Jonathan Hacker and Katrina Robson of O'Melveny & Myers.

Describe your firm's approach to litigation and your strategy for building successful teams for trials or other matters. Collaboration has always been central to every matter we handle—advice, investigations, trial, appeal, whatever it may be. Our trials in the AT&T-Time Warner merger and opioid-related litigation exemplify this tradition. We employ many diverse talents and resources from throughout the firm, without concern for egos or hierarchies. Our lawyers, offices and practice groups work seamlessly together. And as the AT&T and opioids examples also show, we work very well with other firms too—an incredibly important skill for clients seeking assistance from multiple firms to address massively complex, multidimensional challenges.

Discuss the two biggest litigation cases your firm worked on in 2019 and how you reached successful outcomes. With significant victories for J&J, Samsung, Ford, Disney and others, it's hard to identify the two "biggest." But a case is always "big" when it's in the U.S. Supreme Court, and our big win there in 2019 was Jam v. International Finance, which held that multinational organizations possess no greater immunity from suit in U.S. courts than foreign sovereigns possess. The ruling allowed the claims of our clients—a group of fishermen—to proceed, and will ensure that multinational organizations can be held accountable in U.S. judicial proceedings. A case is also big when it involves basic human rights, which we preserved in defeating severe restrictions on women's reproductive rights in Virginia. After a two-week trial, O'Melveny's team convinced a court to invalidate the restrictions, thereby ensuring continued access to safe, affordable, high-quality reproductive care for women in Virginia.

What are the most challenging and satisfying aspects of your work in litigation? Serving our clients and the community at the highest level while giving meaningful opportunities to junior lawyers can present challenges, but we always find the right balance with our amazing junior lawyers. This year, associate Ephraim McDowell successfully argued two headline-grabbing matters—our challenge to border wall funding, and an appeal of federal convictions for religious work aiding Mexican refugees. And counsel Brad Garcia successfully argued two federal appeals and a precedent-setting summary judgment motion for major firm clients. Watching Brad, Ephraim and many others like them succeed is one of the most satisfying aspects of our practice.

What is the most important piece of advice you'd share with young lawyers? Warren Christopher said, "Get out into the stream of history and swim as fast as you can." But today history often seems to be moving backward. Our advice to young lawyers is to join us—to lead us—in fighting to protect hard-won rights and maintain the rule of law.

Responses submitted by Jonathan Hacker, Supreme Court and appellate litigation practice chair at O'Melveny & Myers, and Katrina Robson, a partner in the firm's antitrust and competition practice. Hacker has argued six cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and appeals in every federal circuit. Robson represents clients in complex, high-profile litigation against both government agencies and private parties.

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