Farrow-Gillespie & Heath LLP  
                                                                                      Attorneys and Counselors
Dallas, Texas
                                                                                                                  
Debra L. WitterDebra L. Witter
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Practice Areas
Copyrights and Trademarks
E-commerce
Internet law
Franchising
Advertising and Sweepstakes Law
Business transactions


Education
J.D., with high honors, The University of Texas School of Law
B.A., with highest honors, The University of Texas


Biography
Debra L. Witter is an attorney and mediator.  Ms. Witter has practiced law in Dallas for twenty-seven years, both in law firm settings (large and small) and corporations (ranging from start-ups to a Fortune 500 corporation).  Before forming The Witter Law Firm and becoming of counsel to Farrow-Gillespie & Heath, Debra was Senior Vice-President, Legal, for Blockbuster, Inc.  Prior to that position, she served as general counsel for Star Concessions, Ltd., a company operating retail and restaurant concessions at airports. Ms. Witter began her career at the law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist, and was also a partner in the law firm of Cohan, Simpson, Cowlishaw, Aranza & Wulff. 

Debra Witter's primary practice areas include copyrights, trademarks, e-commerce, Internet law, franchising, advertising law, and business transactions.  She provides small and mid-sized Texas businesses with a wide range of "general counsel" services.  Debra is also a trained mediator.  Her focus is on finding cost-effective, practical solutions to legal challenges.

Debra holds a Juris Doctor with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law, where she was a member of the Texas Law Review; Chancellors (highest academic honor); and Order of the Coif.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts with highest honors and special honors in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Ms. Witter is a member of the Texas Association of Mediators; the American Bar Association; the State Bar of Texas; and the Dallas Bar Association.  She is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation; and a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas. 

Debra is an active contributor and volunteer in the Dallas community, particularly in the Oak Cliff area where she resides with her husband, healthcare attorney Scott Chase.


 
     
  Recent Events  
  ——  
  Accepted membership in the College of the State Bar of Texas, an honorary society of lawyers who are among the best trained attorneys in Texas.    
Became a member of the Texas Association of Mediators.  
  Elected to the Board of Directors of Dallas Social Venture Partners for a three-year term beginning January 2010.   
  Named to the Stewardship Council of Dallas Trinity River Audubon Center.   
  Hosted series of events for the benefit of the Turner House in Oak Cliff.