At O’Melveny, careers are built on the belief that personal fulfillment should go in tandem with professional excellence. The lawyers and business professionals who call our firm home enjoy the best of both worlds: high-profile, sophisticated work as well as genuine camaraderie and a supportive firm culture. It’s a place where you can break new ground, conquer tough challenges, and build lasting connections—and achieve the career milestones that matter to you.

TRAINING

To help our lawyers develop their legal knowledge and skills, O’Melveny strives to continuously enhance its training options and professional development resources. All associates benefit from a New Associate Leadership Academy and additional trainings designed to help them navigate the law firm environment and tackle their new matters. As our lawyers take on additional responsibilities and begin to specialize, they have access to a wide range of courses that help further develop their skill sets and provide the substantive knowledge they need. Equally important are the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes that allow lawyers to contribute fully as colleagues, team members, and leaders. Examples include:

Leadership Training: Training at O'Melveny includes customized leadership academies for new associates, midlevel associates, counsel, lateral and newly elected partners, women, and racialized and LGBTQ+ colleagues.

O'Melveny University (OMU): O’Melveny offers innovative and comprehensive departmental training programs for our Litigation and Corporate lawyers through O’Melveny University (OMU).

• The OMU: Litigation curriculum offers courses on public speaking, advanced legal writing, and case management. In addition, our junior litigation associates enroll in courses that will hone their advocacy skills, and are offered the opportunity to attend multi-day NITA workshops focused on deposition techniques and trial skills.
• The OMU: Corporate curriculum offers a five-part The Basics of a Deal series, and courses on negotiations, contract drafting and the basics of transaction structuring.

These foundational courses supplement office and practice group-based trainings and are designed to teach the knowledge and skills necessary to progress to more senior levels. 

Practicing Law Institute (PLI): Through our privileged membership with the Practicing Law Institute and other tools, lawyers can further customize their professional development through our e-learning course offerings.

Writing: The firm also offers one-on-one writing coaching sessions with a team of in-house professional editors led by Jesse Katz, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.

O’Melveny also understands that in today’s changing legal environment, our lawyers want to broaden their skills in areas beyond substantive legal knowledge. Business Development training programs are designed to be responsive to the needs of lawyers at all levels. Trainings focused on effectively delivering and receiving feedback, as well as developing supervisory skills are also offered.

MENTORING & FEEDBACK

O’Melveny is committed to helping our lawyers integrate into firm life and providing substantive and meaningful feedback. We have formal programs and support informal opportunities to provide guidance to lawyers during various stages of their development. When new associates first join the firm, they participate in a mentoring program to ease the transition from law school to the practice of law. The program provides training and regular feedback on work assignments.

As part of the Work Advisor program, a team of partners and staff facilitate work assignments, manage workloads, and engage in ongoing conversations about professional goals. The firm also recognizes that it is important to provide opportunities for lawyers to get to know each other. The firm has programs to encourage interactions across and within offices and practice groups, and also supports office and practice group specific programs.

O’Melveny is committed to providing thorough and meaningful feedback to our associates and counsel, in real-time and throughout the year. Some notable examples of O’Melveny’s commitment to feedback include:

• Our core competency model and “Skills Ladders” give our associates and counsel guidance about specific skill sets they should focus on at each level of their career.
• Each year, associates, counsel and staff attorneys complete a self-report, receive a formal written review, and participate in an in-person meeting with two partners to recognize key achievements and discuss specific goals for development.
• The firm conducts biennial upward reviews as part of its commitment to soliciting candid and confidential feedback and providing coaching to partners and counsel on their supervisory skills. To gather this feedback, the firm retains a consultant who conducts in-person interviews with associates, counsel, and staff attorneys in every office around the globe.  
• In response to feedback from associates and counsel wanting to receive more real-time feedback, the firm provides tools and concrete steps for effectively giving, receiving, and seeking out feedback (and do so in a regular, ongoing fashion).

CAREER ADVISING

Recognizing that there are a variety of career trajectories for lawyers, O’Melveny’s Talent Development team includes a Director of Career Development to broaden and strengthen the firm’s career planning resources. Whether your ultimate goal is to become a partner, secure a government position, or transition to an in-house role, our Director of Career Development is a resource dedicated to offering confidential coaching on career goals and supportive working strategies. Attorneys at every level of experience are encouraged to collaborate with Career Development when considering practice group selection, skill development, drafting self-reports, managing effective communication strategies, considering a position or career change and much more. The Director is introduced to all associate and counsel lateral hires as well as new law school graduates as part of the orientation program. 

PROMOTING DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

At O'Melveny, we know our commitment to DE&I can be a true differentiator and a key component of our success. Creating a truly inclusive environment while providing advancement and leadership opportunities for our lawyers and business professionals is a strategic priority. It’s who we are. The diverse perspectives and experiences that our people bring to their work drive innovation and excellence. We are proud of our achievements, but DE&I is a work in progress. It always will be because our profession, our colleagues, our clients, our communities, and their issues keep changing. So must we. Below are highlights, but for more information about diversity, equity & inclusion at O’Melveny, please visit our website at: https://www.omm.com/our-firm/diversity-equity-inclusion/.

In 2023, the firm demonstrated its commitment to DE&I with a revamped DE&I strategy, RISE (Representation, Inclusion, Social Justice, Equity). Led by our DE&I team, we expect every member of our firm to RISE to the challenge of making the promise of DE&I real in every aspect of our firm, including in their interactions with others and through the execution of their role. Our RISE pillars are as follows:

Representation: We better serve our colleagues, clients, and candidates when we reflect their many diversities in our practices, functions, and leadership. 

Inclusion: We celebrate and support people of all backgrounds for their personhood and their potential by equipping each of our people to create a community where everyone feels a sense of belonging and has an opportunity to thrive. 

Social Justice: Leveraging our unique skills and access as legal professionals, we support causes that impact marginalized groups through pro bono, advocacy, and philanthropic contributions.

Equity: We review and adjust our policies, processes, programs, and practices to ensure that all individuals contending with structural inequities in the legal profession will thrive at O’Melveny and beyond.

Our firm leadership continues to be among the industry’s most diverse, with women, racialized, and LGBTQ+ attorneys representing:

• 50% of our Department Chairs
• 40% of our Policy Committee
• 78% of our US Office Managing Partners
• 58% of our Partner Admissions Committee
• 75% of our US Hiring Partners

At O’Melveny, we are proud of the impact our DE&I strategy is having on our people, our clients, and the communities we live and work in, and are honored by the public recognition these initiatives receive, including:

• Earned Chambers North America’s 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Innovation (Private Practice) Award for our Redesign Project, a groundbreaking inquiry into the design and operation of O’Melveny’s key internal programs and processes, with outcomes intended to strengthen equity and inclusion at the firm;
• One of only four law firms to receive gold status in the California State Bar’s inaugural DEI Leadership Seal Program.
• The American Lawyer’s 2023 A-List—our 11th consecutive year on this prestigious measure of “holistic success” (including racial and gender diversity);
• #1 in AmLaw’s 2023 Midlevel Associates Survey—2nd time in the #1 spot in just 4 years;
• For the ninth consecutive year, Vault’s 2024 annual survey of law firm associates has named O’Melveny as one of the nation’s Top Three “Best Law Firms To Work For”—an industry record—achieving:
• #1 in “Firm Culture,” “Racial & Ethnic Diversity,” and “Wellness”
• #2 in “LGBTQ+,” “Women,” and “Individuals with Disabilities”
• Named to Newsweek’s list of “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2023,” earning a top score of five stars;
• Inclusion in Bloomberg Law’s 2023 DEI Framework, showcasing our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and
• Recognized for six consecutive years by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity with its “Compass Award” for expanding opportunities for underrepresented attorneys

PRO BONO & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Pro bono and community service are essential components of our values, and we encourage our lawyers to give back to their communities. O’Melveny’s dedication to pro bono makes it one of the country’s top pro bono firms, receiving numerous awards and accolades year after year.

O’Melveny lawyers are encouraged to spend at least 50 hours per year on pro bono work, with a minimum expectation of no less than 20 hours, and are given full billable credit for all time spent on pro bono. Newly hired lawyers, regardless of their level of experience or practice area, are required to work on at least one pro bono matter during their first year at the firm. Lawyers are provided access to many different kinds of pro bono matters, have the opportunity to talk about their areas of interest with pro bono leaders in each office, and are encouraged to bring for approval pro bono engagements to the firm’s Community Legal Services Committee. O’Melveny takes on a wide range of pro bono matters, from impact litigation to redress systemic inequities, to the representation of low-income individuals, to corporate assistance for nonprofits and small businesses. Firm lawyers follow their passions, interests and professional development goals in engaging in the pro bono program resulting in a continual docket of race equity matters, voting rights and immigration cases, civil rights issues, and a variety of non-profit and small business representations.

In addition to pro bono work, we support our local communities through various scholarship programs and charitable donations. We also volunteer our time, whether it is assisting at food banks, helping to plant community gardens, painting schools in low-income areas, or other volunteer work in our local communities. Visit our website for more information about pro bono at O’Melveny: https://www.omm.com/pro-bono/.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

In its more than century-old history, O’Melveny’s holistic approach to sustainability has always been top of mind, consistent with our values. We are one of the very few global firms to fully integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into both our culture and client service, with special attention to developing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards.

As articulated by our late chair, former US Secretary of State Warren Christopher, O’Melveny’s core values of excellence, leadership, and citizenship inform everything we do. Sustainability at the firm is no exception; through our CSR programs guided by the ESG standards, our pillars include providing access to education, health care, and justice; supporting environmental sustainability; and promoting diversity and inclusion.

Climate Commitment Firmwide:

Our Green Office Initiative (GOI), founded more than a decade ago, reflects our commitment to follow best practices for environmental and energy stewardship in our offices and communities around the globe. Our GOI is driven by a firmwide green committee and executed by local office-based green committees. We are a member of Vorgate (a law firm consortium dedicated to sustainability) and were among the first firms to join the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Bar Association’s Climate Challenge, conforming to best practices for paper use, waste management, and energy conservation under the EPA’s Energy Star Program. We also align our work with the UN’s Sustainable Development goals, particularly those focused on environmental sustainability. Lastly, engaged a third party consultant who conducted a carbon footprint analysis so that we can further reduce the environmental impacts of our operations.

Additional examples of our GOI efforts include:

• Procurement of renewable energy, including 100% wind power for our New York office;
• Silver status achieved for O’Melveny globally via ALISS (All Legal Industry Sustainability Standard);
• Green certification of more than 90% of our office space globally, including platinum LEED certification of the buildings for our Beijing, Century City, Hong Kong and Los Angeles offices;
• Support for use of mass transit, carpool, and bicycle commuting;
• Procurement of energy-efficient products and services;
• Reduced air travel and optimization of teleconferencing;
• Flow-controlled water utilities and installation of water cooler systems to replace use of bottled water;
• Regular participation in community conservation and environmental stewardship efforts (e.g., coastal clean ups, etc.); and
• Providing substantial pro bono services to environmental and conservation organizations and nonprofits, including Oceana, Rainforest Alliance, and Greenburgh Nature Center.
  To learn more, please visit: https://www.omm.com/social-responsibility/environmental-sustainability/

Climate Commitment with Clients

As part of its commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and advancing specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), O’Melveny has put together a an ESG Task Force to help clients achieve their most challenging Environmental, Social and Governance goals. To learn more, please visit: https://www.omm.com/services/practices/regulatory-advisory/esg/.

Please see our guide to Sustainability at O’Melveny for details on these efforts.