It was December 1989 when Locks Law Firm took a chance and hired Angela straight out of Army JAG. Angela found a mentor in Mark Weingarten, learning the ropes at a firm whose bread and butter in those days was asbestos litigation: massive volume, bulk filings, bulk settlements, and a rhythm of work built around a trio model of attorney, paralegal, and secretary.
However, most careers have detours and Angela’s pointed her next to employment law from the defense side, and then six years working for a judge. When the judge retired, Angela called Locks Law, interested in going back to the first place that took a chance on her.
On her return interview, she found herself hugging her interviewer and waiving hello to many familiar faces as a bit of homecoming to where her legal support career began. Angela was welcomed back, working for Mike Leh as her primary and later adding support for Gene Locks; she still works for both today.
Angela’s institutional insights offer a breadth of both legal workings and firm culture that make her the ultimate utility player. Her main work with Mike focuses on mass torts, like asbestos, pharmaceutical (Fosamax and Ozempic), transvaginal and hernia mesh cases, and firefighting foam cases: filing and serving complaints across jurisdictions nationwide. Angela is also the main support for human trafficking cases and is called upon to help with other miscellaneous personal injury cases. She is pulled into all kinds of administrative and procedural work: processing settlements, opening cases, checking case management orders, determining proper court processes, etc.
Asked what she loves most about Locks, and she’ll tell you: it is family-oriented. Everyone knew each other, and the culture Gene and Mike built is one where the firm shows up for employees in personal crises or endeavors, seeing them as more than just staff on a roster. Locks employed many sons and daughters of employees, including her own daughter. This commitment gave Angela the support to return to school, where she earned both a master’s and a doctorate in divinity while working full time at Locks Law. Her degrees uniquely equip her with a deep well of compassion and patience. Her theological grounding and passion for people show up as much in how she handles a frantic client’s phone call as in how she supports a coworker having a hard week, and this combination of talent and depth in a difficult, deeply personal area of law is what distinguishes Locks Law’s approach, both among colleagues and with clients.
This passion is consistent in her career path, where she has a triangulated vision: spending time on the plaintiff side, then doing a stint on the defendant side, and finally working with a judge. Her compassion for people led her back to the plaintiff side, where she notes, “I like working for the little guy — helping the everyday person navigate a system that isn’t always built with them in mind.”
Angela’s lifelong association with Locks Law is another powerful illustration of a broader Locks Law theme: this is a firm that makes room for people’s whole lives, varied backgrounds, and personal journeys, not just their job titles, making a stronger team for clients.
