2022 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER O'Melveny & Myers LLP

Training & Assignments

• “I was engaged in substantive tasks the entire summer, including a pro bono matter. The training was also phenomenal, including a week-long summer institute that culminated in an appellate brief and oral argument.”
• “The summer associate program offers the opportunity to do substantive assignments for clients, in addition to more training-based assignments. I appreciated that as a summer associate I was able to contribute to real deal work, but at the same time had the opportunity to do more complex assignments that were designed more for training purposes.”
• “O'Melveny's summer program provides substantial opportunities to explore different practice areas and the different types of legal work available at the firm. Work over the summer program is real and designed to give law students meaningful opportunities to understand what life is like as an associate at the firm.”

Social Opportunities

• “We had a great social program and there was a lot of camaraderie among summer associates. That was one of the aspects of the firm that drew me to work for O'Melveny.”
• “There were plenty of social opportunities both during the day and after work, and the types of activities were varied so there were plenty to choose from even if a few weren't really your cup of tea. The events were well attended and I met a lot of employees of varying levels of seniority. I was able to bond with my summer class effectively.”
• “The summer program is legendary and lets O'Melveny's fantastic culture really shine for summer associates. It's fun for attorneys, too. Events are well designed to foster connections with the O'Melveny family beyond work-based connections. Remote summer events over the past couple years were challenging to design, but O'Melveny did the absolute best it could to recreate the sort of interaction that was the norm in an in-person program.”

Associate Experience vs. Summer Expectations

• “The summer program was an accurate reflection of what being a first-year associate is. Having a work advisor over the summer gave us the same ability to request particular assignments as we have now as first years. While we have a bit more freedom now, the summer program gave me a good idea of how much I can take on at once as well as the type of litigation I'm most interested in.”
• “I have only been pleasantly surprised and never let down by what was shared to be during my summer. Everyone truly is nice, caring, and willing to teach and mentor. I have been able to join any deal and team I choose and work with whomever I choose.”
• “The summer experience helped me understand the firm's workflow, IT systems, mentoring and training opportunities, and overall sense of the culture. I enjoyed all of it, which is why I decided to come to O'Melveny as a full associate.”

Favorite Summer Events

• “I enjoyed most of the events during my summer. The ones that stand out were bowling, which was fun and very well attended by both associates and partners; a pizza tour, which was smaller but allowed more time to develop deeper connections and was interesting and unique; and office yoga during the day, which was a nice break from the workday and established a culture of valuing selfcare.”
• “Top events were cross-office get-togethers with summers, attorneys, partners, and sometimes family members.  Got to meet a large variety of people while doing something enjoyable. One such occasion was a cooking class we all did together. We went to a safari, which was phenomenal, and a number of other wining and dinings were enjoyable as well.”
• “My office created a ‘painting night’ event during the summer where the firm sent out painting materials to participants and then hosted a virtual painting class. I thought it was a blast and still have the painting that I did. Another fun event was a virtual cooking class hosted by a partner from another office. It was great being able to participate in a social event with other summers from different offices.”

Our summer program offers an inside look at what it is like to practice at O’Melveny. During our program, summer associates work on major cases and deals, support ongoing pro bono matters, and participate in social events to get to know each other and O’Melveny attorneys and staff. Summer associates also have opportunities to attend practice group presentations, participate in targeted trainings, and hone negotiation and oral argument skills as part of our Mock Deal and Advocacy Institute development programs. Our work coordination system ensures that summer associates are exposed to a variety of practice areas, and given opportunities to join attorneys for client related meetings. Assigned mentors and ongoing feedback also help our summer associates develop their professional skills and make the most of their experiences.