Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright today announced that corporate, M&A and securities lawyer Debra Gatison Hatter has joined its Houston office as a partner. Previously a partner with Clark Hill Strasburger, Hatter focuses on corporate securities, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, financings, corporate governance, structuring and compliance.

Hatter represents private equity funds and public and private companies across the energy, technology, retail, healthcare and industrial services industries. She also counsels clients on premerger regulatory compliance and filings under the competition laws, including the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act, for both domestic and cross-border transactions.

Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Managing Partner, said:

“First and foremost, Debra is an outstanding lawyer. She has advised clients on their most complex transactions for more than two decades. Debra is an ideal fit in our M&A group and Houston office, where we started our US practice more than a century ago. Debra is exactly the type of dynamic and accomplished lawyer clients expect from Norton Rose Fulbright.”

Scarlet McNellie, Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Head of Corporate, M&A and Securities, commented:

“We expect a continued increase in M&A activity, as investors will likely target distressed companies in this uncertain economic environment. Debra has the experience, intuition and versatility to promote and protect our clients’ interests and expansion plans.”

Hatter, who is a board member of the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Women’s Energy Network in Houston, said:

“Because of its global reach and exceptional culture, I have admired Norton Rose Fulbright for many years. As an African American woman, I appreciate and respect how the firm supports programs promoting leadership opportunities for women and diverse lawyers and supports their practices, which is increasingly important to clients.”

Hatter, a co-founder and former chair of the Houston Bar Association’s M&A section, is licensed to practice in Texas, Maryland and the District of Columbia. She earned her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her undergraduate mechanical engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania.