News Releases

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company announced today that John R. Crockett III, chairman of Frost Brown Todd, will join the utilities in early January as general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary. 

The company also announced that Dorothy O’Brien, who has been serving as interim general counsel, will stay on until the end of February to ensure a smooth transition, at which time she will retire with nearly 27 years of service. 

“We are excited to have someone with John’s expertise joining our company,” said Victor A. Staffieri, LG&E and KU Energy chairman and CEO. “As part of Frost Brown Todd, John has been an integral partner with LG&E and KU and having him as part of our senior leadership team will serve us well.”

Crockett, who will report directly to Paul W. Thompson, president and chief operating officer, will oversee legal, external affairs, federal regulation and compliance matters. 

Crockett has been chairman of Frost Brown Todd since 2009. He is responsible for driving the firm's growth and strategic planning, merger opportunities, ancillary business ventures, and new business opportunities. He also serves on the firm’s executive and compensation committees.

Crockett’s law practice has focused primarily in the areas of products liability, mass tort and commercial litigation. He is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer, and has represented LG&E and KU for a number of years in claims associated with the electric and gas operations.

He’s been honored by his peers in “The Best Lawyers in America®” for his work on commercial litigation and mass tort litigation/class actions from 2008-2018. Crockett also serves as a trustee of the Gheens Foundation, is a board member of the Leadership Louisville Center, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Kentucky Bar Foundation and Greater Louisville Inc., where he was the 2016 chairman.

Crockett earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky. 

O’Brien joined LG&E in 1991 as a corporate attorney. She was promoted to associate general counsel in 1994, assistant general counsel in 1996, deputy general counsel in 2001 and vice president and deputy general counsel over Legal and Environmental Affairs in 2007. She stepped in as interim general counsel in September to help the utilities through the transition to a new general counsel.

During her tenure with the company, O’Brien was instrumental in LG&E Energy’s merger with KU Energy, and the acquisitions by Powergen, E.ON AG and PPL Corporation. She also has successfully overseen significant legal challenges including an international arbitration against the Government of Argentina which resulted in a judgment of $57 million; a successful lawsuit against a French multinational company; and led the company through some of the most extensive environmental changes in recent times.

O’Brien is a graduate of Bellarmine University; the recipient of an English Speaking Union scholarship to the College of Exeter, Oxford University and has a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law. She has served on the board of overseers for Bellarmine University, the Louisville Bar Foundation and the Stage One board; been an active supporter of the nationally ranked Bellarmine University mock trial team; and raised funds for cystic fibrosis research as well as the Center for Women and Families. 

“Dot has been a great asset to our company and legal team, and her support through this time has been vital to maintaining continuity to ensure a smooth transition,” Staffieri said. “We appreciate her commitment to this organization and will miss her skill and tenacity.”

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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve nearly 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 324,000 natural gas and 407,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 549,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.