Chicago Partner Ernesto Palomo has been named by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the 2022 Notable Executives in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, recognizing his leadership as Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and significant impact advancing diversity and inclusion in the community.

Palomo co-leads a range of activities focusing on recruitment, retention, equal advancement opportunities, education programs and initiatives supporting equal justice and civil rights organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations, including The Chicago Committee, Latino Justice PRLDEF, Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization and the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic. He also is a former Board Member of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, past Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow and an active member of the Hispanic National Bar Association, which named him Attorney of the Year in 2019. Palomo was also recognized as a Crain’s Chicago Business 2021 Notable Executive in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a 2019 Notable Minorities in Accounting, Consulting and Law honoree.

In his practice, Palomo has devoted considerable time to pro bono matters through the National Immigrant Justice Center, Center for Disability and Elder Law and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. A member of Locke Lord’s Litigation Practice Group, Palomo has extensive experience representing large multinational companies in court and commercial arbitration proceedings around the country. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s ‎COVID-19 Insurance Dispute Resolution Group.

Read the Crain’s Chicago Business profile on Palomo here (subscription may be required).

(NEW YORK) August 29, 2022 – Mark Hannemann has joined Locke Lord’s New York office as a Partner in the Firm’s IP Litigation Practice Group. His extensive first-chair experience for both plaintiffs and defendants in jury trials, bench trials, International Trade Commission hearings and Patent Office proceedings will boost the Firm’s already strong IP litigation and patent prosecution capabilities.

A former partner at Kenyon & Kenyon and Shearman & Sterling, Hannemann joins Locke Lord with more than 25 years of nationwide and international experience as a patent and trade secret litigator. He has frequently appeared in the Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, the District of Delaware and other U.S. district courts, and has a well-established ITC, appellate and PTAB practice. He has vast experience across a broad spectrum of industries, including consumer electronics, computer networking, memory systems, LEDs, software and many different automotive systems.

“Mark’s vast experience conducting and managing high-stakes and technically complex IP matters for global companies further elevates the abilities of our national practice while complementing our New York IP Litigation and Litigation Practices,” said Alan Clement, Chair of Locke Lord’s Intellectual Property Department. “His first-rate practice, particularly his work with the lighting, semiconductor and automotive industries, will align exceptionally well with our clients’ needs.”

“Mark’s addition further solidifies Locke Lord’s commitment to growth in the region, following the arrivals of Financial Services Litigation and Partner Dom Cervoni already this year,” added Lisa Ruggiero, Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s New York office. “Mark is an exceptional lawyer and leader in the IP arena, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our New York office.”

Hannemann is a member of the Federal Circuit Bar Association, of which he is a Global Fellow. He is also a frequent participant in meetings of other professional organizations, including the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Owners Association and the New York Intellectual Property Law Association. He also regularly speaks and writes on topics relating to the IP industry.

“Locke Lord has a strong national platform and a deep bench of experienced lawyers with highly technical backgrounds,” said Hannemann. “The Firm’s comprehensive understanding of the competitive IP market, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and unfair trade, gives me the ability to continue providing world-class service to my clients.”

Locke Lord’s IP litigation team serves clients in the most complex IP litigation matters. Businesses count on Locke Lord to protect, enforce, leverage and defend their intellectual property rights in litigation. The Firm advises clients in highly competitive industries to enhance their IP rights and navigate the competitive intellectual property landscape. Locke Lord’s well-respected, internationally recognized attorneys have tried some of the most complex IP litigation matters. Clients appreciate the Firm’s broad technical experience, including in the areas of mechanical and electrical engineering, chemistry and computer science.

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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.

Elizabeth Mack, Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s Dallas office, has been named a 2022 Women in Business honoree by Dallas Business Journal, recognizing the region’s most successful women business leaders. Finalists were chosen based on criteria including career achievement, contribution to company and city success, community involvement and leadership. Mack was recognized at an awards luncheon on Aug. 25, 2022.

Mack, who also serves as Chair of the Firm-wide Environmental Section – Real Estate and Corporate and as a member of Locke Lord’s Board of Directors, is a nationally known lawyer with significant experience in brownfield redevelopment, environmental ‎compliance, and environmental litigation. She has a deep understanding of the practical implications ‎associated with environmental issues, ‎combining business savvy with legal, scientific, and technical ‎knowledge. She works on diverse ‎federal issues such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA, ‎Endangered Species Act, RCRA, TSCA, ‎NEPA, Safe Drinking Water Act, and state voluntary clean-up, ‎corrective action, and enforcement ‎actions across the country.‎

Mack ‎is an active volunteer and holds a number of leadership ‎positions, having been honored on ‎many occasions for her pro bono work in the community, including being named “Outstanding Law ‎Firm Pro Bono Coordinator” by the Dallas Bar Association. As part of her pro bono efforts, she has ‎served on the Texas Supreme Court Task Force to Expand Legal Service Delivery to the Poor.‎ ‎She has also served as a Past Chair and current member of the Board of Directors of Texas Appleseed, a nonprofit promoting social, economic, and racial justice ‎for all Texans.

Additionally, Mack is a Past Chair of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas, serves on the ‎Executive Committee of the Harvard Alumni Real Estate Board and the Executive Committee of the ‎Dallas Regional Chamber, which leverages business ‎resources to enhance the quality of life for all in ‎North Texas.‎

Read Dallas Business Journal’s Q&A with Elizabeth Mack (subscription may be required).

(CINCINNATI) August 1, 2022 – Emily Huggins Jones has joined Locke Lord’s Energy & Infrastructure Practice Group and Renewable Energy Section as a Partner in the Firm’s Cincinnati office. Her significant experience in maritime counseling, litigation and environmental matters will provide additional breadth to the Firm’s renewable energy practice, particularly in the burgeoning offshore wind industry.

Prior to joining Locke Lord, Huggins Jones was a partner with Squire Patton Boggs in Cleveland, where she will continue to be based. She advises clients on the full spectrum of maritime legal issues, routinely counseling clients regarding compliance with the Jones Act and U.S. cabotage laws as well as life cycle documentation for vessels operating in U.S. waters, including shipbuilding contracts, Title XI vessel financing, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Patrol agreements and vessel chartering contracts. She also provides comprehensive maritime counsel to subsea cable vessel companies in the renewable energy and telecommunication sectors, and counsels clients on a full range of environmental and regulatory compliance matters involving the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, RCRA, TSCA, EPCRA, and Departments of Transportation, Energy and Interior regulations, as well as state and local regulatory requirements.

“Emily is a very well-respected maritime and environmental attorney whose significant experience in Jones Act matters and maritime litigation and construction will be extremely beneficial to our existing and future energy clients,” said Bill Swanstrom, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Energy and Infrastructure Practice Group.

“Emily was in demand by a number of firms for her unique combination of talent, experience and connections in the maritime and offshore arena, and we are excited she chose to join Locke Lord. Emily’s ability to advise on critical Jones Act, subsea cable and port development issues further enhances our ability to provide comprehensive representation to our rapidly growing base of offshore wind industry clients,” added Ben Cowan, Chair of Locke Lord’s Renewable Energy Section. “Her addition is indicative of our commitment to the continued growth of our nationally recognized renewable energy practice, and our offshore wind practice in particular.”

“Locke Lord has a nationally recognized energy team and an established offshore practice,” said Huggins Jones. “The Firm’s strong platform combined with its impressive roster of leading renewable energy attorneys across the country, and in all of the substantive areas relevant to my practice, offers me an unparalleled opportunity to support my clients’ full range of needs with top notch legal capabilities.”

Active in the community and the legal profession, Huggins Jones serves on the Board of The Centers for Families and Children and is a recent past President of DANCECleveland. She is the former Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. Huggins Jones is a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, American Clean Power Association and Business Network for Offshore Wind.

Locke Lord is one of the world’s preeminent energy law firms. The Firm has built one of the nation’s leading practices representing developers, investors and lenders in the development, sale, purchase, financing and operation of renewable energy projects of all types across North America. In addition, the Firm regularly represents major and independent oil and gas companies, midstream and pipeline companies, power generation companies, refineries and petrochemical operations, oil and gas service companies and other energy-related companies, both domestically and internationally.

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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’s premier, nationally recognized Public Finance Practice Group was ranked No. 1 on The Bond Buyer’s list of top bond counsel in the nation for competitive sales during the first half of 2022, with 92 issues totaling $2.75 billion, the highest number of issues of any firm in the top 10. The team also ranked fifth in the nation on the Top Special Tax Counsel list, with two issues totaling $138.7 million.

Just a few of Locke Lord’s many recent notable bond counsel matters include:

  • Representing the State of New Hampshire Turnpike System in the issue of its approximately $90 million series 2022 revenue refunding bonds
  • Representing the New Hampshire Municipal Bond Bank in its issuance of $125 million tax-exempt ‎2022 Series C municipal bonds‎
  • Representing the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the issuance of an $81 million municipal purpose loan ‎of 2022 bonds
  • Representing the City of Boston, Massachusetts, in its sale of approximately $335 million General Obligation Bonds, 2022 Series A
  • Representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in its sale of $300 million General Obligation Bonds Consolidated Loan of 2022, Series A and $350 million General Obligation Bonds Consolidated Loan of 2022, Series B


Locke Lord’s Public Finance Practice Group has one of the largest bond counsel practices in the country. For more than 130 years, the Firm has been involved in the law of public borrowing and the federal tax and securities aspects of public debt obligations. The Firm’s public finance lawyers have extensive experience nationwide serving as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters’ counsel, issuer’s counsel, borrower’s counsel, bank counsel, special tax counsel and trustee’s counsel for governmental and quasi-governmental issuers, special purpose entities, tax-exempt organizations and other entities and financial institutions.

August 18, 2022 – Locke Lord is pleased to announce 152 lawyers from 15 U.S. offices have been recognized in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, and 38 lawyers from nine offices were recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. In addition, six of the Firm’s lawyers were recognized under the special designation of Lawyer of the Year, an honor earned by just one lawyer in each practice area and metropolitan area.

Lawyer of the Year Recipients:

Lori A. Basilico (Providence) – Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Douglas G. Gray (Providence) – Corporate Law
Brad Hawley (Austin) – Real Estate Law
Brandon Lobb (Houston) – Derivatives and Futures Law
Robert T. Mowrey (Dallas) – Litigation – Banking and Finance
The full list of Locke Lord lawyers listed in the 2023 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch follows below.

Atlanta

Austin

Boston

Chicago

Cincinnati

Dallas

Houston

Los Angeles

  • Alfred M. Clark – Real Estate Law
  • Nina Huerta – Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • David S. Kupetz – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • William C. Mullen – Ones to Watch: Commercial Litigation
  • Jonevin Sabado – Ones to Watch: Labor and Employment Law – Management

New Orleans

  • Brad C. Knapp – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Omer F. “Rick” Kuebel III – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Peyton C. Lambert – Ones to Watch: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Commercial Litigation
  • Robert W. Mouton– Public Finance Law, Real Estate Law

New York

  • Rob Evans – Securities / Capital Markets Law, Securities Regulation
  • Alan J. Levin – Insurance Law, Reinsurance Law
  • Eric C. Strain – Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
  • Stephanie Wickouski – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Newark

Providence

Stamford

Washington, D.C.

West Palm Beach

  • Steven J. Brotman – Ones to Watch: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Bankruptcy
  • Thomas J. Cunningham – Commercial Litigation
  • Dale A. Evans Jr. – Ones to Watch: Litigation – Construction
  • Richard J. Miller – Public Finance Law

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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 been named a Texas Regional Powerhouse by Law360, which, according to the publication, includes firms “playing major roles in multibillion-dollar deals and scoring huge courtroom victories for clients” in the Lone Star State. The publication also highlighted the Firm’s strong women-led Texas leadership and more than 130-year impact on the Texas market.

Houston Office Managing Partner Laura Edrington noted Locke Lord’s ability to develop tools to help its leaders adapt to shifting pandemic circumstances and empower the Firm’s attorneys to meaningfully connect with their communities. “We’ve had to be willing to adapt and to adapt quickly,” she said. “When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the Firm’s managers knew that we had to be flexible, and we had to be nimble.”

The Firm was chosen for its leadership on a string of notable transactions and litigation matters, including:

  1. A Dallas team secured a jury verdict acquitting the Firm’s client, Neeraj Jindal, on the antitrust count in the DOJ’s first-ever criminal wage-fixing case.
  2. A Dallas team secured a ruling from the Eastern District of Texas in favor of Dr. Ray Ng, one of 12 people indicted in the alleged conspiracy to accept illegal remuneration. After a five-week trial in Texarkana, a federal jury returned a not guilty verdict against Dr. Ng in connection with an alleged conspiracy to commit illegal remunerations in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
  3. Houston attorneys were part of a team that secured a ruling in favor of Academy, Ltd., as the Supreme Court of Texas granted its petition to overturn lower court decisions that allowed lawsuits brought by victims and families of a 2017 mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, to proceed.
  4. A Houston-led team represented an affiliate of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. in the acquisition of Navitas Midstream Partners, LLC, from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus for $3.25 billion.

“That will be important to us going forward — maintaining that diversity, expanding on the areas where we are strong and trying to continue,” she said.

Dallas Office Managing Partner Elizabeth Mack noted the Firm owes its deep roots in Texas to team members who are energized by their commitment to their communities. She added that it’s gratifying to work for a firm that values that commitment. “It just really feels nice to not have it be all about the business, and I’m glad that I can be proud of what we do and what we do every day for the community,” she said.

Read Locke Lord’s Texas Powerhouse feature in Law360 (subscription may be required).

Locke Lord’s Henry Benton, a Partner in the Firm’s Dallas office, has been selected for the fifth Leadership Class of the Institute for Energy Law (IEL). Benton is one of only 41 accomplished professionals from across the nation with varying energy law practices chosen for this honor. The IEL, a membership organization composed of leading energy companies and lawyers and one of the divisions of The Center for American and International Law, is one of the world’s oldest continuing legal education providers.

Benton’s practice focuses on corporate law and oil, gas and energy law, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, upstream and midstream transactions and corporate governance. He has experience in representing private companies and private equity funds across several industries, including agriculture, real estate, hospitality, health care and oil and gas.

View IEL’s announcement and the full Leadership Class here.

Akilah Craig (Houston) was named Outstanding Young Lawyer by the National Bar Association (NBA) Women Lawyers Division, recognizing the achievement of young women lawyers in the legal profession exemplified by proficiency, service to the profession and dedication to the community. NBA’s Women Lawyers Division seeks to provide its members a network to advance their legal careers, share knowledge and experiences and address issues important to the profession and the greater community. Honorees were recognized on July 26 during the NBA Women Lawyers Division’s 50th Anniversary Honors and Achievement Awards Breakfast.

Craig defends employers in and before federal and state courts and administrative agencies on claims arising under various employment statutes, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act and their state law counterparts. She also counsels clients on a wide range of employment matters, including employment of minors, federal and state law wage and hour requirements, internal investigations, and discharge and discipline of employees.

Gene McDermott and Joseph Farside (both of Providence) were selected as 2022 Rhode Island Monthly Professional Excellence in Law honorees in the categories of Securities Law and Antitrust Law, respectively. Honorees are nominated and chosen by their peers, exemplifying the leading local lawyers in their areas of practice.

McDermott practices in the area of corporate and securities law, with emphasis on capital markets, corporate governance, issuer reporting requirements and mergers and acquisitions. He advises clients involved in public and private offerings of equity and debt, both in the United States and internationally.

Farside has a multi-jurisdictional litigation and counseling practice, and he routinely appears in state and federal courts throughout the Northeast in addition to proceedings involving the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Read Rhode Island Monthly’s full announcement here.