Mr Mark Baker > Norton Rose Fulbright > Houston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Among Norton Rose Fulbright‘s key attributes, sources highlight its ‘strategic thinking‘, ‘partner-led approach‘ and ‘mastery of the international arbitration domain‘. Mainly split between Houston, Washington DC, San Francisco and New York, the group also leverages the firm’s extensive global network to routinely work hand-in-hand with its offices abroad. The team is a prominent player in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, particularly in the energy and infrastructure fields, and it acts for both claimants and respondents. Houston-based Mark Baker co-heads the global international arbitration practice and is routinely appointed to represent major corporates in complex arbitrations, with an emphasis on the energy, infrastructure, transport and financial services sectors. Matthew Kirtland, noted for his ‘excellence in advocacy‘, is a key name in Washington DC. In a highlight state-side matter, Kirtland is representing the Republic of Kazakhstan in connection with multiple enforcement proceedings arising from a $500m Energy Charter Treaty award. Houston-based Kevin O’Gorman (‘a great lawyer‘) and New York’s Mina Matin are also key figures.

Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP‘s disputes team stands out for multi-jurisdictional litigation often involving emerging markets with particular expertise in energy, financial services, life sciences and infrastructure spaces. Practice head Richard Krumholz in Dallas has a range of experience, including business, securities and energy disputes; Kevin O’Gorman and international arbitration expert Mark Baker in Houston are other names to note for the latter. In New York, Robin Adelstein and Mina Matin  are noted for antitrust and insurance disputes respectively, while Peter A Stokes  in Austin specialises in defending securities lawsuits and SEC investigations.

Norton Rose Fulbright‘s Houston office houses a large and prominent international arbitration team that has amassed considerable experience in Latin America cases. It handles an impressive mix of commercial and investor-state disputes, notably in the oil-and-gas and natural-resources sectors. Mark Baker is global co-head of international arbitration and is a prominent figure in Latin America cases; he led the team that defended Vicinay Cadenas against product liability, gross negligence and fraud claims brought by Petrobras America and a syndicate of London-based insurers in arbitration proceedings in Houston and associated litigation in Spain and the US. Kevin O’Gorman and newly elected partner Denton Nichols are also international arbitration specialists with a particular focus on Latin America.

Norton Rose Fulbright draws on resources from across its global international arbitration team – including lawyers in Sao Paulo, Brazil – to cover the entire Latin American region, providing support to clients from the onset of a dispute through to the enforcement of awards. The team is especially well-known for acting on international commercial arbitrations but also handles noteworthy investment treaty cases, with energy a particularly strong industry sector. Highly respected arbitration veteran Mark Baker co-leads the practice out of Houston alongside fellow global practice co-chair, Montreal-based Pierre Bienvenu. Other key names include Montreal-based international arbitration specialist Martin Valasek, and Matthew Kirtland, who heads the firm’s Washington DC arbitration team. In Houston, Kevin O’Gorman handles international commercial and investment treaty arbitrations and is known for his extensive energy expertise, particularly as regards Latin America. The practice strengthened its senior ranks at the start of 2022 with the promotions of Denton Nichols (in Houston) and dual-qualified (Ontario/New York) Alison FitzGerald (in Ottawa) to the partnership.