The firm is pleased to announce that it has been honored as one of Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal’s “Top Boutiques” of 2026. This special issue recognizes California’s highest performing boutique law firms across all practice areas.
In this year’s issue, the Daily Journal highlights the firm’s litigation practice, with 44 attorneys and 12 partners serving as city attorney and general counsel to public agencies and litigating on their behalf, on defense and offense. Although the firm started representing cities, litigation now takes it into Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, and Ventura counties as well as Los Angeles.
“City attorney work was the foundation; education law became the growth engine, and school districts are now as central to the firm as the cities we started with,” Partner Thomas Madruga tells the Daily Journal. “Whichever side of the caption we’re on, the real client is the community.”
The work includes Sargenti v. City of Long Beach, in which a man hurt in a scooter accident sued the City, alleging it knew that an asphalt patch on the street was creating dangerous conditions, submitting a Google Street View screenshot as proof. OMLO secured a summary judgment when the 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed the city had no notice of the condition and that the screenshot could not be considered evidence since it had not been authenticated.
The Daily Journal also highlights OMLO Partner Paloma Perez-McEvoy, who recently helped a public agency dispose of two properties and acquire commercial property, a deal that required approvals from courts and state agencies.
“Ultimately, the transaction transformed underperforming public assets into a long-term revenue source for the agency’s general fund, providing additional resources to support services for local residents,” Perez-McEvoy tells the Daily Journal.
Founding and Managing Partner Rick Olivarez says the firm intends to keep serving cities, school districts and to keep building its appellate record.
He tells the Daily Journal, “Our boutique size is not the result of an intentional effort to remain small, but rather reflects our focus on maintaining strong relationships with our existing clients and consistently delivering high-quality legal work.”