Ernesto Palomo

Ernesto Rafael Palomo is a Partner in Locke Lord’s Business Litigation and Arbitration group. Ernesto has extensive experience representing large multinational companies in court and commercial arbitration proceedings around the country.

He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of complex business disputes, including cases involving civil RICO, antitrust, fraud, copyright infringement, interference with contractual relations, unfair competition, cases alleging theft of trade secrets and cases involving emergency equitable remedies such as temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions.

Ernesto also has substantial experience counseling clients on issues of insurance and reinsurance coverage and has represented domestic and overseas insurers and reinsurers in coverage disputes.

Ernesto serves as a key strategic advisor for insurers and their national coordinating counsel regarding personal-injury asbestos and environmental pollution litigation throughout the United States. He has handled disputes in both the life reinsurance and property and casualty reinsurance and direct insurance markets.

Some recent highlights of Ernesto’s practice include:

• Obtained a Seventh Circuit ruling affirming summary judgment opinion holding that certain claims brought by the assignee of an insolvent cedent’s reinsurance receivables was time-barred.
• Obtained an order from a federal district court judge holding that a South American reinsurer was immune from the security requirements of the Illinois Insurance Code under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
• Obtained an order from a federal district court judge holding that the purported assignee of several reinsurance contracts lacked standing to compel arbitration.
• Obtained an order from a state court judge dismissing claims against an insurance company under the Illinois Trade Secrets Act.
• Represented a life reinsurance company in an arbitration hearing regarding YRT Treaty rate increases.
• Obtained a panel order granting reformation of a life reinsurance treaty and damages for breach of contract.

Ernesto devotes considerable time to pro bono matters through the National Immigrant Justice Center, the Center for Disability and Elder Law, and the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Ernesto also is a co-chair for the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Professional Affiliations :

• Board of Directors, The Chicago Committee
• Board of Directors, Just the Beginning—A Pipeline Organization
• Member, Chicago Bar Association
• Member, Hispanic National Bar Association
• Member, Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois

Education :

• J.D., University of Illinois College of Law, 2002
• B.A., Criminal Justice, with high distinction, University of Illinois, 1999

Admissions :

• Illinois, 2002
• U.S. Supreme Court

Admitted To Practice :

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2002
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit