About Us
Our History
In 1783, William Rawle founded Rawle & Henderson in Philadelphia, thereby establishing the oldest law firm in the United States. A plethora (yes, El Guapo, we know what a plethora is) of other law firms have been established since then, with their libraries full of leather-bound books, smelling of rich mahogany and white shoe partners ready to wax on with their war stories, ad nauseam.
DTO has nothing to do with any of those firms.
William Delgado, Megan O’Neill, and Mark Tarango launched DTO in May 2019 because, frankly, they wanted to build a different type of law firm. Will met Megan in 2002 at Quinn Emanuel, where they both commenced their careers. Both left Quinn (at different times) but joined forces again in 2016 at a Quinn-spinoff. Mark commenced his career at Baker Hostetler and Morrison & Foerster before joining the in-house team at Toyota, where he spent fourteen years. Mark and Will met in 2015 when they concluded that the best way to advertise the legal conference they were organizing was to shoot a short film that involved a parody of A Few Good Men and included a sword fight between a Jedi (Mark, in costume) and Jack Sparrow (Will, in costume). When all three of them finally met, they realized they shared a collective vision: There was a better way to practice law. So, together with two other attorneys, they decided to prove it and launched a law firm.
Were there road bumps? Of course. We launched the firm without any admin assistance, so the managing partner had to call in payroll, handle court filings and document productions, and solve our IT problems. We had to deal with the loud and obnoxious co-tenants at the WeWork that housed our first “office.” And the awesome “One Year Anniversary” party we were planning got derailed by a worldwide contagion called “covid.”
But the firm is still here….and it’s much bigger. Its growth is testament that the D, T, and -O had it right—there is a better way to do it. Clients have come because our value proposition is highly persuasive: We solve their problems by creating “superior work product” (one of our client’s words, not ours), as efficiently as possible. Associates have joined us because we view them as critical resources that should be trained and mentored so that they become amazing attorneys and not billable-hour producing vessels to be exploited until they burn out. Lateral partners have joined us because our platform is precisely what they need to service their clients—a tech savvy boutique firm, with amazing human capital, that can compete with any BigLaw firm for any project, anywhere in the United States.
We announced the firm’s launch with a mass email whose subject line read “Don’t Call It a Comeback” and ended with the line: “And to any obstacles that might stand in our way—Mama said knock you out..” Those words ring as true today as ever.
This is the section where you read about how we staff our cases and transactions with award-winning, highly regarded attorneys, the amazing results we have achieved throughout our careers for a roster of well-known companies, and the fancy awards we’ve received for our work. Sound familiar?
That’s not to say this stuff isn’t important. In fact, these attributes are critically important, and we are proud to say—without exaggeration—they are true at our firm. We have a killer team, an enviable client list, and results that speak for themselves.
But that’s not enough, is it? You want more. You’re looking for hunger – lawyers with a burning obsession for superior results. You want lawyers who are committed, not just to the matter in front of them, but to learning your business and industry—what matters and what doesn’t—so they can formulate customized strategies to accomplish your business-driven objectives.
And you should want these things. Great success is not born of half-measures. Success requires unparalleled, unflinching, compulsive commitment to both the mission and the principle of excellence.
Welcome to DTO.
Recognition
“500 Leading Litigators in America”
Lawdragon
Ranked in “Litigation: General Commercial: Highly Regarded – California”
Chambers USA
“Top Boutiques”
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Recommended Firm”
Benchmark Litigation
Ranked #1 Best Midsize Law Firms for Diversity, #6 Most Selective Midsize Law Firms
Vault
“2023 Compass Award”
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity – LCLD
“Top 100 Lawyers”
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Company of the Year – Small Business”
Los Angeles Business Journal
“Excellence in Diversity Award”
California Lawyers Association
“Most Admired Law Firms to Work For”
Los Angeles Business Journal
“Top Rated Workplace”
L.A. Times B2B Publishing
“Best Law Firms in America”
U.S. News and World Report
“Outstanding US Law Firm for Diversity & Inclusion”
Chambers and Partners
“Women of Influence”
Silicon Valley Business Journal
“Top 100 Lawyers”
Los Angeles Business Journal
“Top Intellectual Property Lawyers”
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Top Women Lawyers”
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Super Lawyers”
Super Lawyers Magazine – Southern and Northern California
“Super Lawyers Rising Stars”
Super Lawyers Magazine – Southern and Northern California
“Minority Leader of Influence”
Los Angeles Business Journal
“Leaders in the Law”
Los Angeles Business Journal
“2020 Law Firm MVP”
National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms – NAMWOLF
“California Star”
Benchmark Litigation
“Top Latino Lawyer”
Latino Leaders Magazine
“Local Litigation Star”
Benchmark Litigation
“Labor & Employment Star – West”
Benchmark Litigation
“Top 20 Defense Verdict”
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Top 5 Appellate Reversal”
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Top 20 Lawyer Under 40″
Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal
“Lawyers on the Fast Track”
The Recorder
Diversity
At DTO, we see the transformative power of inclusion. Our commitment goes beyond words—it constitutes a set of core beliefs. We recognize excellence knows no boundaries but, instead, embraces individuals of varied backgrounds, races, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and beliefs. This commitment fuels our efforts to recruit, hire, train, retain, and promote the finest legal professionals. For us, excellence in work product is one of the key elements to ensuring success. Our clients depend on it. Our firm thrives because of it.
DTO is a certified minority-owned firm and proudly affiliated with the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF), the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), and the California Minority Counsel Program (CMCP). Our attorneys actively engage with diverse legal communities through memberships in organizations such as:
- Association of Latino Professionals for America
- Cuban American Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Litigation Counsel of America, Diversity Law Institute
- South Asian Bar Association of Southern California
Our DEI achievements are as noteworthy as our courtroom victories, with 80% of our attorneys being women, racially/ethnically diverse or LGBTQ+.
We are honored to have received recognition through various prestigious awards:
- Vault, ranked #1 Best Midsize Law Firms for Diversity, 2025
- Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Company of the Year – Small Business” Award, 2023
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Compass Award, 2023
- California Lawyers Association’s “Excellence in Diversity” Award, 2022
- Chambers and Partners’ “Outstanding Firm for Diversity & Inclusion (USA),” 2021
- National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) “MVP Law Firm,” 2020
