Bio

For a dozen years, Bradley Butwin has served as Chair of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, an internationally acclaimed law firm of more than 800 attorneys in 18 offices worldwide. Under Brad’s leadership, O’Melveny has for 12 consecutive years ranked in the top tier of The American Lawyer’s “A-List”—which recognizes the nation’s most “well-rounded” firms in the areas of associate satisfaction, revenue per lawyer, pro bono engagement, racial diversity, and gender diversity among the partnership—claiming the #1 spot in 2021. The firm has earned similarly high marks for associate satisfaction in The American Lawyer’s Midlevel Associates survey over the past decade, ranking #1 in both 2023 and 2021. It has also been a repeat winner in Vault’s Law Firm Rankings, earning a top 3 spot for an unprecedented nine years in a row in the “Best Law Firms To Work For” category, including back-to-back #1 rankings in 2019 and 2020—a feat no other firm has achieved—as well as a top 3 position in the “Best Firm for Overall Diversity” category for seven straight years. And O’Melveny has been a perennial honoree in The American Lawyer’s “Litigation Department of the Year” awards, earning second place in the 2020 competition. In addition to his many leadership roles, which have included Chair of the Litigation Department, Brad maintains an active practice. Chambers USA ranks Brad among the top securities litigators in the nation and has rated him as one of the leading commercial litigators in New York. Chambers reports that Brad is “extremely dedicated to his clients,” who describe him as a “brilliant mind” and “standout lawyer”—“always reachable and responsive.” Benchmark Litigation has regularly named Brad a “Local Litigation Star,” a “National Litigation Star,” and a “National Securities Star,” and consistently lists him as one of the country’s top securities litigators. Citing peers, Benchmark calls Brad “a superb litigator—tenacious, smart, high-energy and quite effective, with good judgment.” Lawdragon includes Brad in its guide to the 500 Leading Litigators in America, The Legal 500 has recognized Brad’s securities litigation practice, and Best Lawyers identifies Brad as a leading commercial litigator. Committed to the communities O’Melveny serves, Brad met the challenges of 2020-2022 by cofounding and serving on the Board of Advisors of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, which has united almost 300 firms in the fight against structural racism in the law. He is also a dedicated member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, which promotes a more open and diverse legal profession; the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Advancing Diversity, which is devoted to preserving the benefits that flow from fostering diverse environments in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University; and the New York Attorney General’s Pro Bono Task Force for Reproductive Health, formed in response to the Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Additionally, Brad is a board member of Only Make Believe, a nonprofit that creates and performs interactive theater for children in hospitals and care facilities. In an effort to bring affordable legal representation to underserved communities, Brad cofounded the Court Square Law Project, an innovative public-private collaboration that paired new law school graduates with clients of modest means, and, on behalf of Lawyers Alliance of New York, he served as Chair of its annual law firm appeal. A longtime supporter of Fordham Law School, Brad was the Chair of the Financial Aid Campaign and is a member of both the Dean’s Planning Council and the Advisory Board of the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School. Brad also serves on the External Advisory Board of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business. For his achievements as O’Melveny Chair, New York Law Journal recognized Brad with its Distinguished Leader Award in 2023. For his dedication to justice, Brad was honored with the 2021 Judge Learned Hand Award from the American Jewish Committee. He previously received the Human Relations Award from the New York Lawyers Division of the Anti-Defamation League, and was honored by Temple Judea of Manhasset for his many years of dedicated service to the temple and the community. Brad was also presented with the New York City Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award for his role in freeing a wrongly convicted man from Georgia’s death row. In recognition of his outstanding achievements in the law and in public service, the Fordham Law Alumni Association awarded Brad its Medal of Achievement, the highest honor it bestows; the Fordham Law Review Alumni Association awarded Brad its Leonard F. Manning Achievement Award; and the Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School awarded Brad its Spirit of Service Award. Before entering private practice, Brad served as a law clerk for US District Judge David N. Edelstein (S.D.N.Y.). Brad received his J.D. from Fordham Law School, where he served as Commentary Editor of the Law Review, and his B.B.A. in Risk & Insurance from the University of Wisconsin. He and his wife, Randi, have four children, three of whom played Division I soccer at the collegiate level and are now practicing lawyers; their youngest, age 20, is a talented dance instructor and proud Badger.