Baker Botts can trace its roots back to Texas in 1840. The oil boom in the 1900s resulted in Daniel Plainview-esque entrepreneurs coming to the lone star state. The dramatic economic growth meant Baker Botts benefited from companies seeking legal advice.
The firm has continued to forge a stellar reputation in oil and gas over the years, and the energy sector remains a key focus, including the broader energy transition space. The firm recently launched dedicated global Hydrogen and Carbon Capture practices, and it regularly advises clients who are at the forefront of the ongoing transformation of the energy sector.
As well as energy, Baker Botts is held in particularly high-regard for its technology expertise, acting for some of the largest media conglomerates and global telecommunications providers as well as emerging growth companies. In recent times, its technology team has advised the likes of Liberty Media Corporation in the cross-border $8 billion acquisition of Formula One, and AT&T Corp., a subsidiary of AT&T Inc., in its $1.1 billion sale of its data center colocation operations and assets to Brookfield Infrastructure.
The firm's largest offices are Houston, Washington, D.C. and Dallas. It has a significant reach worldwide with 12 offices, which includes over 700 qualified lawyers and another 100 fee-earners of paralegals, trainees etc. It extended its reach to the west of America in 2008 when it launched in Palo Alto to provide expertise for Silicon Valley clients, and it expanded further on the west coast in 2015 by opening in San Francisco. The firm kicked off its Middle East presence in 2001 with an opening in Saudi, and subsequently in Dubai in 2005. The firm’s Dubai office acts for clients with business interests in the area, building on the strength of an existing and on-going relationship with the law office of Mohanned bin Saud Al-Rasheed in Riyadh.
The firm's London office was set-up in 1998, and has grown to around 40 qualified lawyers across corporate/M&A, dispute resolution, private equity and venture capital, project development and finance, intellectual property, tax and capital markets. As with the global offering, London's main strength is in the energy sector (including oil & gas, LNG, renewables, energy transition and ESG matters), technology, media, telecoms, life sciences and financial services.
Managing Partner John Martin took the helm of the global firm in April 2019, having previously been the partner-in-charge of the firm's Palo Alto office.
NB for salary mentioned for London, Baker Botts places associates into six bands. These are indicative at PQE level, but there is some fluidity as there is potential for associates to progress at different paces.