Achieve with O’Melveny

Lee first became involved with the firm’s recruiting efforts as a junior associate. Eventually, she became responsible for heading up recruiting across O’Melveny’s 18 global offices. “Part of being a leader is remembering what it was like when you were a fresh face, then using that perspective to guide your staffing and talent development efforts,” she said. “As a young lawyer, I was never the most confident person in the room, but O’Melveny provided me with so many opportunities and encouraged me to take them. They believed in me before I believed in myself.”

During her tenure as Firmwide Hiring Partner, Lee worked to align O’Melveny’s recruiting strategy with imminent cultural changes in the legal profession. She and the rest of the talent development team wanted to increase diversity in the firm’s talent pipeline, so they developed processes that would boost long-term retention. “The firm is so thoughtful about the experience we create for our summer associates, and we needed to keep that momentum going,” Lee said. Her team began to formally document each summer associate’s goals and interests, which would be used to inform their practice area and mentorship placements when they returned. “Being intentional about these pairings helps us sow the seeds of meaningful connection. It’s especially important for associates of diverse backgrounds. They need mentorship from lawyers who understand—and share—their unique experiences.”

Lee’s leadership of the Capital Markets group also prioritizes connection among colleagues. “I’ve been a member of this practice group for almost my entire career, and I still have the same goal: How can I support my neighbor? We can always do more together.” Because the group skews particularly “young and diverse,” according to Lee, its approach is bold, fresh, and dynamic. She and her colleagues have parlayed that energy into innovative solutions for some of the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions, including American Honda Finance Corporation, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan.

Lee is a firm believer in O’Melveny’s “best of both worlds” philosophy. Whether speaking to a law student or a lawyer in the Capital Markets group, she’s quick to point out that a career at O’Melveny can lead to personal fulfillment as well as professional success. “Times are changing, and people want to work for a firm that genuinely cares about them as individuals,” she said. “Everyone knows us for our empowering, collaborative culture. But it’s the high caliber of work we do while maintaining that culture that really makes us special.”

Shortly after joining O’Melveny as a third-year associate, Jayaraman plunged headfirst into a sprawling multidistrict litigation. His work took him from coast to coast as he coordinated with local counsel and worked with experts to draft expert reports. With only weeks of notice, Jayaraman was asked to master a certain factual issue that figured prominently in the litigation. Whenever the issue was implicated, the trial team came to him for guidance, and he ended up preparing partners for multiple cross-examinations in the case. “I hadn’t done much trial work before, being so junior, but the partners trusted us to learn quickly and execute for the team,” Jayaraman said. “When we got out of that particular trial, they told me they thought I was ready to start first-chairing depositions, which I think is unusual for a third-year elsewhere.”

Jayaraman soon graduated to a leadership role, overseeing a large team of lawyers for a new aspect of the litigation. “The partners entrusted me to become the ‘O’Melveny voice’ in that jurisdiction, both among a large and active group of lawyers from other plaintiff and defense firms, and in front of the court,” he said. “That was another opportunity I hadn’t expected to receive at my seniority level.”

For Jayaraman, this stable of cases proved to be the ideal platform for career development. By the time he was promoted to counsel, he had taken countless depositions and made oral arguments in various venues. “I went from being the ‘keeper of the keys’ for one niche issue to an experienced litigator who knew every facet of the case, inside and out,” he said.

Jayaraman credits much of his success to the support of his senior colleagues. “Partners here are incredibly invested in associates’ careers,” he explained. “They’ll take you aside and ask what you want out of your career, sit in with you during depositions, coach you when you need it, make sure you have everything you need to do your job well. Their confidence sets the stage for you to determine the trajectory of your career. You figure out what kind of lawyer you want to be, and they help you make it happen.”

Poindexter Page first came to O’Melveny as a Staff Attorney in the e-discovery department, where she helped establish some of the firm’s core case management protocols. Animated by her “natural affinity for diversity issues,” she became active in several firm groups, including the African American Professionals Affinity Group (AAP) and the LA Women's Attorney Network. “Eventually, I realized I wanted to cover this ground in my day-to-day role,” Poindexter Page explained. She took advantage of O’Melveny’s personalized career development coaching and mentoring scheme to plot out a new course, eventually transitioning to a Work Coordinator position in the Talent Development group.

Poindexter Page’s involvement in various social justice programs continued apace over the years, resulting in recognition from firm leadership as well as the profession at large. In 2014, her work with the AIDS Legal Services Project earned her the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Honorable Benjamin Aranda III Outstanding Public Service Award. In 2016,

O’Melveny awarded her its highest honor, the Warren Christopher Values Award. Finally, in 2019, when the current AAP co-chair stepped down, she was asked to take their place.

“As co-chair, my guiding principle has been, and always will be, connectivity,” Poindexter Page said. “The many people of color who work at O’Melveny need to be able to see each other. That’s why we’ve made internal networking a priority.” When a self-identified Black employee joins the firm, for example, the AAP reaches out with a welcome message and offers to connect them with other members of the group. “Our vision for the future is all about building long-lasting relationships and improving retention, and these strategies play an instrumental role. We want to make people really feel at home here.”

Poindexter Page and co-chair Tracy Scott have enlisted additional perspectives to help employees make sense of their post-pandemic “new normal”—and strengthen their connections to each other. The AAP has partnered with two other employee networks, the Asian South-Asian Islander Society and Latino/a Employee Network, to examine how discrimination, race, language, and criminal justice policies impact their communities. They also invited Jody David Armour, Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the USC Gould School of Law, to discuss racism in the legal industry, particularly the importance of challenging conventional recruiting methods.

More than anything, Poindexter Page is struck by the potential for meaningful solidarity between different affinity groups at the firm. “As my team and I work to train and mentor young lawyers of color at O’Melveny, it’s an approach I want us all to keep top of mind. Those connections are what will power the next generation of diverse legal leaders.”

“I didn’t know any lawyers growing up, and I never expected to become a lawyer,” she said. “I took a job in the corporate world after college, assuming I would be happy there.” Five years later, Dyer made a pivotal decision. She decided to enroll in law school, taking classes at night so she could continue to work during the day.

Her early years at O’Melveny—first as a summer associate, then as a first-year—coincided with the strengthening of the antitrust practice at the firm, led by partners who rejoined the firm after having recently done stints at the Federal Trade Commission. Dyer’s interest was instantly piqued. “The way you have to think about antitrust matters really appealed to me as someone with a corporate background,” she said. “I could use my knowledge of organizational behavior and strategic decision-making to help clients achieve the best results with the least antitrust risk.”

Over the past two decades, Dyer has helped clients globally defend proposed and consummated mergers and acquisitions before antitrust agencies. Impressed by her track record as well as her dedication to mentoring younger lawyers, O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin asked Dyer if she would be interested in formally assuming a leadership role. “I said yes, of course, though I did have some concerns about balancing my practice with all the responsibilities of being an office managing partner,” Dyer said. “What I quickly realized, though, was how many resources were available to me. The partners in the DC office are phenomenal—they’re hands on, and they lead by example. I only have to ask for support once, and I’ll have a line out the door of people willing to pitch in.”

According to Dyer, the firm’s values—a dedication to excellence, a drive to lead and innovate, and a deep sense of civic responsibility—are foundational to the success of the DC office. “People thrive here because we all are guided by these important values and genuinely enjoy working with each other. Our office is home to an unbelievable caliber of talent, from ex-government officials to Supreme Court clerks, but no one takes themselves too seriously. That collegiality and camaraderie, coupled with our focus on employees’ well-being, is what makes us successful across all metrics and trusted by our clients.”