August 1, 2018

O'Melveny & Myers and Allen & Overy -- two firms that reportedly enabled Harvey Weinstein's sexual assaults -- are about to merge

       A troubling aspect of Mr. Weinstein's sexual assaults is that they could have been prevented if, back in 2004, O'Melveny did not reportedly humiliate and threaten one of his victims into silence. In some ways, Mr. Weinstein was also the victim of such terrible lawyering. Instead of setting him straight, they enabled and emboldened his worst behavior.

       The UK government recently investigated Allen & Overy for silencing another witness. When Zelda Perkins saw Mr. Weinstein “sexually assault[] and attempt[] to rape a colleague,” Allen & Overy reportedly used a “siege mentality” to get her to sign an agreement to "not disclose anything in a criminal case.” She couldn't even talk "to a doctor about the events unless the doctor also signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA)." (To be fair, there are no reports of anyone threatening Ms. Perkins. I do not mean to equate what Allen & Overy did to what O'Melveny did.) The pending merger with O'Melveny was reported here.

       [Addendum: The United Kingdom's Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is reportedly conducting a tribunal against the Allen & Overy attorney.]
O'Melveny, investigation, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, discrimination, Daniel Petrocelli, omm