O’Connor, Locke & Halls

O’Connor, Locke & Halls
Name	O’Connor, Locke & Halls
Headquarters	New York City
Founded	1892
Founder	William O’Connor; Samuel Locke; Harriet Halls
Practice areas	Corporate law; Litigation; Intellectual Property; International Arbitration; Securities
Key people	William O’Connor; Samuel Locke; Harriet Halls; Maria Chen; David Alonzo
Num offices	12
Num attorneys	420

Contents

O’Connor, Locke & Halls is a multinational law firm known for high‑profile litigation, corporate transactions, intellectual property disputes, and international arbitration. The firm has represented clients in matters touching on Securities Act of 1933, World Trade Organization, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union regulatory regimes, and multinational corporations such as ExxonMobil, Apple Inc., and Goldman Sachs. Founded in the late 19th century, the firm combines a litigation tradition associated with firms like Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom with transactional work comparable to Sullivan & Cromwell and White & Case.

History

O’Connor, Locke & Halls traces origins to 1892 when attorneys influenced by John D. Rockefeller–era corporate practice and precedents from Samuel Clemens' contemporaries established a New York partnership; early matters intersected with cases related to the Interstate Commerce Commission, Sherman Antitrust Act, and disputes involving Standard Oil. In the 1920s and 1930s the firm expanded into securities and bankruptcy work during the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the enactment of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, adopting structures similar to Baker McKenzie and Latham & Watkins. Post‑World War II growth saw engagement with international arbitration under frameworks used by International Chamber of Commerce tribunals and representation in work arising from the Marshall Plan and United Nations procurement. Late 20th‑century globalization prompted alliances and lateral hires from practices at Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Linklaters, enabling the firm to contest antitrust matters linked to European Commission enforcement and United States Department of Justice investigations.

The firm’s docket includes representation of ExxonMobil in cross‑border arbitrations invoking the New York Convention and counsel for Apple Inc. in patent litigation influenced by precedents from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and decisions referencing Samsung Electronics. In securities litigation, the firm has litigated matters involving Goldman Sachs and class actions shaped by rulings from the United States Supreme Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. It has handled insolvency and restructuring proceedings related to Lehman Brothers‑era bankruptcies and advised creditors in disputes invoking principles from Chapter 11 reorganizations and cases before the Delaware Court of Chancery. The firm has contested energy disputes tied to Chevron Corporation and represented sovereign clients in cases against states under bilateral investment treaties similar to claims heard by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. Intellectual property wins include litigation strategies paralleling cases between Microsoft and Google and complex licensing negotiations involving Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

O’Connor, Locke & Halls maintains divisions in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions handling deals comparable to transactions led by Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup; securities litigation and regulatory defense responding to inquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission; intellectual property litigation and counseling overlapping with work for Intel Corporation and Qualcomm; international arbitration and treaty claims before institutions akin to the International Chamber of Commerce and ICSID; insolvency and restructuring practice engaging with frameworks from the Bankruptcy Code and precedents from the Delaware Court of Chancery; and compliance and investigations involving standards from Financial Action Task Force and Dodd‑Frank Act regimes.

The firm operates as a limited liability partnership with a management committee modeled after governance structures at firms like DLA Piper and King & Wood Mallesons, and an executive partner responsible for global strategy and client relations drawn from alumni of Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School. Compensation and equity partner admission follow a modified lockstep and merit hybrid comparable to systems at Allen & Overy and Sidley Austin, with internal ethics oversight coordinated with protocols from the American Bar Association and cross‑border compliance teams liaising with regulators such as the Department of Justice and European Commission.

Headquartered in New York City, the firm maintains major offices in London, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Dubai, Frankfurt, São Paulo, and Johannesburg. These locations allow client work across jurisdictions governed by laws and institutions including the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), the High Court of Justice, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and arbitration venues used by the International Chamber of Commerce and LCIA.

O’Connor, Locke & Halls appears in rankings published by Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Benchmark Litigation, earning recognition for litigation, arbitration, and M&A practices; peer comparisons frequently cite competitors such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Debevoise & Plimpton, and Kirkland & Ellis. The firm’s attorneys have received honors including listings in Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, and individual partners have clerked for judges of the United States Supreme Court, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and high courts in England and Wales.

Category:Law firms