Locke Lord Expands New York Office’s Corporate and Transactional Capabilities With Addition of Gerald Francese as Partner

(NEW YORK) January 2, 2019 – Gerald Francese has joined Locke Lord’s New York office as a Partner in the Firm’s nationally recognized Corporate Practice Group. Francese’s extensive experience in financial services, private equity, corporate finance and bank and investment adviser regulation will enhance the Firm’s corporate and transactional capabilities in New York. 

Francese, who joins Locke Lord from Troutman Sanders LLP, previously served as in-house counsel at Bank of America. In that role, he assisted with several multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions, proprietary private equity and public securities acquisitions and dispositions, proprietary portfolio regulatory compliance, investment adviser registration, regulation and spin-offs, business unit sales, joint ventures and public offerings of debt and equity securities. In addition, he served as compliance executive to the bank’s businesses that managed tens of billions of dollars in investments and portfolios and as chief compliance officer to captive registered investment advisers. 

“Jerry’s diverse and robust financial services practice, as well as his invaluable in-house experience, will be integral to expanding the Firm’s corporate and transactional capabilities, particularly in our New York office,” said Greg Casamento, Managing Partner of Locke Lord’s New York office. “He is the latest very strong addition to Locke Lord’s New York office and another indication of the Firm’s continued commitment to growing this key market organically and through strategic lateral hires.” 

Francese focuses his practice on representing financial services institutions, investment advisers and investment companies, public and private companies and investors in complex transactions and risk management. He regularly advises in fund formation, regulation and investment, investment adviser regulation, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, financing, rights and exchange offers, asset transactions, hostile takeovers and going-private transactions. 

Francese has overseen and managed teams responsible for legal and regulatory compliance of all aspects of investment management and investments domiciled in over 40 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. He advises on financial products, including investment custody, corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Francese has built, in collaboration with technology and software vendors, an automated Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act compliance solution for global financial institutions.

“Locke Lord has a well-known and well-regarded Corporate team, and the Firm’s strong platform provides my practice with the opportunity to align with, and grow alongside of, a number of strong practice areas, including tax, bank regulatory and intellectual property, among many others,” said Francese. 

An active member of the community, Francese serves on the Board of Directors for Lawyers Alliance for New York and as Vice Chair of the Barrier Free Living organization, which provides shelter to handicapped persons who are victims of domestic violence or homeless. In addition, he is a Trustee of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and pro bono counsel to several New York and international charities.

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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 around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 130 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, public finance, real estate, and technology, media and telecommunications, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, tax, regulatory and transactional teams.