Norton Rose Fulbright strengthens healthcare practice with two partners in Houston

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright today announced that healthcare lawyers Donna Clark and Susan Feigin Harris have joined its Houston office as partners.

Clark and Harris, who were previously partners at Morgan Lewis, represent health systems, hospitals and medical providers on a range of healthcare regulatory, transactional, government investigations and litigation matters nationwide. They are widely respected practitioners and were both recognized by Chambers USA for healthcare in the Band 1 category last year.

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

“Donna and Susan have tremendous experience assisting clients and providing creative solutions for highly complex healthcare issues. Their practices are strong and fit well with our healthcare group, which is a strength of the firm in the US and globally.”

Stacey Murphy, Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Head of Healthcare, said:

“The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, and clients turn to Donna and Susan for their legal insight. We look forward to collaborating with Donna and Susan, as both are widely regarded as leaders in this field.”

With more than 30 years of experience, Clark advises healthcare providers on issues concerning US federal laws governing the relationships between physicians and other healthcare providers, and the entities to which they refer patients known as the Anti-Kickback and Stark Laws. She also advises on structuring joint ventures and contractual relationships in compliance with those laws. Clark also advises on structural corporate relationships between physicians and non-physician entities to ensure compliance with corporate practice of medicine prohibitions.

Clark, who serves as an adjunct professor in healthcare fraud and abuse at the University of Houston Law Center, said:

“Norton Rose Fulbright is synonymous with the healthcare industry in Houston, starting with its involvement in creating the Texas Medical Center. This rich history, coupled with their forward-thinking strategies today, made this firm a desirable destination.”

Harris, who also has practiced for more than 30 years, concentrates on healthcare clients’ regulatory, managed care, reimbursement, governance, operations and compliance needs. She has been a strategic advisor to many hospital systems around the country, especially children’s hospitals that rely heavily on Medicaid funding. She regularly addresses federal and state health policy issues and also works with state and federal healthcare agencies involving Medicare and Medicaid licensing, certification, managed care payment and enforcement actions. Her clients include hospitals, physician groups, lab companies, post-acute providers, telehealth and healthcare innovations companies.

Harris, who has led active efforts to obtain additional legislative funding for providers under the CARES Act, said:

“This firm’s healthcare team features some of the leading provider-focused healthcare transactional and regulatory lawyers in the industry. I have known many of them since the inception of my professional career and I look forward to collaborating with these impressive colleagues as we continue advising healthcare clients together.”

Both licensed in Texas, Clark and Harris earned their law degrees from the University of Houston Law Center. Clark earned her master’s degree in maternal child health nursing from Texas Woman’s University and her bachelor’s degree with high honors from the University of Florida. Harris earned her bachelor’s degree in public policy studies and history with high honors from Duke University.