Armstrong Teasdale Appoints New General Counsel

Lori Bockman, a partner in Armstrong Teasdale’s Financial and Real Estate Services practice group, has been named general counsel of the firm effective Jan. 1, 2014. Thomas Cummings, a partner in the firm’s Litigation practice group, has become deputy general counsel. Both were appointed by the firm’s Executive Committee.

As general counsel, Bockman serves as the firm’s chief legal officer and is responsible for protecting the firm’s legal interests, maintaining its operations within the scope established by law and providing guidance on risk management and related liability issues. Bockman succeeds Jay Summerville, who retired from the firm December 31, 2013. Bockman had served as deputy general counsel under Summerville since 2008.


Bockman serves as co-chair of the firm’s Public Finance practice area, where she handles all aspects of tax-exempt bond issuances for cities, counties, school districts, hospitals, universities, nonprofits and others. Her experience extends to both public offerings and private placements, swaps and other derivative products.

Bockman received her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and B.S., with honors, from the University of Kansas. Admitted to practice in Missouri, Bockman is a member of The Missouri Bar, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the St. Louis chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women and the American Bar Association’s Center for Professional Responsibility.


Cummings represents banks and financial institutions in litigation related to lending, bank deposits and collections, and regulatory matters. He also handles class actions, complex real estate cases, significant trust and estate disputes and the representation of title companies.

Cummings received his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law and B.S.B.A from the University of Missouri. Admitted to practice in Missouri, he is a member of The Missouri Bar, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the American Bar Association’s Real Estate and Probate Litigation Committee, and the Defense Research Institute’s Commercial Litigation Section.

About Armstrong Teasdale: With more than 250 lawyers in offices across the United States and China, Armstrong Teasdale LLP has a demonstrable track record of delivering sophisticated legal advice and exceptional service to a dynamic client base. Whether an issue is local or global, practice area specific or industry related, Armstrong Teasdale provides each client with an invaluable combination of legal resources and practical advice in nearly every area of law. The firm is a member of Lex Mundi, a global association of 160 independent law firms with locations in more than 100 countries, and the United States Law Firm Group, a network of 18 law firms headquartered in major U.S. cities. Armstrong Teasdale is ranked in the 2012 lists of the nation’s largest law firms: the Am Law 200, published by The American Lawyer, and the NLJ 250, published by The National Law Journal. For more information, please visit www.armstrongteasdale.com.