Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Locke Lord
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Locke Lord
- Designation: Dallas
- Head Count: 516
- Gross Revenues: $428,500,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $830,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,065,000
- Year Over Year Change: no change
The October 2007 merger between Dallas–based Locke, Liddell & Sapp and Chicago’s Lord, Bissell & Brook didn’t just create a legal powerhouse with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, it also created one tongue–twister of a name. Four years later, the firm would do something about that, changing Locke, Lord, Bissell & Liddell to, simply, Locke Lord. No doubt this was a relief to the firm’s receptionists. But its name isn’t the only thing Locke Lord has tweaked.
Recent years have seen Locke Lord embrace an ambitious growth strategy. In 2010 it opened a San Francisco office and expanded its New York office, both moves designed to grow the firm’s intellectual property practice (a full–service firm, Locke Lord handles transactional, regulatory, and litigation assignments, with energy, insurance, and real estate among its core practice areas). In 2011 the firm set its sights on Asia, opening an office in Hong Kong. In early 2012 it put down stakes in London, boosted by the addition of seven partners from the European megafirm Salans. The London office is Locke Lord’s first in Europe (its 11 other offices are located within the United States).
What hasn’t gotten a boost, however, is the firm’s pro bono commitment: Locke Lord placed 141st (of 200 firms) on The American Lawyer’s 2011 Pro Bono Report, with attorneys compiling an average annual workload of just 23 hours. Nor is the firm a chart–topper in diversity: Minorities composed less than 10 percent of Locke Lord’s U.S.based attorneys, and just 6 percent of its partnership, in 2011—figures that placed it 131st of 194 firms the magazine surveyed. Junior lawyers have seen some of their perks dry up, too: To cut costs during the recession, Locke Lord stopped paying for associates’ parking.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 69 | no change | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 69 | no change | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 74 | 2 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 141 | 12 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 95 | 36 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | NR | N/A | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 71 | 3 | Summer programs |
In the News
Summer Associate Survey: 1L Pipeline Power
Jeanne Graham : Texas Lawyer : May 20, 2013
Texas' largest firms are bringing in about the same number of summer associates as they did last year, but a larger proportion of those summer associates are 1Ls.
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : May 17, 2013
Andrews Kurth heads to London; Bingham McCutchen grabs seven lawyers in Tokyo; and a Munger, Tolles & Olson partner plans a move to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
Texas' Top Deals of 2012
Brenda Sapino Jeffreys : Texas Lawyer : May 13, 2013
The top 10 deals in Texas in 2012.
Bankruptcy Booms, Energy Expands for Texas Law Firms
Brenda Sapino Jeffreys : Texas Lawyer : May 13, 2013
Big bankruptcies earned five Texas law firms a spot on Texas Lawyer affiliate The American Lawyer's "Corporate Scorecard 2013," while energy work secured a place for six other large Texas law firms on rankings of the nation's top dealmakers in 2012.
Calendar of Events
: New York Law Journal : May 10, 2013
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : May 10, 2013
Alston & Bird adds four partners to its capital markets department on the East Coast; the vice-chair of Greenberg Traurig's pharmaceutical, medical device, and health care litigation practice has left for Jones Day; and Locke Lord expands its Hong Kong office with five new attorneys. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
Am Law 100 Trio Lead on $1 Billion in Property Sales
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : May 9, 2013
Real estate firm Hines has announced the sale of Manhattan office buildings at 425 Lexington Avenue and 499 Park Avenue to JPMorgan Asset Management and American Realty Advisors, respectively, for a combined total of more than $1 billion. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's recent renewal of a lease for 595,000 square feet of space at 425 Lexington was a key factor in the sale of the office tower.
Locke Lord Adds Five More in Hong Kong
Jessica Seah : The Asian Lawyer : May 8, 2013
Locke Lord has added two new partners and three of counsel to its Hong Kong office. Adrian Taylor and Michael Fung join as partners from Squire Sanders and Loeb & Loeb, respectively. The moves come just two months after Locke Lord brought aboard five Hong Kong partners through an association with local firm Cheung & Lee.
Locke Lord Adds Five More in Hong Kong
Jessica Seah : The Asian Lawyer : May 7, 2013
The Texas firm's addition of two partners and three of counsels follows its recruitment of a five-partner group in March.
Inadmissible
: Texas Lawyer : May 6, 2013
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