Patrick Norton Joins Steptoe's International Department

For more information, contact Susan Peters, newsPRos, 212.645.4219.

(July 25, 2007, Washington, D.C.) -  Steptoe & Johnson LLP, a leading international law firm, has added Patrick M. Norton as a partner in its International Department in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, effective immediately.

Mr. Norton has a substantial Foreign Corrupt Practices Act practice, including compliance counseling, internal investigations, and defense advice.  He has a particular expertise in assisting clients with FCPA issues in China, based on seven years practice there, and in Asia more generally.  In addition, Mr. Norton has extensive experience in international commercial arbitration, litigation, regulatory issues,  and trade disputes, including serving as lead counsel in more than 100 international matters involving Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.  He has also served as an arbitrator in international disputes under AAA, ICC, and UNCITRAL rules.

“Patrick has an exceptional range of skills derived from the public and private practice of international law, including having recently spent nearly seven years in China,” said Susan G. Esserman, chair of Steptoe’s International Department.  “His well- established expertise on anti-corruption matters, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as his substantial arbitration skills and in-depth experience in the Asia Pacific region will be tremendous assets to the firm’s clients.”

“Steptoe is a great firm that has one of the most active and highly rated international trade and regulatory practices in the country,” said Mr. Norton. “I have known and worked with many of the lawyers at the firm previously, in both private practice and the government, and greatly look forward to the opportunity to practice law with them.”

Lucinda Low, who leads the firm's FCPA compliance practice, observed, “Having Pat as a partner significantly increases our ability to offer high value services to existing and prospective FCPA clients, particularly in China and elsewhere in Asia.  These compliance issues are of increasing concern to multinational companies, and few people have the experience that Pat has in dealing with these issues.   Whether it is in M&A transactions, internal investigations, or counseling, the addition of Pat to our group will be helpful in supporting our clients’ needs.”

Mr. Norton served in the US State Department as Assistant Legal Adviser for
East Asia and later for the Near East and South Asia, representing the United States in numerous international negotiations and litigations. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush awarded Mr. Norton the highest honors available to senior US government employees for his work in on international matters.  Prior to joining Steptoe, Mr. Norton was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he served in that firm’s international practice and as the head of its Beijing office.

A 1975 graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Norton was a Rhodes Scholar, Thouron Scholar and Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Oxford University in 1972.  He earned his B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1969.

Mr. Norton is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He is a Council Member of the American Bar Association: Section of International Law and Practice and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.  He is a former member of the Board of Governors and Legal Committee of the Shanghai American Chamber of Commerce.

Listed in the 2007 edition of Who's Who Legal for Arbitration, Mr. Norton is proficient in French, German and Mandarin Chinese.  He is a frequent author and lecturer on international legal and commercial business topics for professional audiences.

About Steptoe & Johnson LLP
With more than 450 attorneys, Steptoe & Johnson LLP provides counsel and representation in a wide range of legal fields. In more than 60 years of practice, the firm has gained a national and international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has offices in Washington, New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Century City, London and Brussels.