Locke Lord Elects Longtime Partner and Highly Regarded Houston Office Leader David Taylor as Next Firm Chair

December 11, 2017 –  Locke Lord has announced that Houston Office Managing Partner David Taylor will assume the role as the Firm’s Chair, succeeding Jerry Clements as head of the Firm effective Jan. 1, 2018. Taylor was unanimously nominated by Locke Lord’s Leadership Succession Committee and then by the Firm’s Executive Committee before being ratified by the Firm’s Partners.

Clements, who announced in 2016 her intent to step down as Chair of Locke Lord and instituted a year-long leadership succession plan that included input from attorneys and staff, will become Chair Emeritus of the Firm she began her legal career with in 1981. In this role and continuing as a Partner, Clements, who has led the Firm since 2006, will help with the Chair transition and serve as an adviser to the Firm’s leadership.

Currently a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee and Chair of the Firm’s Finance Committee, Taylor has spent his entire legal career at Locke Lord, having joined the Houston office after graduating from the University of Texas School of Law in 1988. He has also served in leadership positions within the Firm in Strategic Growth, Practice Development and Recruiting areas. A member and former Co-Chair of the Firm’s Corporate and Transactional Department, Taylor is Chair of Locke Lord’s Capital Markets section. He advises public and private companies in a broad range of corporate and securities matters, with a focus on securities offerings and disclosures, mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters.

“Serving as head of this wonderful Firm has been the greatest privilege of my professional career,” said Clements. “David is a very well-respected leader and a talented lawyer who has instilled confidence from all of our lawyers and staff in his ability to lead Locke Lord into what I know will be a bright future. He is qualified and impressive, thoughtful and reasoned, mindful of the past but focused on our future.”

“I am humbled and consider it the highest privilege to have the opportunity to lead Locke Lord,” said Taylor. “Never did I envision something like this when I joined the Firm almost 30 years ago, but I am deeply committed to this great Firm, and I look forward to working with Jerry, our leadership team, and our great colleagues to build upon the brand and momentum that she has worked tirelessly to establish.”

Taylor serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Partnership, Central Houston Inc. and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Whitestone REIT. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Greater Houston Area Salvation Army and on the Board of Directors of Oldham Little Church Foundation. He is a member and Past Chair of the Board of Theatre Under The Stars. He has previously served on the boards of the Houston Chapter of the Texas General Counsel Forum and the Children’s Fund. 

During her 11-year tenure as Chair, Clements spearheaded two major mergers that significantly expanded the Firm’s footprint in key strategic U.S. and international markets, and enhanced and strengthened its capabilities across a wide array of practice areas. Under her leadership, the Firm rose in The American Lawyer rankings from No. 110 to No. 60 and its annual revenue increased from $222 million to $559 million. Clements is well-known and recognized for her 35-plus years of experience in the area of commercial litigation, and she has received numerous honors for her legal and leadership achievements. In addition, Clements is a Vice Chair of the Board of Regents at Baylor University.

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About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service, international law firm of 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.