Locke Lord has been ranked among top law firms in the UK in the 2021 edition of the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000, and one lawyer in Locke Lord’s London office has been recognised among the world’s leading trademark practitioners in England.

WTR notes Locke Lord is “equally capable on multinational disputes, brand protection and transactions” and “has the rare distinction of housing a dedicated trademark searcher.” 

Now in its 11th year, the WTR 1000 shines a spotlight on the firms and individuals that are deemed outstanding in trademark law.

Eleven lawyers from Locke Lord’s Chicago office were named to the Super Lawyers® 2021 Illinois Rising Stars list.

The Illinois Rising Stars list recognizes the state’s top attorneys age 40 and younger, or who are in their first 10 years of practice. Illinois Rising Stars are selected through a process of nomination, independent research and peer evaluation. Only 2.5 percent of eligible lawyers in the state are selected to the list each year.

The lawyers in Locke Lord’s Chicago office recognized in this year’s list are:

Wasim Bleibel
Andrea Kerstein
Michael Kind
Timothy Peterson
Bilal Zaheer

The American Bar Association (ABA) has recognized Locke Lord as an ABA Free Legal Answers 2020 Pro Bono Leader for the Firm’s tremendous contribution to the program, which offers a free virtual legal advice clinic supported by licensed volunteer lawyers. Locke Lord’s Chicago office led the charge for the Firm, with lawyers in the office collectively answering more than 75 questions for low-income individuals on a pro bono basis during the 2020 calendar year.

(HOUSTON) January 11, 2021 – Mia Lorick has joined Locke Lord’s Houston office as a Partner in the Firm’s Litigation Department, further growing the Firm’s demonstrated dispute resolution capabilities in the region.

“Mia’s strong and varied trial and appellate experience will be an asset to Locke Lord, and we are excited to welcome her,” said David Harrell, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Litigation Department and Deputy Managing Partner of the Firm’s Houston office.

A former shareholder at Roberts Markel Weinberg Butler Hailey, Lorick is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in civil appellate law and concentrates her practice on real estate litigation, commercial litigation and professional liability defense. She practices trial and appellate law and has argued before the Texas Supreme Court as well as numerous intermediate courts of appeals. In addition to her practice, Lorick has been an advocate for a more equitable legal profession, having founded and directed her former firm’s diversity and inclusion initiative. She regularly speaks on diversity and inclusion panels, most recently for the American Bar Association.

“Mia stands out not only for the outcomes she has achieved in the courtroom but for her passion for bettering the community. We value her leadership in diversity and inclusion and look forward to leveraging her insights to build on our efforts in Houston and beyond,” said Laura Edrington, Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s Houston office.

In addition to serving as an avid mentor in her practice, Lorick is a faculty member for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s deposition skills training courses. At the University of Houston Law Center, Lorick serves as an adjunct professor and founded the Suited for Success scholarship, which awards law students the funds needed to buy a business suit for interviewing. The scholarship has since been expanded to the University of Texas School of Law.

“I am thrilled to join Locke Lord, a firm that is a well-known and widely respected Texas staple. I look forward to contributing to its litigation practice and singular culture while further building my practice via its robust national platform,” Lorick said.

Locke Lord’s dispute resolution team has the intellectual depth, creativity and tenacity necessary to prevail in the most complex and contentious disputes, with industry-leading clients including the largest global companies and entrepreneurial businesses. The Firm’s litigation lawyers have a deep skill set and breadth of experience across industries, giving them a unique ability to serve innovative clients who drive change in virtually every industry, including construction, education, e-commerce, energy, finance, health care, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, private equity, real estate and transportation.

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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.

Locke Lord has signed on to the CEO Pledge, an agreement to be a part of CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, which aims to rally the business community to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace. The CEO Pledge outlines a specific set of actions the signatory CEOs will take to cultivate a trusting environment where all ideas are welcomed, and employees feel comfortable and empowered to have discussions about diversity and inclusion.

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.

January 25, 2021 – Locke Lord’s Executive Committee has re-elected David Taylor (Houston) as Chair of the Firm and Jennifer Kenedy (Chicago), Bill Swanstrom (Houston) and Thomas Yoxall (Dallas) as Vice Chairs of its Executive Committee. In addition, Locke Lord’s Partners have elected two new members to the Firm’s Executive Committee and three new members to the Board of Directors.

The new member of the Firm’s Executive Committee is Allison O’Neil (Boston). Also remaining on Locke Lord’s Executive Committee with Taylor, Kenedy, Swanstrom and Yoxall are David Grant (London), Alan Levin (New York and Hartford), Paul Mahoney (Providence), Richard A. Manley Jr. (Boston), Paul Nason (Dallas) and Steve Whitmer (Chicago).

Locke Lord’s Board of Directors helps direct the Firm’s vision and strategy and collaborates on other Firm-wide initiatives. Co-Chaired by Nina Huerta (Los Angeles), the Board reports to Taylor and the Executive Committee. The new members are Lauren Fincher (Austin) and William D. Foley Jr. (New York). Also remaining on the Board are Al Clark (Los Angeles), Laura Edrington (Houston), Douglas Gray (Providence), Denise Hanna (Washington, D.C.), Ben Henry (London), Elizabeth Mack (Dallas), Hanna Norvell (Houston), Rusty Perdew (Chicago), Heather Stone (Boston), Benjamin Sykes (Chicago) and Scott Wofsy (Stamford).

Newly elected members of Locke Lord’s Executive Committee:

  • O’Neil, Co-Chair of the Firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group and Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Women’s Initiative, focuses her practice on white collar investigations, internal investigations, employment matters and complex business litigation. She is also a member of both the Diversity and Inclusion and Marketing/Practice Development Committees.

Newly elected members of Locke Lord’s Board of Directors:

  • Fincher, a litigator and member of Locke Lord’s Administrative and Regulatory Practice Group, has experience in government and administrative agency matters, regulatory compliance issues and commercial litigation, including inquiries and investigations by state attorneys general and federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Her practice spans across industries, including health care. She is a member of the Women’s Initiative, Attorney Development and Marketing/Practice Development Committees.
  • Foley is a member of the Firm’s Litigation and Financial Services Litigation Practice Groups. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and arbitration with a particular emphasis on the banking, financial institutions and financial technology industries. He regularly conducts comprehensive internal forensic investigations on behalf of his clients to aid in the discovery and trial phases in both state and federal courts. Foley is a member of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

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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.

Locke Lord is ranked No. 4 by deal count for M&A deals in Texas for 2020 based on Mergermarket data published by The Texas Lawbook, with 36 deals involving companies headquartered in the Lone Star State.

Just a handful of the notable deals credited to Locke Lord in the final quarter of 2020 include the Firm’s representation of Race Rock Group in its acquisition of Structural and Steel Products, Inc.; White Deer Energy in the purchase of EV Infrastructure from Renewable Energy Infrastructure Group; Oliver Equipment Company in the company’s sale to Sunbelt Supply by affiliate FloWorks International; Fengate Asset Management as local counsel on the acquisition of the Freeport Energy Center from Calpine Corporation; Stewart Information Services Corporation in its acquisition of NotaryCam; an undisclosed private buyer in an upstream asset acquisition for $50 million; Refuel Operating Company in its acquisition of the assets of Holmes Oil Company and Ebro Group, through its U.S. subsidiary Riviana Foods Inc., in the sale of the majority of Riviana’s U.S. branded pasta to TreeHouse Foods for $242.5 million.

January 28, 2021 – Locke Lord has achieved a 100 percent rating in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the fifth consecutive year. A perfect score in this annual report evaluating policies and practices related to LGBTQ employees, culture and corporate social responsibility earns the Firm the distinction of being an employer of choice for LGBTQ employees.

“With each passing year, we continue to hone our focus on the Firm’s core value of diversity and inclusion, which is integral to our business and culture and essential to our success. We are extremely proud to achieve our fifth consecutive perfect score on the CEI — the result of our unwavering dedication to creating a welcoming environment for all of our attorneys and team members,” said Locke Lord Chair David Taylor.

“We are once again honored to receive this recognition from the HRC. Our ongoing strong performance on the CEI underscores our deep commitment to LGBTQ equality at Locke Lord, in the legal profession as a whole and in the communities in which we live and work,” added Locke Lord Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Paulette Brown.

Locke Lord predecessor firm Edwards Wildman earned a 100 percent rating in the HRC Foundation’s CEI for seven consecutive years from 2009-2015. The Firm and its attorneys have a long history of supporting LGBTQ civil rights and health care organizations, including the LGBTQ Bar Associations, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Fenway Health, Human Rights Campaign, AIDS Action Committee, Imperial Court of New York, Equality Illinois and Mainers United for Marriage.

Diversity and inclusion is one of the Firm’s five core values and an integral part of Locke Lord’s 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. To read more about Locke Lord’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, click here.

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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.

Steve Bolden, Partner in Locke Lord’s Dallas office and member of the Public Finance Practice Group, has been recognized as a Diversity and Inclusion Champion by Texas Lawyer at the 2022 Texas Legal Awards, recognizing minority lawyers who overcame insurmountable odds to achieve success or had an outsized influence on inclusivity initiatives. Bolden shared insights with Texas Lawyer on how owning a minority-owned law firm helped him in his role as a lawyer and the importance of diverse leadership.

Bolden also provided advice to diverse attorneys beginning their careers: “In our quest to become better professionals, we can’t allow the feedback we receive to be taken personally, especially feedback not grounded in edification. As lawyers of color, we may encounter those who are not advocates of diversity and inclusion and may have different viewpoints. Our goal is to carry on with the work and be open to other perspectives but not take different views personally.”

Read Steve’s full profile on Texas Lawyer (subscription may be required).

Mark Silverman, Partner and CMBS Special Servicer Team Leader in Locke Lord’s Chicago office, has been honored with Connect Commercial Real Estate’s 2022 Lawyers in Real Estate Award for the second consecutive year. One of just 10 in Chicago and 110 in the country to be selected, Silverman was selected for excelling in his creditors’ rights, loan enforcement and CMBS special servicer practice as well as his contributions to mentorship throughout the legal community.