O'Melveny joins rush to expand in Silicon Valley

Los Angeles firm O'Melveny & Myers is joining the huge influx into Silicon Valley and has become the latest firm to open an office there.

The firm's move comes a week after Chicago's Mayer Brown & Platt announced the same step (The Lawyer, 19 March).

O'Melveny will send in four top partners to launch its practice, headed by the corporate partner from its Orange County office David Krinsky. He will be joined by the head of the firm's China practice Howard Chao, a tax partner from Washington DC Bob Rizzi and Orange County corporate partner Karen Dreyfus.

The new office, its sixth in California and 13th worldwide, will work with 55-lawyer San Francisco office.

Krinsky says that the move is a response to client demand."We have been servicing pretty significant clients in the Valley for quite a long time now," he says. "It's become clear that we need to be on the ground with an office. We've come up with a great group of people to launch this."

The firm's clients in the Valley include Apple Computer and Advanced Micro Devices. The new practice will focus on corporate law, including M&A, financing, initial public offerings, venture capital financing and strategic partnerships.

"We mean to grow the office as quickly as is rationally possible," says Krinsky.