O'Melveny & Myers LLP

01 August 2007

O'Melveny & Myers LLP in Who's Who Legal: California

The firm’s practice kept up with California’s fast-paced development and recent rapid expansion has seen O’Melveny & Myers emerge as one of the legal profession’s most recognisable and respected firms. It now boasts a truly global footprint with over 1,000 lawyers in 13 offices worldwide. The US remains central to its success but it also boasts a strong presence in Asia (Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing), and Europe (London and Brussels).

Our findings indicate that the firm remains strong in its Californian heartland, offering a varied client base its services across many practice areas. Accordingly it boasts 26 nominees in 13 chapters.

One of the firm’s larger contingents is found in the banking chapter. With four nominees it fields more than any other firm.

Matthew Kirby co-chairs the firm’s finance and restructuring group and was lauded as a “dean of the Bar” and “a solid individual who is great to work with”. Kirby’s strong showing in the chapter is complemented by the performance of “steady and talented” Christine Olsen, whose work on behalf of insurance companies and banks was noted. Edward McAniff is another “prominent figure in banking law” and Jill Matichak, lauded for her “no-nonsense, accessible approach”, joins him in the section. O’Melveny also puts in a solid performance in the capital markets chapter with three nominees – Daniel Passage, Rich Boehmer and Peter Healy.


The firm is also strong on the corporate side, fielding two leading lights for the mergers and acquisitions chapter. Michael Kennedy was recommended to researchers as “most impressive”, while Steve Camahort has advised on over 30 transactions with a total value in excess of $1 billion. O’Melveny also has an internationally renowned fund formation practice and a key component is found in its Los Angeles office. Kathryn Sanders was praised as “absolutely top quality” by one source. She is one of California’s most respected practitioners in the fund formation arena. The firm is also well known for counselling, advising and guiding corporations on the various issues relating to corporate governance. Of David Krinsky one source noted he’s “very, very good – I would hire him automatically”, while Fred McLane received high levels of nominations, having impressed with his advice to directors in the course of transactions. O’Melveny is also well placed to aid clients in periods of economic downturn and two partners, Ben Logan and Suzzanne Uhland, appear in the insolvency and restructuring chapter. The firm has been involved in many of the most high-profile workouts (WorldCom, Enron, Global Crossing), and Uhland chairs its practice group. Logan is similarly well regarded and is reportedly “wonderful lawyer”.


O’Melveny also boasts strong dispute resolution credentials with partners in the litigation, arbitration and business crime chapters. The litigation department is 500-strong and Los Angeles based Seth Aronson chairs the nationwide securities litigation practice. Aronson is recommended as “one of the go-to guys for securities litigation” and was consistently endorsed by some of the practice area’s heavy-hitters. Steven Smith chairs the firm’s international arbitration practice and fares particularly well in our commercial arbitration research. Smith is a “very active presence on the scene” and an “outstanding counsel”. He chairs the ICC’s arbitration committee for the north-west US.

Following scandals such as Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, Global Crossing and Tyco, business crime lawyers are at a premium and form increasingly important parts of many law firms’ armouries. O’Melveny has two nominees in the corresponding chapter – James Asperger and Daniel Bookin. Asperger has strong government credentials, having served as chief of the major frauds section of the Los Angeles US Attorney’s Office while Bookin comes recommended as “thorough, meticulous, fair and discreet”.


A glance over our findings indicates O’Melveny is a leading player when it comes to advising management on labour and employment issues. The “phenomenal” Scott Dunham chairs the practice group and has worked on behalf of corporations such as Amgen and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Gordon Krischer joins Dunham in the chapter, and boasts an “inspiring work ethic” and “unquestionable skill”. Framroze Virjee is also “well known” in the field, as is the “strong” Apalla Chopra. Linda Griffey co-chairs the firm’s employee benefits and executive compensation practice. Griffey emerges as one of the most highly nominated individuals in the state for ERISA and employee benefits related law and is joined in the employee benefits chapter by Wayne Jacobsen from the firm’s Newport Beach office. His work on transactional and litigious matters was noted.


The firm’s general counsel, Martin Checov, makes the following pages thanks to his reputation among clients and peers in the insurance arena. Sources “recommend [him] without reservation” and he is said to be particularly good on cases relating to asbestos and environmental pollution. We finish with the O’Melveny contingent by having a look at Charles Read in the energy chapter. Read was praised by sources for his work on “big, complex, high profile litigation cases” in the areas of oil and gas, electricity and renewables.

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