O’Melveny & Myers LLP might seem at first blush like a law firm a Netflix show could be centered on, with plotlines of interoffice dealings and palace intrigue. It’s in one of the best spots in Orange County—a Newport Beach tower next to the Fashion Island mall granting views of the ocean—and is filled with dynamic people whose energy is palpable the minute a visitor arrives.
The real O’Melveny & Myers, though, is known in philanthropic circles as a firm where some of Orange County’s top attorneys use their skills to tackle many of society’s most pressing issues. For that, it’s earned a special nod on the Business Journal’s Annual Civic 50 list in the small-business category for the second year.
Greater Good
O’Melveny, which employs about 100 in Newport Beach, has deep legal expertise in areas as diverse as banking, healthcare, consumer products, entertainment and media, energy and natural resources, real estate, technology and transportation. All the cumulative knowledge directly applies to the philanthropic and pro-bono work the firm prides itself on.
One of its most successful pro-bono ventures is the Elder Abuse Clinic at the Orange County Superior courthouse in Santa Ana. The clinic, founded in 2014, has served more than 2,000 seniors in its short history. There, O’Melveny lawyers and University of California-Irvine students meet weekly to conduct intake interviews and provide information to petitioners. The at-risk Orange County residents who’ve found help at the clinic include a 92-year-old man who had more than $100,000 stolen from his bank account, an elderly couple seeking protection against a substance-abusing granddaughter, and a 95-year-old man who was a victim of neglect and theft by his caretaker.
O’Melveny says providing legal expertise to those who may not have ready access is important to its team. Many Orange County nonprofit groups operate on limited budgets and may be unable to afford a high-end attorney. That’s why O’Melveny also regularly hosts a pro-bono clinic in its Newport Beach office. In-house lawyers from O’Melveny, CoreLogic and the Public Law Center join to provide insight and advice on the legal issues nonprofits face, including governance, employment and other legal business questions.
Next Generation
For O’Melveny, being a good corporate citizen doesn’t stop with providing pro-bono legal advice. The firm operates multiple scholarship programs. One is the Warren Christopher Scholarship, which it established in 1992 with a gift from O’Melveny partners to honor former Chairman and Senior Partner Warren Christopher when he was appointed U.S. secretary of state under President Bill Clinton. The $20,000 award goes to high school sophomores because the segment gets less attention, according to the California Community Foundation. Nearly 200 Christopher Scholars have been named.
Winning students face risks that their education will be cut short by circumstances beyond their control. One young man from the 2015 class of scholars faced multiple trails: an alcoholic father who abandoned the children and his mother, who had just a sixth-grade education and struggled to raise him and his three siblings on her meager housekeeper wages. All five shared a single bedroom in another family’s home. Despite that, the young man, with the support of his Warren Christopher Scholarships program mentor and high school counselors, earned top grades and test scores. He was accepted to 20 schools, ultimately choosing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Serving Servants
O’Melveny also supports military veterans through pro-bono legal work to help them secure the government benefits they’re due. When a veteran’s claim is denied, a lack of legal advice can place him or her at a significant disadvantage in an appeal. That’s when O’Melveny attorneys step in. One veteran denied benefits despite traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder that left him unable to work, waited nearly two years for his appeal to be heard. Fortunately, he was put in touch with O’Melveny attorneys, who represented him at the appeal and brought in a medical expert to testify—something the veteran may not have been able to do on his own. He won the appeal and was even awarded full retroactive benefits, significantly improving his daily life.
Dedicated Program
O’Melveny says it’s one of only a few large law firms to have a dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility program, which unifies the firm’s community-involvement programs, scholarships and mentorships, veterans initiatives, charitable giving, sustainability efforts, and pro-bono work so that it can track all to ensure it’s making a difference in the community.
Taking that a step further, it’s established a Giving Back program that allows eligible employees to take one paid day off per year to volunteer with a qualifying nonprofit organization on a cause important to them. That’s on top of efforts O’Melveny lawyers and staff already do through committees that identify causes staffers can participate in with each other.
Pro-bono hours attorneys perform are treated like billable hours when it comes to advancement and bonuses.
What Matters
The O’Melveny office indeed has a show-worthy view—and with all the stories of the work it does in the local community, there would be no end of plot lines for a Netflix show. But for those who work there, its leaders say it’s not about showing off or trying to be different, that there’s no ulterior motive or larger agenda. They simply try to help those in need.
