O’Melveny To Add Seven New Partners in 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW YORK—December 10, 2024—Seven outstanding lawyers reflecting O’Melveny’s wide-ranging capabilities and breadth of talent have been elected to the firm’s 2025 partner class: Adam Ackerman (Mergers & Acquisitions—Los Angeles), Jessica Fluehr (Project Development & Real Estate—San Francisco), Anwar Graves (General Litigation—Washington, DC), Ben Haber (Intellectual Property & Technology—Los Angeles), Nick Hendrix (Restructuring—Dallas), Jennifer Sokoler (General Litigation—New York), and Kelly Wood (Labor & Employment—Newport Beach).

“Whether it’s high-stakes litigation, complex IP matters, or transformational deals, these superb lawyers help our clients achieve their goals, delivering exceptional results and world-class client service,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “As practitioners, mentors, and firm citizens, our new partners represent the very best of O’Melveny. This stellar group brings practice excellence, dedication, creativity, and a spirit of collaboration that will contribute significantly to our partnership and to the life of the firm for years to come.”

More than half of this year’s class are women and members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Since 2015, approximately two-thirds of O’Melveny’s promoted partners have been from underrepresented groups. The new partner class also features the firm’s first organic partner promotion in Texas, a milestone that underscores the success of O’Melveny’s strategic expansion in the Lone Star State.

About O’Melveny’s 2025 Partner Class

Adam Ackerman – M&A – Los Angeles
Adam Ackerman is a trusted and experienced transactional lawyer who advises private equity clients—as well as publicly traded and privately held companies—on their most complex and high-value mergers, acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, and split-offs. He is particularly skilled in navigating the nuances of buying and selling infrastructure assets, including airport terminals, sports venues, agricultural land, and water rights. Recognized for his dealmaking abilities and impeccable judgment, Ackerman began his O’Melveny career as a summer associate and has chaired the firm’s Los Angeles Associate and Counsel Advisory Committee, as well as the Los Angeles Summer Program. He earned his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and was managing editor of the UCLA Law Review.

Jessica Fluehr – Project Development & Real Estate – San Francisco
A seasoned counselor to some of the largest real estate companies in the US, Jessica Fluehr advises public and private participants in the acquisition, disposition, financing, development, leasing, operation, and management of commercial real estate assets. Clients rely on Fluehr for her unflappable and steady leadership and wise counsel rooted in a deep understanding of the law and market standards. She is particularly skilled in representing borrowers in commercial real estate financings of various types—with experience in more than US$125 billion of financings. Fluehr also maintains an active pro bono practice and provides real estate and leasing advice to small businesses, nonprofits, and tenants facing housing-related issues. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

Anwar Graves – General Litigation – Washington, DC
A former Assistant US Attorney and US Department of Justice trial lawyer, Anwar Graves is a seasoned litigator and courtroom advocate who excels at oral arguments, witness examinations, critical depositions, and investigations. His clients—including some of the biggest companies in the US—trust him to craft winning trial strategies and provide bespoke advice to resolve their most vexing and consequential legal matters. Respected by clients, colleagues, and opposing counsel alike, Graves has earned praise for his leadership, as well as for his personable and collaborative approach to directing the daily operations of a case. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law, where he was chosen as the student commencement speaker and was articles editor for the school’s Journal of Health Care Law & Policy.

Ben Haber – Intellectual Property & Technology – Los Angeles
Among the top patent litigators at the US Patent and Trademark Office, Ben Haber advises technology clients in complex patent and technology-intense matters, blending his deep regulatory and practice knowledge with highly technical industry experience. Before joining O’Melveny, Haber served as the USPTO’s Senior Policy Advisor, developing the policy direction for the primary federal agency responsible for US intellectual property rights. He also studied physics and worked as an engineer for aerospace contractors and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Haber now advocates on behalf of patent owners and petitioners, representing them before the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board, as well as in US federal courts and at the International Trade Commission. He earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Loyola Law School and was chief technology editor of the Loyola Law Review.

Nick Hendrix – Restructuring - Dallas
Nick Hendrix is a highly skilled bankruptcy and commercial litigator with extensive experience guiding corporate clients through complex bankruptcy cases and inter-creditor disputes. He has played a leading role in several of the market’s most high-profile and contentious cases, including one of the largest bankruptcy cases in Texas history. Clients in the energy, financial services, real estate, health care, and insurance industries value and rely on Hendrix’s broad skillset and sound judgment. Before entering private practice, Hendrix served as a judicial clerk at the Texas Supreme Court. He earned his J.D. summa cum laude from Texas Tech University School of Law, where he was business editor for the Texas Tech Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.  

Jennifer Sokoler – General Litigation – New York
An exceptional all-around litigator with especially deep experience in the higher education and administrative law spaces, Jennifer Sokoler has earned the trust of prestigious universities across the US to manage their high-stakes, headline-making litigation and investigations. Sokoler also advocates for clients in heavily regulated industries when they challenge regulatory actions. She has clerked at every level of the federal judiciary, including for US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She also served in the Biden Administration, including as an attorney in the White House Counsel’s Office and later as Chief of Staff to the White House Counsel. Sokoler is a graduate of Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar, a note editor for the Columbia Law Review, and the recipient of the Pauline Berman Heller Prize for the highest ranking female graduate.

Kelly Wood – Labor & Employment – Newport Beach
Kelly Wood is a versatile labor and employment lawyer who defends employers across a wide range of single plaintiff and class action litigation, often with hundreds of millions of dollars in exposure on the line. Clients in the aviation, entertainment, sports, and media industries turn to Wood to achieve exceptional results in their most significant cases—including those involving alleged discrimination, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Wood also has extensive government investigation, trial, arbitration, and appellate experience in employment-related matters. She began her O’Melveny career as a summer associate and she currently co-chairs the firm’s Newport Beach Women’s Attorney Group. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from Chapman University School of Law, where she was articles editor of the Chapman Law Review.

About O’Melveny

It’s more than what you do: it’s how you do it. Across sectors and borders, in board rooms and courtrooms, we measure our success by yours. And in our interactions, we commit to making your O’Melveny experience as satisfying as the outcomes we help you achieve. Our greatest accomplishment is ensuring that you never have to choose between premier lawyering and exceptional service. So, tell us. What do you want to achieve? Visit us at www.omm.com; read our Insights 2024 report; learn more in our firm at-a-glance; and find us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Contact:

Brandon Jacobsen
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 213 430 8024
bjacobsen@omm.com

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