Firm News - Troutman Pepper Locke

(DALLAS) December 6, 2021 – Harriet Miers, former Managing Partner of a Locke Lord predecessor firm and former Counsel to the President of the United States, has been appointed Chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission by the Supreme Court of Texas, effective January 1, 2022.

The Texas Access to Justice Commission is charged with developing and implementing initiatives designed to expand access to, and enhance the quality of, justice in civil legal matters for low-income Texans. Miers has served as a Commissioner since 2013, and now serves as Chair of the Commission’s Legislative Committee. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the Legal Services Corporation Leaders Council, a group to help raise public awareness across the country of the importance of providing equal access to our justice system to low-income Americans.

Miers has been widely recognized for her efforts to create a more diverse, fair and equitable legal profession. Among her many civic and professional accomplishments, Miers was the first woman to lead both the Dallas Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas as President. She also served as an At-Large Member of the Dallas City Council (elected citywide) and as the appointed Chairwoman of the Texas Lottery Commission. Miers has held several American Bar Association leadership roles, including Chair of the Board of Editors of the American Bar Journal and the Texas State Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates. She is also Immediate Past Chair of the Center for American and International Law Board of Trustees and an Executive Board Member of the SMU Dedman School of Law. A dedicated servant of the broader community, Miers is a past Chair and current member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Breakfast Group, an organization focused on improving the quality of local governmental institutions, and sits on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star.

Miers was the first woman hired at the Dallas firm of Locke Purnell Boren Laney & Neely in 1972 and became the first woman to lead the Firm, then known as Locke Purnell Rain Harrell, in 1996. In 1999, when Locke Purnell merged with Houston-based Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill & LaBoon, Miers was integral to the merger and became Co-Managing Partner of the combined firm. She held that position until she left to serve in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001-2007 as Staff Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel to the President. After her service in the White House, she returned to Locke Lord as a Partner in 2007. She is a member of the Firm’s Litigation Department and Public Law and Policy Practice Group.

Among Miers’ many accolades, she was recently honored with the Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. She was also selected for induction into the Texas Legal Legends, the highest award bestowed by the State Bar of Texas, for her lasting impact and extraordinary contributions to the legal profession. She was named by The Texas Lawbook as one of 50 Lions of the Texas Bar and received the Sandra Day O’Connor Award from the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism. Miers received the Texas Appleseed Good Apple Award, Legal Services of North Texas’ Merrill Hartman Award, Anti-Defamation League’s Jurisprudence Award and American Jewish Committee’s Human Relations Award. She has been honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards from both SMU and the SMU Dedman School of Law, which also presented her with the Robert G. Storey Award for Distinguished Achievement. She holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Pepperdine University.

For her work as Counsel to the President, Miers received the Department of Justice Edmund J. Randolph Award for her “dedicated service to justice, the President, and the United States of America.” She also received the Agency Seal Medal from the Central Intelligence Agency, an award given to people outside of the Agency who have made significant contributions to its work.

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About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service law firm with global reach and 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs in the United States and around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 130 years and is a leader in the middle market arena. Locke Lord focuses on providing the highest levels of commitment, quality and service to clients across its five Key Sectors: Energy and Infrastructure; Finance and Financial Services; Insurance and Reinsurance; Pharmaceutical; and Private Equity. In addition, the Firm advises clients across a broad spectrum of other industries, including fund formation, venture capital, health care, public finance, real estate, technology, cybersecurity and white collar, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, tax, regulatory and transactional teams.

Continuing Locke Lord’s leadership in building a diverse organization and a more inclusive legal profession, Firm Chair David Taylor has made a public pledge as part of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s Leaders at the Front movement, which focuses on creating actionable plans to further diversity in the legal profession through specific, meaningful and measurable organizational changes. In his pledge, Taylor shares his personal, ongoing commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion as well as Locke Lord’s organizational commitment to ensuring DEI is more fully integrated into the Firm’s operations.

At Locke Lord, diversity and inclusion is one of the Firm’s five core values and an integral part of its strategic plan. Locke Lord understands that fostering an inclusive environment results in better decision-making, better outcomes for clients and a firm where team members can be successful and thrive.

Boston Magazine has named Partner Allison O’Neil, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s White Collar and Internal Investigations Practice Group, to its inaugural Top Lawyers list, which showcases the region’s finest legal minds.

To compile the list, Boston Magazine invited lawyers to nominate up to three peers. The top vote-getters in each category were then reviewed by an advisory board of select lawyers, chosen for their credentials and the high number of votes they received.

November 4, 2021 – Locke Lord obtained a National Tier 1 distinction for 13 practice areas in the 2022 Best Law Firms survey by U.S. News – Best Lawyers®. In addition, 12 of the Firm’s domestic offices earned Metropolitan Tier 1 status.

Locke Lord’s recognized practice areas include:

National Tier 1

Appellate Practice
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Employment Law – Management
Energy Law
Insurance Law
Litigation – Labor & Employment
Oil & Gas Law
Public Finance Law
Real Estate Law
Tax Law

Metropolitan Tier 1

ATLANTA

Mergers & Acquisitions Law

AUSTIN

Commercial Litigation
Real Estate Law

BOSTON

Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Corporate Law
Education Law
Employment Law – Management
Litigation – Labor & Employment
Public Finance Law
Tax Law

CHICAGO

Commercial Litigation
Insurance Law

CINCINNATI

Public Finance Law

DALLAS

Antitrust Law
Appellate Practice
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law – Management
Energy Law
Environmental Law
Litigation – Banking & Finance
Litigation – ERISA
Litigation – Intellectual Property
Litigation – Labor & Employment
Litigation – Securities
Litigation – Trusts & Estates
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Oil & Gas Law
Real Estate Law
Tax Law

HOUSTON

Appellate Practice
Arbitration
Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Derivatives and Futures Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law – Management
Energy Law
Environmental Law
Government Relations Practice
Litigation – Labor & Employment
Oil & Gas Law
Real Estate Law
Trusts & Estates Law

LOS ANGELES

Insurance Law
Real Estate Law

NEW ORLEANS

Real Estate Law

RHODE ISLAND

Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Litigation
Corporate Law
Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Public Finance Law

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Energy Law

WEST PALM BEACH

Corporate Law

U.S. News – Best Lawyers® is an annual review of the country’s legal industry. The analysis by U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers is based on evaluations from clients and peer review. Firms are required to have at least one listed lawyer in a Best Lawyers practice area designation to be eligible for inclusion in the Best Law Firms report. Locke Lord has 140 lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2022, with 37 lawyers recognized as Ones to Watch and nine Lawyer of the Year recipients located in the Austin, Boston, Dallas, New Orleans and West Palm Beach offices.

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) November 1, 2021 – Toyja Kelley has joined Locke Lord’s Washington, D.C., office as a Partner in the Firm’s Litigation Practice Group. With a wide variety of litigation and trial experience, Kelley expands the Firm’s capabilities in the region.

Joining Locke Lord from Saul Ewing, Kelley represents large public and medium-sized businesses in complex commercial disputes. He concentrates his practice in general commercial litigation, construction litigation, professional and product liability, business torts and insurance coverage, regularly appearing before state and federal courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

“As a seasoned, high-profile leader, Toyja has the experience and versatility to act on behalf of our clients’ interests while navigating complex disputes. Adding a litigator with his level of skill builds upon Locke Lord’s strength in the region and across the country,” said Denise Hanna, Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s Washington, D.C., office.

In addition to his practice, Kelley is an active member of the Defense Research Institute (DRI) and is the Immediate Past President of the nearly 22,000-member international organization. In 2020, he became the inaugural President of DRI’s National Center for Law and Public Policy, a research and advocacy organization dedicated to influencing public policy. He is also a Past President of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Defense Counsel and serves as an adjunct professor of law in its litigation and conflict resolution skills program at Washington and Lee University.

“Toyja has served as lead trial counsel in various commercial matters, including litigation involving wind projects, which will further enhance our capabilities in the rapidly growing offshore space. He is an established and widely respected lawyer with an extensive leadership background, making him a fantastic addition to Locke Lord’s team,” added Matt Furton, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Litigation Department and a Partner in Locke Lord’s Chicago office.

Steadfast in his commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, Kelley is on the Executive Board of the National Black Lawyers Association and the Board of National Alliance on Mental Illness Metropolitan Baltimore. He has been active with Just The Beginning Foundation (JTBF), having served as a past member of the JTBF Conference Executive Planning Committee on behalf of the State of Maryland.

“With its robust reach and preeminent litigation presence, Locke Lord’s wide scope of capabilities is the right fit for my practice. The Firm’s platform provides the ideal scale and innovation required by my clients, and I am thrilled to be able to collaborate with Locke Lord’s leading litigators across the country,” said Kelley.

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November 10, 2021 – Locke Lord has promoted 12 lawyers representing the Firm’s Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Providence and West Palm Beach offices to Partnership level, effective Jan. 1, 2022. The lawyers are members of the Firm’s Corporate and Transactional, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Real Estate Practice Groups.

The new Partners are:

In Austin:

Brian O’Reilly practices in the area of transportation, administrative and public law, focusing on the development of major infrastructure projects by public and private entities. He advises clients on procurement matters and legal issues related to the planning, construction, financing and operation of infrastructure projects.

In Boston:

Megan Foscaldi advises public and private companies and private equity funds in a broad range of corporate matters, including securities offerings and complex strategic transactions. She represents clients in a wide range of industries, including technology and media, energy and biotech.

In Chicago:

Wasim Bleibel counsels pharmaceutical, biotechnology, beverage, and digital and media technology clients on intellectual property litigation, portfolio strategy, brand enforcement and regulatory compliance.

In Dallas:

Brandan Montminy provides counsel to clients in a wide array of litigation matters as well as in privacy, data protection, cybersecurity compliance, and incident preparedness and response. He represents clients across multiple industries, including banking and finance, commercial, construction, health care, insurance, professional services, real estate and technology.

In Houston:

Rachel Fitzgerald practices corporate law, focusing primarily on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate restructurings, joint ventures and matters related to corporate governance and compliance. She has a particular focus in energy — including midstream, oilfield services, renewables and storage facilities — insurance and media.

Andrew Reed represents employers in litigation, including claims for breach of restrictive covenant agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets, wage and hour violations, claims of employment discrimination and retaliation. Board certified in labor and employment law, he has first-chair trial experience in federal court, state court and arbitration.

In New York:

Christopher Fontenelli is a litigator focusing on complex commercial litigation and labor and employment. He represents commercial litigation clients in class and collective actions, commercial contractual disputes, and product liability and mass tort actions. He also represents and counsels employers on a variety of labor and employment matters relating to discrimination, sexual harassment, employment agreements, wage and hour violations and more.

H. Straat Tenney counsels clients on an array of intellectual property matters, including U.S. and international trademark strategy and portfolio management, trademark enforcement and anti-counterfeiting actions. His domestic and international clients range from major manufacturing companies to startups in such industries as food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and luxury brands.

In Providence:

Michael Serra focuses in the representation of private equity funds in their investment activities, including leveraged acquisitions and sale processes, and helps navigate clients through the deal process from start to finish. His practice also includes general corporate counseling, including corporate governance, employment and incentive equity matters.

Krystle Tadesse has a broad business litigation and counseling practice and represents clients in complex disputes across a number of industries in state and federal courts throughout the Northeast as well as in matters before the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and their state equivalents.

In West Palm Beach:

Dale Evans is a commercial litigator whose practice focuses on complex and class action lawsuits in the areas of business litigation, construction, labor and employment, financial services and securities. He represents companies in numerous industries, including financial institutions, property developers, insurers, managed care organizations and beauty retailers.

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(CHICAGO) November 19, 2021 – Chicago Partners Jennifer Kenedy, Michael Renetzky and Steve Whitmer have been selected by Crain’s Chicago Business as 2021 Notable Gen X Leader in Law honorees, recognizing the most distinguished attorneys who have reshaped the legal landscape and are leading the next generation in the legal profession.

Kenedy is a Vice Chair of Locke Lord’s Executive Committee. Previously, she was the first female Managing Partner of the Firm’s Chicago office and co-founded and led the Firm’s Women’s Initiative. Kenedy serves as the Firm’s Deputy General Counsel and Chairs Locke Lord’s Business Transformation Task Force, which is working to ensure the Firm leads the industry in transforming the way it provides legal services in a post-COVID-19 world. She also Chairs the Firm’s Flexible Work Arrangement Committee. Kenedy co-founded and serves as an Advisory Board Member of The Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, a nonprofit membership association bringing together organizations dedicated to advancing women lawyers. She also co-founded Women Office Managing Partners and is an Executive Board Member of Chicago Bear Allen Robinson’s Within Reach Foundation, which provides educational opportunities and resources to underserved Chicago students. Kenedy has been active in many additional community and professional organizations, including The Fairway Network, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and The Executives’ Club of Chicago.

Kenedy has a full-time national trial practice focusing on commercial litigation, including trade secret misappropriation and other intellectual property litigation, employment and contractual disputes, construction, catastrophic product liability, transportation and real estate. She mediates, arbitrates and tries cases nationwide. Her focus is on counseling clients to avoid the courtroom but, when court cannot be avoided, she brings substantial courtroom experience to significant matters for clients in the financial services, insurance, consumer product, manufacturing, transportation, governmental, health care and food industries.

Renetzky is Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s Chicago office and Co-Leader of the Firm’s Investment Adviser and Alternative Funds Practice. He is also Chair of the Firm’s Finance Committee and a member of the Firm’s UK Executive Committee. He previously served as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. A recognized leader in the Chicago community, Renetzky is the Chairman of the Board of Lutheran Life Communities, a faith-based nonprofit system of life plan communities serving seniors and their families, having recently served as its Interim CEO for five months. He serves on the Board of Directors of Trees That Feed Foundation, a secular nonprofit dedicated to planting food-bearing trees to feed people, create jobs and benefit the environment. Renetzky also serves as President of the Board of the Chicago Bible Society and immediate past President and Chairman of the Board of Lutheran Church of the Atonement. In 2019, Renetzky was also selected as one of the inaugural Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Gen X Leaders in Law.

Renetzky focuses his practice on investment management, securities and corporate law. He has considerable experience counseling clients on governance matters, securities law compliance, debt and equity financing matters, and investment adviser, investment company and broker-dealer regulation. Additionally, he devotes a substantial portion of his time to representing buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions transactions. Renetzky frequently counsels boards of directors and assists clients with governance matters.

Whitmer serves on Locke Lord’s Executive Committee and is a former member of the Firm’s Board of Directors. He has been actively involved in the Firm’s law school hiring process, working to recruit, retain and ensure the success of diverse candidates. He is a former President of the Board of Trustees for Outreach Community Ministries, a nonprofit Christian community organization that serves the underprivileged in DuPage County, Ill., through neighborhood resource, counseling, transitional housing and an employment training center. He has also served in youth ministry positions at his church, Willow Creek Wheaton, currently serving as a small group leader for eighth-grade boys.

Whitmer’s practice is focused on complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters involving all types of commercial disputes, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, false advertising, fraud and unfair business practices. He has represented clients at all levels of federal and state courts throughout the country, arbitrations, mediations and regulatory proceedings. Whitmer regularly represents insurers, reinsurers and state insurance guaranty funds. He has been lead hearing counsel for national corporations in state insurance department approval proceedings. Whitmer has also argued insurance disputes before the Illinois Supreme Court and state and federal appellate courts throughout the country.

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D CEO has named Dallas Office Managing Partner Elizabeth Mack, Chair of the Firm-wide Environmental Section – Real Estate and Corporate, to the 2022 Dallas 500 recognizing the most influential leaders in North Texas. Award recipients were recognized at an awards dinner on Nov. 18.

The Dallas 500 list, featuring the top North Texas business leaders and executives, is the culmination of months of research, interviews and conversations with extensive, high-level contacts in the regional business communities by D CEO editors.

(BOSTON) November 8, 2021 – Boston Partner Christine McCay, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Debt Finance Practice Group, has been selected as one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s 2021 Top Women of Law, recognizing her among exceptional women lawyers who are pioneers, educators, trailblazers and role models. McCay will be honored during a reception on Nov. 17.

An active supporter of expanding opportunities for women in the legal profession, McCay was selected as a participant in the inaugural Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Leadership Program, which was founded to empower Boston’s women leaders with leadership skills and a network to facilitate career success and to create conditions for other women to thrive. In her hometown community, McCay volunteers in the Southborough Public Schools, acting as a liaison between teachers and school administrators and families to organize classroom initiatives and collaborate on school fundraising events.

At Locke Lord, McCay is a founding member of the Firm’s Wellness Committee and serves on its Finance Committee. Under her leadership, the Firm’s large and sophisticated Debt Finance Practice Group represents clients around the world in all types of debt transactions. McCay’s practice focuses on representing financial institutions, including banks, investment funds and finance companies as well as public and private operating companies. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she has helped clients navigate complex structuring and eligibility issues presented by the Main Street Lending Program. She is also a member of the American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations.

Locke Lord Boston Partners Stephanie Massey, Jennifer Capasso Mendonça, Allison O’Neil and Adrienne Walker have been honored previously as Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Top Women of Law.

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The Locke Lord London office is proud to be recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2022 as having recommended practices in the following categories:

Corporate and Commercial – Equity Capital Markets: Small-Mid Cap;
Corporate and Commercial – M&A: Smaller Deals, Up to £50M;
Dispute Resolution – Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail;
Dispute Resolution – Commercial Litigation: Mid-Market; and
Technology, Media and Telecoms – Intellectual Property: Trade Marks, Copyright and Design

In addition, six Locke Lord London lawyers were recognised for their individual achievements within their practices.

Partner Sean Page – Corporate and Commercial – Equity Capital Markets: Small-Mid Cap;
Partner Sean Page and Senior Counsel Nick Jennings – Corporate and Commercial – M&A: Smaller Deals, Up to £50M
Partner David Herbert – Dispute Resolution – Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail;
Partner David Herbert – Dispute Resolution – Commercial Litigation: Mid-Market

The Legal 500 is an independent guide, and firms and individuals are recommended purely on merit and client feedback.

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