O’Melveny M&A Leader Joins Ropes & Gray

The head of mergers and acquisitions at O’Melveny & Myers is joining the larger Ropes & Gray to take on another leadership role, the firm announced on Thursday.

Paul Scrivano, who spent nearly 12 years at O’Melveny, has joined Ropes as the head of its global mergers and acquisitions practice.

Scrivano represented Mentor Graphics in its pending $4.5 billion aquisition by Siemens, Alaska Air Group, Inc. in its $4 billion acquisition of Virgin America, Inc., and BB&T Corporation in its $1.8 billion acquisition of National Penn Bancshares, Inc. according to a Ropes & Gray press release.

At Ropes & Gray, where the firm has more than 150 lawyers specializing in M&A, Scrivano said that his goal is to expand the practice.

“I think the M&A practice here has been in growth mode and will continue to be in growth mode,” said Scrivano.

On Thursday, J. Jay Herron, an O’Melveny partner in Newport Beach, was listed as the head of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice.

An O’Melveny spokeswoman wished Scrivano well in a statement and expressed commitment to the firm’s M&A practice.

O’Melveny’s corporate department has seen other departures over the years. In 2011, the firm lost nine partners from its New York office including the co-chair of its corporate finance and capital markets practice, Gregory Ezring, and the head of its tax practice, Brad Okin, to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. And then in 2014, Joseph Calabrese, an entertainment industry dealmaker in Los Angeles, decamped along with five other partners to launch a Century City office for Latham & Watkins.

But the firm has also made recent additions. In 2015, the firm hired the head of its European M&A practice, Andrew Weiler, who came onboard from White & Case. Earlier this month, the firm also added two sports deal partners in New York and a London-based funds partner from King & Wood Mallesons.

[Image “blb newsletter” (src=https://bol.bna.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/blb-newsletter.jpg)]