The firm is pleased to announce that Paloma Perez-McEvoy was recently highlighted in ALM’s “How I Made It” series for her role as Municipal Law Practice Group Chair. In the profile, Paloma details her journey of being elevated to the co-chair of the Municipal Practice Group, explains her passion for serving vulnerable and underrepresented communities, and shares advice for attorneys seeking to become a practice group leader themselves.
Paloma delves into the ways that her background influenced her passion for municipal law, explaining that she was “influenced by watching my father work as a migrant farmworker and my parents’ activism in the Chicano rights movement.”
“Because of my life experience, I feel a deep connection to communities that share a background with my family history and a responsibility to provide them with opportunities to advance and flourish,” she tells ALM. “This led me to municipal law at Olivarez Madruga Law Organization (OMLO), where I serve as City Attorney for cities across California and advise local governments. Problem-solving with our clients is extremely satisfying and rewarding work.”
Paloma elaborates that this passion led her to give her all to the practice area and “jump into things with both feet,” leading to her appointment as co-chair of the municipal group.
“Working closely with Rick Olivarez, our founder and managing partner, l participated in firm management and my responsibilities grew,” she continues. “Municipal law is our largest practice-approximately half of OMLO’s attorneys are municipal attorneys —and holds tremendous weight given our reputation as a leader in this field. I’m proud to help steer such an important practice and carry on OMLO’s legacy.”
Paloma tells attorneys hoping to follow in her footsteps that “Leadership roles often go to attorneys with the highest billable hours, but managing requires more than the biggest book of business. It’s about setting the tone for the entire group and putting out the energy you want your team members to send forth to our clients.”