Matt Powers > O'Melveny & Myers LLP > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

‘More than willing to go the extra mile to ensure the optimal result’, O’Melveny & Myers LLP has developed a strong reputation in defending large corporates in consumer class actions and product liability disputes. In the automotive sector, the team has perhaps gained most visibility as a result of its role as national class action counsel for Ford Motor Company. Acting for Ford, Washington DC-based Steve Brody recently successfully secured a favorable settlement for the client in relation to three Attorney General actions brought against it relating to its use of the defective Takata airbags. Carlos Lazatin in Los Angeles also regularly handles class actions and product liability litigation for automotive clients and is well-versed in cutting-edge matters associated with autonomous vehicles. Brody co-chairs the product liability and mass tort team alongside Los Angeles-based Sabrina Strong. Based out of San Francisco, Matt Powers  chairs the firm’s consumer class actions practice.

Drawing upon substantial resources from both coasts, O’Melveny & Myers LLP is a popular choice among manufacturers of a range of consumer products to represent them in often brand reputation threatening litigation. Regularly integrating appellate lawyers into the team from an early stage and also well-placed to handle Attorney General investigations, thanks to its bench of lawyers with former governmental experience, the firm is appreciated for its ability to provide a ‘very comprehensive service‘ from cradle-to-grave. Washington DC-based Steve Brody combines his previous in-house experience at the DOJ to good effect with his private practice trial lawyering skills for life sciences clients and emerging tech companies. Matt Powers in San Francisco spearheads the firm’s consumer class actions offering and as part of his varied caseload has recently had numerous successes for education institutions in class actions brought by students and parents seeking reimbursements following the Covid-19-precipitated transition to remote learning. Sabrina Strong in Los Angeles, an accomplished trial lawyer and appellate advocate, co-chairs the product liability and mass torts group alongside Brody.