Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

O'Melveny & Myers on Monday announced four litigators as new managing partners in New York City and three California offices, while naming new leaders for its M&A, securities litigation, and white-collar practices.

Commercial litigator Dawn Sestito is taking the reins in the roughly 170-attorney Los Angeles office, the firm's largest. Allen Burton, also a commercial litigator, is now at the helm in New York, O'Melveny's second largest outpost.

Mass tort defense attorney Amy Laurendeau is the new leader in Newport Beach, California, while life sciences litigator Caitlin Bair is now in charge in San Francisco.

"One of the many qualities that distinguishes O'Melveny is our commitment to giving our people the opportunity to grow as leaders," firm chair Bradley Butwin said in a statement. "This is good for our lawyers, and it's good for the firm. We are very pleased to have so many talented colleagues ready to take on challenging new roles."

Butwin was not immediately available to talk further about the promotions.

Four out of seven of the firm's U.S. offices are now led by women, with entertainment lawyer Amy Siegel as managing partner in Century City, California.

With regard to the firm's practice groups, former deputy U.S. solicitor general Michael Dreeben, who joined O'Melveny in Washington, D.C., in December, is now the co-chair of the firm's white-collar defense and corporate investigations practice, joining Los Angeles-based Steve Olson.

China veteran Eric Zabinski, based in Century City, is the new chair of the mergers and acquisitions practice, while Los Angeles-based Matthew Close joins New York's Jonathan Rosenberg as co-chair of the securities litigation practice.

Financial services practice co-chair Elizabeth McKeen has become the firm's regional head of litigation for Southern California, while IP expert Luann Simmons has assumed the same role in Northern California.

"Our newest leaders are among our most accomplished and dedicated colleagues," Butwin added in a statement. "They embody the deep commitment to clients, community, and firm culture that O'Melveny is known for. It's very gratifying to see our values represented across our full roster of partner leaders, both new and continuing."

The firm also named Jeeho Lee firmwide hiring partner, Jared Bartie and Mia Gonzalez New York hiring partners, and Damali Taylor San Francisco hiring partner.

Sports industry group co-chair Jared Bartie, who's based in New York, joins Darin Snyder as co-head of diversity and inclusion and Newport Beach IP litigator Brett Williamson as firmwide pro bono partner.

The firm reported a fifth straight year of revenue increases in 2019, growing its top line by 4.3% to $835.3 million, driven by a busy litigation docket and significant deals. Prior to the coronavirus crisis sweeping across the U.S., litigators had 38 trials slated for 2020, including a bellwether opioids trial in New York in March and a California trial in June.

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