Locke Lord Names Office Managing Partners in Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and West Palm Beach/ Miami; Three of Four Are Female

June 1, 2016 – Locke Lord announced today four new leaders of its offices – three of whom are female. Effective immediately, Vicky Gunning becomes Managing Partner in the Firm’s Dallas office; Nina Huerta as Office Managing Partner in Los Angeles; Regina McClendon as Office Managing Partner in San Francisco; and Thomas Cunningham as Managing Partner of its West Palm Beach and Miami offices.

“Vicky, Nina, Regina and Tom are proven leaders and outstanding attorneys, and they will do an excellent job managing these offices,” said Firm Chair Jerry Clements. “They have the vision and the skills to further Locke Lord’s commitment to the communities in which we are a part, to work closely with attorneys and staff in the offices, and to be true partners with our clients in these cities.”

These changes reflect Locke Lord’s ongoing commitment to diversity with six offices across the Firm now run by women: Chicago, Dallas, Istanbul, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC. Firm Chair Jerry Clements is one of only a handful of women leading AmLaw 100 Firms, and Locke Lord has three women on its Firm-wide Executive Committee.

Gunning serves as Chair of the Firm's Real Estate & Real Estate Finance Practice, where she counsels owners and developers in negotiating financing and the acquisition, development, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate. She has been an active leader in the Dallas community, serving in various civic leadership roles including as past president of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women); a member of the Board of Trustees and past president of the Dallas Winds; a past member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Dallas Women’s Foundation Economic Security Grant Committee for Young Women 12-17; and a member of the Board of Directors and past president of Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).

Huerta's practice focuses on business and employment litigation. She has represented companies in cases involving claims of employment discrimination and harassment, employment misclassification, breach of contract and wage and hour violations. Huerta has assisted clients with defending class actions, including wage and hour class actions brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act and California Labor Code. Her community outreach includes serving as Board Member of the Mexican American Bar Foundation.

McClendon, an experienced litigator who focuses on financial institution litigation, and business and commercial litigation, has defended numerous consumer class action lawsuits in state and federal courts across the country. She has represented a variety of financial institutions and companies in disputes and litigation on a range of issues, including alleged violations of the Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. An advocate for workplace opportunity for women, McClendon, throughout her career, has been vocal in encouraging women to take on leadership roles in the legal profession.

Cunningham serves as Co-Chair of the Firm's Litigation Department and is the leader of the Firm's Class Actions Practice Group. He also leads the Firm's Food & Beverage Industry Group and is a former member of the Firm's Executive Committee. His experience and focus on the representation of clients in consumer-related class action litigation in both state and federal courts will be instrumental in helping better serve the increasingly broad range of business interests of Locke Lord clients in West Palm Beach and Miami, and throughout the state of Florida.

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About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service, international law firm of more than 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 125 years and is a worldwide leader in the middle market sector. Locke Lord advises clients across a broad spectrum of industries including energy, financial services, fund formation, health care, insurance and reinsurance, private equity and venture capital, real estate, and technology, media and telecommunications, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, regulatory and transactional teams.