O'Melveny & Myers has named New York-based litigation head Bradley Butwin as its new chair, writes The Am Law Daily.

The 51-year old Butwin will succeed current O'Melveny chair Arthur Culvahouse, who has held the position since 2000.

"The chance to lead this great firm is a humbling and exciting privilege," said Butwin on Wednesday (27 July). "O'Melveny is a great firm with extraordinary lawyers, top clients and a rich history."

The decision to elevate Butwin to O'Melveny's top leadership post comes after the firm earlier this month confirmed that its policy committee had narrowed to three the field of candidates from which it would choose its new head. The others under consideration were Washington DC partner Thomas McCoy and Los Angeles partner Randall Oppenheimer, both veteran litigators.

The firm's policy committee not only selected the three candidates, but also chose which would be put to the partnership for a ratification vote.

Butwin has chaired the firm's litigation department for more than two years. His practice includes general commercial litigation and securities litigation for such clients as Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and UBS. Butwin was previously a partner at O'Sullivan, a private equity boutique O'Melveny acquired in 2002 in an effort to bolster its corporate practice.

Butwin takes over O'Melveny's top leadership post at a critical time for the 850-lawyer firm, which was founded in Los Angeles in 1885. O'Melveny has lost more than two dozen partners since the start of the year. Like Butwin, some of those who left came to the firm in the O'Sullivan merger.

Last month, it was announced that three senior Washington DC-based lawyers were leaving O'Melveny to launch a local branch for Allen & Overy. In May news also emerged of the departure of nine partners in O'Melveny's New York corporate practice.

The departures not only called into question the merits of the merger between O'Melveny and O'Sullivan, but also weakened the firm's transactional practice. Butwin said that the firm remains committed to its deal practice and that his top priority "will be working with the transactional practices across the firm to continue to add depth and scope".

The selection of a new chair and upheaval in the partnership ranks follow a year in which O'Melveny saw its gross revenue decline 5%, to $782.4m (£479m). Average profits per partner increased 4.8%, to $1.525m (£927,000), largely as a result of a 6.8% decline in firm's equity partnership ranks.

Butwin predicted that all of those numbers will improve when the figures for 2011 are released. "This has been a strong year so far," he said. "Things are looking up and I look forward to taking the mantle and working with my partners."