Baker Donelson has named two attorneys to leadership roles in the Firm's Financial Services Department. Kristine L. Roberts has been named chair of the Financial Services Department, and Lori H. Patterson has been named chair of the Financial Services Litigation & Compliance Group.
"Kristine and Lori have long been invaluable leaders within our Financial Services Department," said Baker Donelson Chairman and CEO Timothy M. Lupinacci. "Their insight, passion, and drive have been critical to the growth and success of our financial services practice groups. We're very fortunate to have them bring those same qualities to these leadership roles."
Ms. Roberts, a shareholder in the Memphis office, is a member of Baker Donelson's Board of Directors and previously served as chair of the Firm's Financial Services Litigation & Compliance Group. An experienced business and commercial litigator with a focus on banking and financial institutions litigation, she has defended banking and financial institutions in numerous trial and appellate cases in federal and state courts, as well as in private arbitrations.
Ms. Roberts has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2014, and since 2013 has been recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers, which has also named her among the top 50 female attorneys in the Mid-South, among the top 50 Memphis attorneys, and among the top 100 Tennessee attorneys. A Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, she co-chairs the Mentoring Committee of Baker Donelson's Women's Initiative, and has served as a president of the board of directors of Memphis Area Legal Services. Ms. Roberts is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she served as executive editor on the Harvard Law Review, and Princeton University.
Ms. Patterson, also a shareholder in the Firm's Memphis office, represents broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, financial institutions, and public companies in securities litigation and arbitration, regulatory matters, and SEC and SRO investigations and actions. She has extensive experience in handling claims and regulatory actions related to private placements, alternative investments and Immigrant Investor Program (EB-5) offerings.
Ms. Patterson has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America since 2015 and by Mid-South Super Lawyers since 2012. She is the founder of the Memphis Chapter of the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) Clinic, and has served as a member of the board of the Community Alliance for the Homeless. Ms. Patterson is a graduate of the Cumberland School of Law, where she served as articles editor of the Cumberland Law Review, and she received her undergraduate degree from the University of the South.
With more than 140 attorneys dedicated to financial services, Baker Donelson represents clients across a broad spectrum of the financial sector through a team-based approach focused on providing legal services and industry insight for regulatory, transactional and litigation matters. Clients include all sizes of national and state chartered banks providing commercial and investment services; bank holding companies and bank subsidiaries; independent and captive finance companies; financial services companies; public and private investment funds; residential and commercial mortgage servicers and special servicers; trusts; wealth management companies; insurance companies; and vendors providing goods and services to the industry.