Locke Lord's Chicago Managing Partner Dies of Heart Attack at Work

Earlier this week, Locke Lord’s Larry Gray — managing partner of the firm’s Chicago office, and a lawyer at the firm for more than 35 years — passed away. He suffered a heart attack on Monday at the office. The firm was informed via an email from firm-wide managing partner Jerry Clements, on Monday night:

Dear LLBL Friends:

I am terribly sorry to report that our good friend and Managing Partner of our Chicago office, Larry Gray, passed away this morning after suffering a heart attack at the office.

More information regarding arrangements will follow when we have them. Please keep Larry’s wife, Sheri, and their children in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you,
Jerry

Condolences to the Gray family and to the entire Locke Lord community. A statement from the firm about Larry Gray appears after the jump.

STATEMENT FROM LOCKE LORD BISSELL & LIDDELL REGARDING THE PASSING OF LARRY GRAY

The funeral for our friend and partner, Larry Gray, will be at noon Wednesday at Chicago’s NorthSuburban Synagogue Beth El, 1175 Sheridan Road in Highland Park, Illinois. Interment will be immediately following the funeral service at Shalom Memorial Park in Arlington Heights.

Larry was a very special person who played such a large role in this Firm and its history. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. He was a people person who worked closely with attorneys and staff, and who always welcomed anyone to stop by his office.

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And, he was loyal. After graduating from law school at Georgetown in 1974, Larry began working for our predecessor firm, Lord Bissell & Brook, which means he had practiced law here for more than 35 years. He became a Partner in 1983 and practiced real estate law, but he also devoted much of his time to building the firm and ensuring its success. He served the firm in many capacities, including as head of the Hiring Committee and the Marketing Committee, as Managing Partner of Lord Bissell, and, finally and sadly until his death Monday, as Managing Partner of the Chicago office of Locke Lord. I know Larry was a mentor to many attorneys over decades — not only because he was on the Hiring Committee but also because it was the right thing to do. He was instrumental in promoting the firm’s diversity efforts through his active membership on the Diversity Committee, and he was a leader in the push to promote women and minorities. He also was a huge supporter of our staff, and recognized that this firm would not function without all of our employees.

Larry was one of the very first people I met with when Locke Liddell began merger talks with Lord Bissell, and I always was impressed by not only his professionalism, but also his warmth and sincerity. I know you all will join me in remembering Larry as someone who treated every person with the greatest respect and kindness. We all are saddened at having lost a tremendous colleague, friend and person.

Dan Schlessinger will be providing additional information tomorrow for those who wish to honor Larry’s memory.

Sincerely,
Jerry

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