K&L Gates has opened in Houston with the hire of Fulbright & Jaworski's head of securities, Charles Strauss.

Strauss has worked for Fulbright for 30 years and served on the firm's partner committee, as well as several diversity and inclusion committees.

His exit comes ahead of Fulbright's merger with Norton Rose this June.

He focuses on corporate and securities matters in sectors including the oil and gas, aerospace, trucking and financial services industries, with clients including energy, chemical and petrochemical, transportation and IT companies.

The Houston launch for K&L marks the firm's fourth Texas offering alongside operations in Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth, and brings the firm's office count to 25 in the US and 47 internationally.

K&L Gates chairman and global managing partner Peter Kalis said in a statement: "Charles' inclusive approach to the practice of law is perfectly aligned with our integrated global platform. We look forward to working with Charles to grow a dynamic and client-focused Houston office."

News of the office expansion comes after K&L combined with Australia's Middletons late last year, which saw it take on 300 Middletons lawyers including 70 partners across four offices in Australia – Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane – with the firm operating globally as K&L Gates.

Fellow US firm Reed Smith also announced plans to launch an office in Houston last month.