Diversity Priorities

The Office of the Chair ("OTC") is responsible for implementation of O'Melveny's diversity goals and initiatives. Director of Diversity Jacqueline Cranford and Values and Diversity Partner Debra Belaga lead our efforts to integrate diversity into the fabric of O'Melveny's operations. Under their direction, our long-term priorities are to:

• Unequivocally reaffirm—in all that we do and at all levels of the Firm—our commitment to be a values-driven law firm guided by the principles of excellence, leadership, and citizenship, as reflected in our Values Statement. We also will ensure that those values are taken into account in promotions, compensation, and other important evaluative processes.
  
• Survey annually the key systems within the Firm to ensure that our commitment to our values, including diversity, is emphasized, implemented, and incorporated in all that we do.
  
• Promote camaraderie, collegiality, and collaboration among our offices, practice groups, lawyers, managers, paralegals, and staff, with the aim of unifying the Firm and making the practice of law and working at O’Melveny the best professional and personal experience.
  
• Continue to implement the Diversity Strategic Plan. Specifically, that involves executing ongoing diversity initiatives, integrating our diversity commitment and accountability into Firm management, compensation, and talent development activities, and regularly measuring the results against the Diversity Strategic Plan.
  
• Assemble teams and develop leaders that reflect the diversity of the markets in which we practice. We believe that our goal of creating a more diverse and inclusive environment in which to practice law not only gives us a unique business strength, it also further advances several of our strategic goals, including facilitating the integration of all offices, practices, attorneys, and staff into a single, diverse, and fully global first-tier law firm. It also ensures that in every endeavor that serves our client’s needs, we always place the best team on the field, regardless of geography, practice group, or seniority.
  
• Create opportunities for and encourage professional development, high-level responsibility, and leadership for lawyers, managers, paralegals, and staff of all backgrounds.
  
• Promote ongoing and constructive dialogue within the Firm and the legal community about diversity, as well as seek creative ways to reinforce and advance our diversity goals.

This past year, we focused on several key areas to advance our goals and achieve demonstrable results. The initiatives involved:

• Effectively communicating our goals and accomplishments both to the O'Melveny community and our external communities.
  
• Identifying and addressing issues of particular concern to women in the law firm environment.
  
• Celebrating our existing diversity through training, events, and frequent dialogue, including our annual, firmwide Embracing Diversity Day festivities, as well as supporting the activities of the Firm's 24 affinity groups.
  
• Increasing O'Melveny's involvement in and sponsorship of legal and civil rights organizations to demonstrate tangibly the Firm's commitment to improving diversity within the legal profession and all areas of broader society.
  
• Regularly reviewing and analyzing our recruiting, attrition, and promotion processes and data to determine discernable trends and fine-tune our strategies.