Continuing the rapid expansion of its highly ranked Corporate practice, O’Melveny announced today that leading Capital Markets lawyer Michelle Earley has joined the firm as a partner in its Austin office.
Earley comes to O’Melveny from Locke Lord LLP, where she was a member of the firmwide Executive Committee and Co-Chair of both the Capital Markets Practice and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Earley handles a wide range of corporate and securities matters for public and private companies, with a focus on securities offerings, public disclosures, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.
At O’Melveny, she is rejoining former Locke Lord colleagues Whit Roberts, Jack Jacobsen, Jason Schumacher, Will Becker, and Chrissy Metcalf, who came to the firm in January.
Earley has deep experience advising public companies in capital markets transactions, particularly in the energy, technology, and outdoor media sectors. She has represented issuers and stockholders in registered public offerings, Rule 144A transactions, as well as in equity and private placements. She also advises management teams and boards of directors on general corporate governance matters, and has counseled oil and gas operators, oil services companies, utilities, and technology companies.
“Michelle is an outstanding lawyer with an abiding commitment to our values of excellence, leadership, and citizenship,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Her experience guiding public companies through major transactions and market disclosures, and advising them on corporate governance, will be a great advantage to our clients. She also brings the valuable perspective of a diverse female partner and DE&I leader, helping us all think more inclusively—challenging us to be better.”
Earley has received wide acclaim for her work, and is a recognized leader in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In 2020, Texas Lawyer named her a “Diversity & Inclusion Champion.” She was ranked among the “Top 50 Women in Oil & Gas” by the National Diversity Council and named a “Top 10 Super Lawyer” by the Austin Black Business Journal. She is also fiercely dedicated to community service. She serves on the Board of Visitors of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and on the Executive Committees of both the Austin Area Research Organization and the Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center. And she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Austin Ed Fund and is a member of IMPACT Austin, the Junior League, as well as the Austin Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc.
“Not only does Michelle have leading practice skills, but her commitment to diversity and public service is inspiring,” said C. Brophy Christensen, co-chair of O’Melveny’s Corporate Department. “We’re delighted to welcome her to O’Melveny.”
Earley received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was a Coker Fellow. She earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from Texas A&M University.
With the addition of Earley, O’Melveny now has a total of 44 lawyers—including 17 partners—in its Dallas and Austin offices since the firm first opened in Texas in June 2021.
O’Melveny’s Capital Markets practice comprises 50 lawyers in offices throughout the United States and Asia. The team advises clients across a range of industries, including financial, health care, retail, technology, media, communications, real estate, and energy. Issuers and investment banks trust O’Melveny lawyers to help them successfully execute a broad spectrum of strategic and capital-raising transactions. The Capital Markets group also works with public companies on all matters of disclosure, compliance, regulations, and governance. In September, the team expanded, adding partner Ryan Coombs to the firm’s San Francisco office, and in January, the firm promoted two Capital Markets lawyers—Vincent Lin in Shanghai and Sun Ye in Beijing—to the partnership.
Source: www.omm.com
