Morgantown, W.Va. — The law firm Spilman Thomas & Battle announced today that Debra Lee Hovatter has rejoined the firm in its Morgantown, W.Va. office as a member and co-chair of the Consumer Finance Litigation Practice Group.

Hovatter was previously a member with Spilman from 2004 to 2008. In her more than 20 years of experience working in private practice and as in-house counsel, Hovatter has represented a wide variety of financial institutions. In-house, she managed litigation and related transactional matters for Transamerica Insurance Finance Corporation, CitiFinancial, Inc., SunTrust Mortgage, Inc., and Capital One, N.A.

Hovatter’s practice focuses on consumer and commercial litigation and bankruptcy. Her experience covers a broad range of substantive areas in consumer lending, at both the state and federal levels, and in regulatory matters. She has authored several articles and is a frequent speaker on consumer finance topics. She has also written a bankruptcy handbook, published by the American Bankruptcy Institute, for non-lawyers working in the financial services industry.

She received her law degree, summa cum laude, from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas. Hovatter is a member of the Governing Committee for the Conference on Consumer Finance Law and is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Hovatter is admitted to practice in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas.

About Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC
Spilman Thomas & Battle is a full-service law firm with more than 140 attorneys. Founded in 1864, Spilman has offices in Charleston, Morgantown and Wheeling, W.Va.; Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pa.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; and Roanoke, Va.