Baker Botts
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Legal services |
| Founded | 1865 |
| Founder | Peter W. Gray, Walter Browne Botts |
| Headquarters | Houston , United States |
Area served | United States, international |
Key people | Danny David (managing partner, 2023) |
| Products | Legal services, litigation, corporate law, intellectual property law |
Number of employees | Approximately 725 attorneys |
| Website | www |
Baker Botts L.L.P. is a prominent American law firm with its main office located in Houston, Texas at One Shell Plaza. The firm employs around 725 attorneys and primarily caters to clients in the technology and energy industries. It holds the distinction of being the second-oldest legal practice established west of the Mississippi River.
19th century
Established in 1865 under the name Gray and Botts by Peter W. Gray and Walter Browne Botts, the firm adopted the title Gray, Botts & Baker in 1872 following the addition of James Addison Baker. After Gray’s departure in 1874, the firm was renamed Baker & Botts. Captain James A. Baker, son of Judge Baker, joined in 1877 and became a partner by 1887, prompting another name change to Baker, Botts, and Baker. By 1896, Captain Baker acted as executor for Texas magnate William Marsh Rice’s estate, illustrating the firm’s early association with influential clients.
20th century
In 1900, William Marsh Rice was fatally poisoned by his valet Charles F. Jones and attorney Albert T. Patrick. Captain Baker played a crucial role as a witness and investigator after Patrick presented a forged will in 1904 claiming a $5 million inheritance. The litigation concluded by 1910 with the estate valued at nearly $10 million, paving the way for the creation of the William Marsh Rice Institute, now known as Rice University.
Captain Baker’s son became part of the firm in 1919, with Henry Malcolm Lovett joining in 1924. Walter H. Walne held the position of managing partner from 1926 until 1933. Former White House Chief of Staff under President Ronald Reagan and United States Secretary of State, James Addison Baker, III, entered as senior partner in 1993 after his public service career, maintaining offices in Washington and connections with the Carlyle Group.
In 1997, Baker Botts expanded by acquiring Brumbaugh, Graves, Donohue & Raymond, a New York City-based firm specializing in intellectual property litigation.
Merger with Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin
Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin was a boutique law firm located in Washington, D.C., focusing on litigation and criminal defense. Founded by Herbert J. "Jack" Miller and John Cassidy—both former officials at the United States Department of Justice—Miller had headed the Criminal Division under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Their clientele included President Richard Nixon, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver, NASCAR, and ABC during its legal battle against Food Lion grocery stores. This firm merged with Baker Botts in 2001.
Renaming as Baker Botts and recent developments (2000-present)
The year 2000 saw the firm adopt the name Baker Botts. Walter J. Smith took over as managing partner in 2002, succeeded by Andrew M. Baker in 2012. In 2019, John W. Martin—a corporate transactional specialist from Palo Alto—became the first managing partner based outside Texas. Danny David followed him in this role starting in 2023. In 2024, two prominent figures from Baker Botts’ antitrust group, including Maureen Ohlhausen, left to join Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Baker Botts continues to demonstrate strong commitment to community service through extensive pro bono initiatives, notably aiding Hurricane Harvey survivors in 2017 and issuing a COVID-19 Community Resource Guide during the pandemic period.
Rosneft dispute
The Dutch publication NRC Handelsblad conducted an inquiry into Baker Botts's legal representation of the Russian energy giant Rosneft in a case before a Dutch court concerning the Russian government's acquisition of Yukos. This legal battle centered on Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the imprisoned majority shareholder of Yukos, with Rosneft taking control of Yukos' assets following its bankruptcy.
According to NRC, Baker Botts played a role in obtaining favorable rulings from Armenian courts to bolster Rosneft's position in Dutch litigation. The report detailed that Baker Botts partner Ryan Bull and associate Izabella Sarkisyan jointly prepared a judicial decision that was handed to an Armenian judge via a USB drive embossed with the Armenian national emblem. Both Rosneft and Baker Botts rejected these claims. Subsequently, Yukos reached an out-of-court settlement after Dutch courts admitted evidence connected to these matters.
Prominent partners and personnel
- Claude Allen, 1991–1995; served as advisor to President George W. Bush
- Dillon Anderson, National Security Advisor from 1955 to 1956
- Judge James A. Baker, partner and father of Captain James A. Baker
- Captain James A. Baker, began in 1881, became partner in 1887; grandfather of James Addison Baker III
- James A. Baker III, partner since 1993; held roles including White House Chief of Staff, United States Secretary of the Treasury, and United States Secretary of State
- Amy Coney Barrett, Justice on the United States Supreme Court
- George W. Bush, former mailroom employee; served as U.S. President from 2001 to 2009
- Christopher "Casey" Reid Cooper, judge for the United States district court
- Ted Cruz, employed in 1995; U.S. Senator since 2013
- Jennifer Walker Elrod, worked from 1994 to 2002; judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Peter W. Gray, founder and partner between 1840 and 1874
- Joe R. Greenhill, former employee and counsel; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas from 1972 to 1982
- James Wesley Hendrix, United States district court judge
- Rebeca Huddle, previous partner; Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas since 2020
- Robert Jordan, retired partner; served as United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2002 to 2003
- Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, United States district court judge
- Robert Keeton, former staff member; judge and academic in law
- Jerome H. Kern, former senior partner; founding member of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; ex-CEO of Linkshare among other enterprises
- Stuart A. Levey, held position as Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department
- Thomas R. Phillips, current partner; retired Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (1988–2004)
- Maureen Ohlhausen, previous partner; Federal Trade Commission Commissioner (2012–2018); joined Wilson Sonsini in 2024
- Evan Young, former partner; Associate Justice on the Texas Supreme Court since 2021
Miller Cassidy
Prominent legal professionals affiliated with Miller Cassidy before its integration with Baker Botts comprised:
- Jamie Gorelick, who served as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States from 1994 to 1997
- Ketanji Brown Jackson, currently an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States since 2022
- Seth P. Waxman, who held the position of Solicitor General of the United States between 1997 and 2001