Law Students

During law school, she took a summer associate position at O’Melveny, reassured by the firm’s partnerships with community organizations across Los Angeles and inspired by the legacy of former US Secretary of State Warren Christopher, former O’Melveny chairman. The connections Farjood made during those few months—principally through O’Melveny’s Advocacy Institute—changed the course of her life.

The Advocacy Institute provides summer associates with the opportunity to draft a brief and mock-argue a case before a judge in federal court. “Very few firms in the country have a program like this,” Farjood said. “I argued before then-sitting US District Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell, a beloved mentor and celebrated advocate for women in Los Angeles. She embraced the experience like it was a real court appearance and pored over the mock materials so she could give me tips on my brief and courtroom etiquette.” Farjood was later accepted to clerk with O’Connell. Though O’Connell passed away unexpectedly before Farjood could begin her tenure, Farjood’s name was passed along to a close friend of O’Connell’s, the Honorable André Birotte Jr. in the US District Court for the Central District of California, for whom Farjood ultimately clerked. “I never would’ve gotten that opportunity if it hadn’t been for O’Melveny’s support and guidance,” she said. “The clerkship experience completely changed the way I think about advocacy, and I’ll always cherish my relationship with Judge Birotte.”

Farjood continues to devote significant time to social justice work and pro bono representation. “O’Melveny’s policy of giving full billable credit for every hour spent on pro bono is a reflection of the firm’s values,” she said. Recently, she was part of an O’Melveny team that represented a young woman from Uganda seeking asylum in the US. If denied and deported back to Uganda, the woman would be threatened by female genital mutilation, a widespread practice in her father’s tribe. At the immigration court trial, Farjood and fellow associate Stephanie Fung conducted direct examinations of their client and an expert witness and delivered a closing statement. Although asylum is a notoriously tough legal outcome to secure, their presentation persuaded the judge to grant the woman’s application. “With the team’s support, I was able to help this young woman find refuge from a dangerous practice, which meant the world to me,” Farjood said. “I was also able to take a lead role on a case as a junior lawyer.”

The case instilled a passion for immigration law that continues to shape Farjood’s pro bono practice. She represents applicants for asylum, cancellation of removal, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status in addition to her volunteer work for the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. “I have an obligation to use my education and my position to serve others, which is exactly what O’Melveny has encouraged me to do,” she said. “This firm is all about coupling intellectual curiosity with civic responsibility. It’s the perfect place to get involved in public service.”

Parks met Taylor when she was assigned to Taylor’s team for a pro bono project. She remembers Taylor as someone who took great care to ensure that summers were substantively involved in firm matters. “At the time, she was a young partner with two children of her own, which clearly made her life very busy, but she put in so much effort to connect with summers and junior associates and still continues to do so,” Parks explained. “She lifted me up and made me feel important.”

Since then, Parks has routinely turned to Taylor for guidance on issues large and small. When Parks was feeling burned out after the COVID-19 pandemic and considered taking time off, she asked Taylor about O’Melveny’s sabbatical program. “She was very supportive,” Parks said. “So I took three months off and came back to my work totally refreshed, with a renewed excitement for the work I do.”

Taylor also advises Parks on potential client development opportunities. Once, while attending a conference for corporate finance lawyers together, Parks told Taylor about a startup she’d been connected with that was seeking financing. “She said, ‘Let’s set up calls with the venture-focused banks we work with regularly as well as some firm alumni who might be good advisors,’” Parks said. “Her suggestions ultimately helped me get that company on board as a prospective client.”

For the past two years, Parks has volunteered for O’Melveny’s New Associate Mentorship Program (NAMP), which pairs first-year lawyers with a dedicated mentor. Every month, she collects feedback from other lawyers at the firm and passes it on to her mentee. These regular reviews ensure that young lawyers are able to effectively manage their workloads and remain on track to achieve their goals. She has also worked with the UC Law SF (formerly UC Hastings) Women’s Law Society for the past four years as an alumni mentor, mentoring 1L and 2L law students as they navigate law schools and the recruiting process.

Parks treats her responsibility as a mentor with the same gravity she observed in Taylor. “I want younger lawyers to know they can come to me with virtually anything, whether it’s a thorny legal problem or a question about how something in the kitchen works,” she said. Parks is intentional about sharing her own emotions about work—whether positive or negative—with younger colleagues, too. “I try to show them that it’s okay to have feelings and express them in a productive way so you can move forward.”

Although mentorship has required a significant contribution of time and energy from Parks, she sees it as a way to reinvest the support that’s helped her build a successful career. “I hope junior associates look up to me the same way I still look up to Jennifer and my other mentors,” she said. “O’Melveny is a special place because of the connections we’re able to make with our colleagues, and I’ve tried to do my part to uphold that.”