Locke Lord has been ranked among top law firms in the U.K. in the 2023 edition of the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000. Additionally, Sean Fifield, Glenn Pudelka and Straat Tenney have been recognized among the world’s leading trademark practitioners.

WTR notes that “with specialised and well-integrated teams in the United States and Europe, Locke Lord provides sophisticated global trademark services to leaders in technology – including AI and payment processing – and life sciences.”

The WTR 1000 further highlights Farnsworth as “an extremely logical lawyer who is never stumped,” Smith as “efficient, responsive and highly talented” and Hughes-Jones as a “calm, commercial lawyer with a superb eye for detail.”

Now in its 13th year, the WTR 1000 shines a spotlight on the firms and individuals who are deemed outstanding in trademark law.

9 lawyers from Locke Lord’s Chicago office were named to the Super Lawyers® 2023 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:

Tom Bohac
Sky Emison
Alyssa Gregory
Michael Kind
Mark Silverman

Locke Lord’s nationally recognized Public Finance Practice Group has again ranked among the leading public finance practices in the nation, ranking No. 2 on The Bond Buyer’s list of Top Bond Counsel for Competitive Sales, with 146 issues totaling more than $3.6 billion — the most issues of any firm in the Top 10. The team also ranked No. 8 on the Top Underwriters’ Counsel list, with 60 issues totaling $7.3 billion and No. 10 for Top Special Tax Counsel. The Firm also secured some impressive regional top bond counsel rankings in The Bond Buyer’s Northeast Yearend Review, including: No. 2 in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, No. 3 in Maine and Rhode Island, No. 7 in the Northeast, and ranked No. 4 in Texas for Top Underwriters’ Counsel.‎

Just a few of Locke Lord’s recent notable public finance matters include:

  • Served as underwriters’ counsel to the syndicate of underwriters in the largest ESG bond pricing to date for the August 2022 issuance by ‎The Commonwealth of Massachusetts of its $2.7 billion Special Obligation Revenue Bonds 2022, ‎Series A and 2022 Series B social bonds. This matter secured the Commonwealth’s win as the ESG Deal of the Year by the Bond Buyer and Smith’s Research 2022 All-Star Deal of the Year Buyer
  • Represented the North Texas Tollway Authority in its issuance of first and second tier System Revenue Refunding Bonds totaling $689 million
  • Served as underwriters’ counsel on $325 million Dallas College General Obligation Bonds‎
  • Served as underwriters’ counsel on $208 million City of Irving Pension Obligation Bonds, General Obligation Bonds and Waterworks and Sewer System Revenue Bonds
  • Served as bond counsel to Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency in its issuance of $200 million Single Family Housing Revenue Bonds, Series 226 and $31.1 million Single Family Housing Notes, Series 2022
  • Serving as bond and borrower’s counsel to Boston Medical Center for February 2023 issuance of $232.4 million Massachusetts Development Finance Agency Revenue Bonds, Boston Medical Center Issue, Series G 2023 (Sustainability Bonds)
     

Locke Lord’s Public Finance Practice Group is a premier, nationally recognized public finance practice, with over 135 years of involvement in the law of public borrowing and the federal tax and securities aspects of public debt obligations. The team’s experience and exemplary, high-quality client service have earned Locke Lord recognition as one of the foremost public finance law firms in the country.

Boston Associate Natalie Jersak, a member of Locke Lord’s Corporate and Public Finance Practice Groups, was selected for Boston Bar Association’s (BBA) 2023 Public Interest Leadership Program (PILP), a year-long program designed to provide intensive leadership and professional development training. The program is geared toward promoting civic engagement and public service by advancing the leadership role of lawyers in service to their community, profession and the Commonwealth.

Jersak’s experience covers representation on all sides of taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances for municipal, governmental and 501(c)(3) entities as issuer’s counsel, bond counsel, borrower’s counsel, lender’s counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriter’s counsel. She is a member of the BBA, Hispanic National Bar Association and Women’s Bar Association.

View BBA’s announcement and PILP class here.

Partner Mia Lorick has been named a Rising Star honoree by the Houston Association of Women Attorneys Foundation, recognizing an individual who has been licensed for less than 10 years and is breaking new ground in the legal profession. Lorick was chosen based on her ability to demonstrate outstanding professional achievement and success in her practice area through a record of ethical advocacy on behalf of her clients, causes and organizations. She will be recognized at the 10th Annual Premier Women in Law Luncheon on April 11, 2023.

Lorick concentrates her practice on commercial litigation, real estate litigation, energy litigation and civil appeals. She handles jury trials, bench trials and arbitrations as well as appellate briefing and oral argument, and she has argued before the Texas Supreme Court.

(BOSTON) January 9, 2023 – Jose F. DeMedeiros has joined Locke Lord’s Boston office as a Partner in the Firm’s Private Equity and Venture Capital Practice Groups. DeMedeiros brings deep experience in M&A and private equity across a broad range of industries.

DeMedeiros joins Locke Lord from Ropes & Gray and focuses his practice on representing private equity firms and strategic investors in the structuring and negotiation of mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, cross-border transactions, minority investments and divestitures. He regularly advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on general corporate governance, compliance, equity and general operational matters. Previously, DeMedeiros worked in various positions throughout state and local government, including several years as an elected member of his hometown’s city council.

“Joe is an incredibly talented and personable lawyer, and his comprehensive experience structuring and negotiating complex transactions and supporting a broad range of well-known private equity clients with their intricate matters makes him a fantastic addition to our Boston office,” said Christine McCay, Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s Boston office and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Debt Finance Practice Group. “Private Equity is one of Locke Lord’s five Key Sectors, and adding a Partner of Joe’s caliber is reflective of our continued commitment to growth in this area not only in the Northeast but across the country.”

DeMedeiros serves on the Board of Directors of the University of Massachusetts Foundation, which oversees several programs and initiatives to promote the growth and well-being of the five campus University system. He is also an active member of the Boston Bar Association and the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association.

“Locke Lord has an unparalleled entrepreneurial culture along with a diverse client base, and I am excited to have the opportunity to work closely with the Firm’s talented transactional team,” said DeMedeiros. “The Firm’s platform is ideal for me to continue developing my practice while providing the highest level of client service.”

Locke Lord is a leader in middle-market private equity and growth equity deals, and the Firm’s substantial experience allows for it to provide creative and pragmatic advice regarding deal structures, market terms and industry trends. Locke Lord’s private equity team provides guidance on all aspects of buyouts, portfolio company operations, and strategic initiatives and exit transactions. Middle-market funds work with the Firm’s teams to gain critical advantages in connection with their platform and add-on transactions.

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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 135 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 once again been named the No. 1 Texas law firm lobby practice according to Capitol Inside’s biennial Texas Lobby Power Rankings, a position the Firm has held since 2004. Robert Miller, Chair of the Firm’s Texas Public Law Section and Co-Chair of its Public Law and Policy Practice Group, has been ranked the No. 2 top lobbyist in the state, and two Locke Lord Public Policy Advisors are also included in the Power Rankings.

Capitol Inside, a closely followed Texas political and governmental affairs website based in Austin, said that “Locke Lord has been a fixture under Miller’s direction for more than a decade at the top of the list of law firms with lobby practices in Texas…Robert Miller has worked his way into the rarified air where he’s been on the list for most of the past decade.”

Also cited in this year’s Texas Lobby Power Rankings are:

  • Crystal Brown is No. 67 on the Hired Guns list. Brown joined the Firm in 2016 after serving as Chief of Staff for Democratic State Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston.
  • Nef Partida is No. 70 on the Hired Guns list. Partida has served on the strategy team as a communications consultant to a number of Republican and Democratic campaigns.

Read the full list of 2023 Texas Lobby Power Rankings here.

Four Locke Lord lawyers have been selected as Thought Leaders by Lexology Index, formerly Who’s Who Legal (WWL), in the Thought Leaders: USA 2025 Report. Thought Leaders represent the top 30 percent of practitioners in their respective practice areas, according to WWL. They are:

Nick DiGiovanni, Insurance and Reinsurance
Paul Nason, Labor and Employment
Ann Ryan Robertson, Arbitration 

WWL Thought Leaders: USA gathers the most esteemed, innovative and inspiring lawyers exclusively from the United States across multiple practice areas in a single publication. These individuals obtained the highest number of nominations from peers, corporate counsel and other market sources in WWL’s most recent research cycle. In 2023, WWL joined Lexology, enhancing the global legal intelligence platform with its research on leading lawyers.

Kirk Dillard, Locke Lord Chicago Partner and former Illinois State Senator, has been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors of Intersect Illinois, a statewide economic development organization focused on bringing new businesses, jobs and investment to Illinois. As a member, Dillard will be part of a non-partisan group of academic, civic and private-sector leaders with the unique opportunity to help impact the state’s economic development trajectory.

In a statement, Intersect Illinois Chairman John Atkinson commended Dillard for being a “trailblazer” in his industry who will “add tremendous insight into our business attraction efforts.”

Dillard concentrates his practice in business and governmental relations and in the representation of manufacturers in product liability prevention and litigation. He is currently the Chairman of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) in metropolitan Chicago — the nation’s second largest mass transit system with assets of nearly $200 billion and over one million weekday riders. He also serves as the Independent Chair of the privately owned Chicago Skyway Toll Road. Dillard also continues to serve as a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission, a position he has held since 2012, to help assist and advise the Illinois Supreme Court in acquiring, collecting, preserving and cataloging documents, artifacts and information relating to the Illinois judiciary.

Dillard also served in the Illinois Senate, representing Chicagoland’s western suburbs for nearly 20 years. He held a number of key leadership positions while in the General Assembly — including Chairman of the Judiciary Committee before stepping down in 2014 to assume the RTA chairmanship. Prior to his election to the Senate, Dillard served with distinction as former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar’s Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to the late Governor James R. Thompson. He also served as a Judge on the Illinois Court of Claims. In 2023, Dillard was appointed by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to Western Illinois University’s Board of Trustees and he is currently a member of the DePaul University College of Law Dean’s Advisory Council.

Read more about Dillard’s appointment to Intersect Illinois’ Board of Directors.

November 7, 2024 – Locke Lord obtained a National Tier 1 distinction for 12 practice areas in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®. In addition, 13 of the Firm’s domestic offices earned Metropolitan Tier 1 status.

Locke Lord’s recognized practice areas include:

National Tier 1

  • Appellate Practice
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Employment Law – Management
  • Energy Law
  • Health Care Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Oil and Gas Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law

Metropolitan Tier 1

AUSTIN

  • Appellate Practice
  • 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 and Employment
  • Privacy and Data Security Law
  • Public Finance Law

CHICAGO

  • Aviation Law
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Health Care Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Product Liability Litigation – Defendants

CINCINNATI

  • Public Finance Law

DALLAS

  • Antitrust Law
  • Appellate Practice
  • Arbitration
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Bet-the-Company Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Governance Law
  • Corporate Law
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Employment Law – Management
  • Energy Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Government Relations Practice
  • Litigation – Banking and Finance
  • Litigation – Intellectual Property
  • Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law

HOUSTON

  • Appellate Practice
  • Arbitration
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Law
  • Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  • Derivatives and Futures Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Employment Law – Management
  • Energy Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Insurance Law
  • International Arbitration – Commercial
  • Litigation – Construction
  • Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Oil and Gas Law
  • Real Estate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Trusts and Estates

LOS ANGELES

  • Corporate Law
  • Real Estate Law

NEW JERSEY

  • Corporate Law

NEW ORLEANS

  • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Real Estate Law

RHODE ISLAND

  • Antitrust Law
  • Banking and Finance Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corporate Law
  • Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
  • Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • Public Finance Law
  • Tax Law

STAMFORD

  • Patent Law

WASHINGTON, D.C.

  • Energy Law
  • Energy Regulatory Law

WEST PALM BEACH

  • Corporate Law

Best Law Firms is an annual review of the country’s legal industry. The analysis 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 179 lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2025, with 45 lawyers recognized as Ones to Watch and four Lawyer of the Year recipients located in the Boston and Providence offices.

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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 135 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 and Troutman Pepper have agreed to combine effective January 1, 2025. With a deeper bench of more than 1,600 lawyers across 35 offices in the United States and Europe, the combined firm — Troutman Pepper Locke — will be better positioned to help clients solve complex legal challenges, while also broadening its reach into new industries and geographies at the frontlines of change.