A., Risk & Insurance, 1982
Honors & Awards
- 2023 Distinguished Leader Award, New York Law Journal
- Top NY Securities and Commercial Litigators, Chambers USA
- 2021 Judge Learned Hand Award, American Jewish Committee
- Human Relations Award, Anti-Defamation League, New York Lawyers Division
- Thurgood Marshall Award, New York City Bar Association
- Compass Award, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
- Medal of Achievement, Fordham Law Alumni Association
- 2022 Spirit of Service Award, Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School
- Leonard F. Manning Achievement Award, Fordham Law Review Alumni Association
- National Practice Area Star, Practice Area Star, Litigation Star, and Local Litigation Star in Antitrust, General Commercial, and Securities, Benchmark Litigation
- Securities Litigation - Recommended Lawyer, Legal 500
- “500 Leading Litigators in America,” Lawdragon
- Recognized by Best Lawyers® for Commercial Litigation
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Albertson Soccer Club
- Temple Judea of Manhasset, Honoree for Dedicated Service to the Temple and Community
Professional Activities
Board Member
- Board of Advisors & Co-Founder, Law Firm Antiracism Alliance
- Board of Directors, Only Make Believe
- Board of Directors, Supreme Court Historical Society
- Board of Directors, Legal Aid Society
- Board of Advisors, American Society of Legal Writers
- Board of Advisors, Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School
Chair
- Fordham Law School, Financial Aid Campaign
- Lawyers Alliance of New York, 2021-22 Law Firm Appeal
Member
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (Honoree)
- New York State Bar Association Task Force on Advancing Diversity
- New York State Attorney General’s Pro Bono Task Force For Reproductive Health
- Fordham Law School, Dean’s Planning Council
- University of Wisconsin’s School of Business, External Advisory Board
Clerkships
- US District Judge David N. Edelstein (S.D.N.Y.)