PROFILES IN
LEADERSHIP JOURNAL
JOYFUL
2025
Partner-in-Charge, Houston
LEADERSHIP
AWARD
Carter Dugan
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Education: JD, New York University Law School; BA, Vanderbilt University Company Name: Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP Industry: Legal Company CEO: Jeff Cody, Global Managing Partner and US Managing Partner Company Headquarters Location: New York; Houston; London Number of Employees: 7,462 Your Location: Houston, TX Words you live by: Be where your feet are Who is your personal hero? My grandfather, James Kerr, was the former head of the Houston office corporate group at Fulbright & Jaworski (the legacy firm that preceded the Norton Rose Fulbright combination). He introduced me to the firm as a child, and that introduction changed the course of my life and career. What book(s) are you reading? Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid What was your first job? I worked as a reporter for my childhood hometown’s paper, The Victoria Advocate Favorite charity: The Broach Foundation, which supports brain cancer research Interests/Hobbies: Running, reading legal thrillers, traveling with my family. Family: I have a husband John, who is a physician; three children: Helen and Jackson (13-year-old twins) and Luke (11 years); two dogs: Robbie and Dolly; and a bird: Norman.
She learned to balance work and family. Now she helps other parents do the same A defining moment that shaped my career as a leader occurred when I became a senior associate at Norton Rose Fulbright more than a decade ago. Around that time, my husband and I welcomed twins followed by a third child a year later. It was an incredibly busy time for me professionally and personally. I knew I wanted a career as a lawyer and my husband wanted a career as a physician, but it wasn’t always clear how having two busy work schedules and raising three young children would be possible. My husband and I found creative ways to balance it all: alternating schedules, downtown play dates
and choosing schools that supported two working parents. It was a dayby-day effort, and that experience taught me that leadership is about flexibility, empathy and prioritizing what truly matters. When I made partner, we celebrated as a family because all five of us contributed to that achievement. Today, as Houston Partner-inCharge, I aim to create an environment where others can succeed without sacrificing their well-being. I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to manage a busy practice and family, and I believe leaders have a responsibility to support balance and flexibility.
That is why I am deeply committed to promoting the retention and advancement of qualified women in the workplace at the highest levels within law firms, corporations and boardrooms. I continually work to develop flexible work programs within Norton Rose Fulbright and in the Houston market and to ensure that qualified women are seen and advanced. I have been the beneficiary of many of those programs and was an early adopter, so it’s easy for me to guide our people through those opportunities. Ensuring all of our employees have opportunities to excel through all stages of life is critically important to me.
PROFILES IN
56
2025 Fourth Quarter
LEADERSHIP JOURNAL Since 1999
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