Locke Lord Elects 5 New Partners From 5 Offices and Key Practice Groups

November 10, 2020 – Locke Lord has promoted five lawyers representing the Firm’s Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans and New York offices to Partnership level, effective Jan. 1, 2021. The lawyers are members of the Firm’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Insolvency, Corporate and Transactional, Intellectual Property and Litigation Practice Groups.

The new Partners are:

In Chicago:

Andrea Verney Kerstein, who was elevated while on a flexible work arrangement, has significant experience representing life and health insurers and reinsurers in litigation and arbitrations. She regularly represents health insurance companies in provider disputes arising out of alleged breach of contract, fraud and a variety of other issues and frequently represents life reinsurance companies in disputes regarding reinsurance treaty issues. She has also represented domestic and international plaintiffs and defendants in other complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters.

In New York:

Jeff Kramer maintains a commercial litigation and arbitration practice spanning anti-corruption and FCPA litigation, labor and employment class action defense, trade secrets and restrictive covenants disputes and financial services, international tort and FSIA and consumer fraud litigation. He represents international and domestic clients in federal and state court and in JAMS/AAA arbitrations. He has appeared before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the First and Second Departments of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court.

In New Orleans:

Peyton Lambert focuses his practice on property and casualty, bankruptcy, insurance coverage, commercial litigation and general civil litigation. He has particular experience in insurance defense and civil litigation, having handled large and complex legal issues at the district and appellate court levels. He has represented domestic and international plaintiffs and defendants in both federal and state court and in arbitration matters.

In Houston:

Jennie Simmons represents clients in mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, divestitures, corporate restructurings, corporate governance and general corporate matters. She has experience advising on complex financings and assisting with challenging due diligence issues. Simmons has played a vital role representing a number of notable clients in a wide range of transaction valuations, ranging from $5 million to $2 billion, with a particular focus on the energy industry.

In Atlanta:

Ziwen Zhu focuses her practice on general corporate representation, international business transactions and intellectual property. She represents U.S. and foreign companies in establishing business operations across borders, selling and acquiring business interests and protecting companies’ intellectual property rights. Zhu also advises clients on government investigations, international trademark prosecution and clearance work. She has experience across a broad range of industries, including heavy machinery equipment manufacturing, telecommunications and renewable energy.

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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.