Editing Baker Botts

{{Infobox Law Firm
| logo                      = [[Image:Baker Botts_logo.gif|200px]]
| headquarters              = Austin; TX
| num_offices               = 14
| offices                   = 
| num_attorneys             = 725
| num_employees             = 
| practice_areas            = Antitrust and Competition, Bankruptcy and Restructuring, Corporate, Environmental, Private Clients, Projects, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Tax
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| revenue                   = NA
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}}
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| year            = 2017
| salary_1st_year = 180
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}}[[File:OneShellPlaza.jpg|thumb|[[One Shell Plaza]] contains the Baker Botts headquarters]]
'''Baker Botts L.L.P.''' is a major United States-based international [[law firm]] of around 725 lawyers, with a long, prominent history and significant political connections, claiming more than half of the Fortune 100 companies among its clients.<ref>[http://www.bakerbotts.com/departments/ Baker Botts corporate website] Retrieved on August 26, 2010.</ref> Headquartered in [[One Shell Plaza]] in [[Downtown Houston|Downtown]] [[Houston, Texas]],<ref>"[http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2004/01/19/daily23.html?jst=b_ln_hl Baker Botts hires corporate partner]." ''[[Austin Business Journal]]''. Wednesday January 21, 2004. Retrieved on August 25, 2010.</ref><ref>"[http://www.bakerbotts.com/offices/office.aspx?id=61fddad6-f3c7-4a44-b4db-da516f1cb200 Houston, Texas]." Baker Botts. Retrieved on August 25, 2010. "One Shell Plaza 910 Louisiana Street | Houston | Texas..."</ref> the firm has a major list of energy related clients. It is said to be the second-oldest law firm west of the Mississippi.<ref name="Williams">Williams, Marjorie. "Jim Baker is smooth, shrewd, tough and coolly ambitious. That's why Washington loves him", ''The Washington Post'', January 29, 1989.</ref>

==History==
The firm traces its history to 1840 in the [[Republic of Texas]], with the beginning of legal practice by founding partner [http://www.bakerbotts.com/aboutus/history/175th-anniversary#Moskowitz Peter W. Gray.] Gray represented the Allen Brothers, founders of the city of Houston. Confederate Colonel Walter Browne Botts (from [[Fredericksburg, Virginia]]) joined the firm in 1865, and it became '''Gray and Botts'''. In 1872, [[James Addison Baker the elder|James Addison Baker]] (a.k.a. Judge Baker; 1821–1897; from [[Huntsville, Texas]]) joined the firm and the name was changed to '''Gray, Botts & Baker'''. Gray left the partnership in 1874, to join the [[Supreme Court of Texas]], and the two remaining partners, Walter Browne Botts and James A. Baker, renamed the firm '''Baker & Botts'''. Peter Gray also died in 1874. Judge Baker's son, also [http://www.bakerbotts.com/aboutus/history/175th-anniversary#Virtual James Addison Baker] (a.k.a. Captain Baker and James A. Baker, Sr.; 1857–1941) joined the firm as a clerk in 1877, a lawyer in 1881, and became partner in 1887, at which time the name became '''Baker, Botts and Baker'''.

In 1896, Captain Baker, personal attorney for Texas millionaire [[William Marsh Rice]] (Rice had become a client of Peter Gray in the 1850s), drew up a new will for Rice and was the will's executor. In 1900, Rice was poisoned in his bed by his valet, Charles F. Jones, and his New York City lawyer, Albert T. Patrick—a sensational crime that made national headlines. Captain Baker was a key witness and helped investigate the murder after Patrick produced a will that gave him control of five million dollars in 1904. Baker got the will he drew up entered as evidence in the case, and it was subsequently proved that Patrick had forged Rice's signature on the will he submitted. The case was not settled until 1910, and by that time the estate had grown to almost 10 million dollars. When the intent of Rice's will was finally executed, it led to the establishment of the William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Art, and Science, which is now called [[Rice University]].<ref>[http://www.rice.edu/fondren/woodson/founder.html ''The Life of William Marsh Rice'']</ref>  Captain Baker was the first chairman of the Rice Board of Trustees.  Rice University has maintained ties to Baker Botts since that time.

Jules Henri Tallichet joined the firm in 1909, bringing with him [[Southern Pacific Railroad]], his major client at Sam R. Fisher in [[Austin, Texas]].

Captain Baker's son, [[James A. Baker, Jr.|James Addison Baker, Jr.]] (1892–1973), also joined the firm in 1919 and his classmate and friend Henry Malcolm Lovett (son of the first president of Rice University, [[Edgar Odell Lovett]]) joined in 1924. Walter H. Walne served as managing partner from 1926 to 1933.

[[James Baker|James Addison Baker, III]], former Chief of Staff in President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s first administration and [[United States Secretary of State]]  (a.k.a. [http://www.bakerbotts.com/people/b/baker-james-a-iii James Baker]), joined the firm as a senior partner in 1993, after leaving public service. He maintained two offices in Washington, being also affiliated as a partner at the [[Carlyle Group]] (with the title of senior counsel).<ref>Vise, David A.. "Former Secretary of State Baker Joins Carlyle Group", ''The Washington Post'', March 11, 1993.</ref>

In 2000, the firm renamed itself '''Baker Botts'''.<ref>[http://www.bakerbotts.com/about/history/ History] - Baker Botts</ref>

Dutch quality newspaper [[NRC Handelsblad|NRC]] investigated Baker Botts representation of [[Rosneft]], in a Dutch court case dealing with the Russian state's appropriation of [[Yukos]]. The two oil giants were embroiled in a bitter feud between [[Vladimir Putin|Putin]] and an opponent of his, [[Mikhail Chodorkovsky|Chodorkovsy]], the controlling shareholder of Yukos. Chodorkovsky was subsequently jailed, and Rosneft picked up the pieces of Yukos' bankruptcy. Journalist [[:nl:Joep Dohmen (journalist)|Joep Dohmen]] of NRC<ref>[http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/11/24/rosneft-manipuleerde-de-rechtsgang-in-nederland-5470557-a1533486 Rosneft manipuleerde de rechtsgang in Nederland], NRC, 24 November 2016</ref> wrote that Baker Botts helped its client Rosneft forge Armenian court rulings, to shore up Rosneft's claims in Dutch courts. Nrc, that is in possession of the actual court papers, found that Baker Botts partner Ryan Bull, and his Moscow associate Izabella Sarkisyan were co-authors of the verdict in Case 1494, which they handed to Armenian judge Dremeyan on a USB-stick. The text included the Armenian coat of arms. The NRC article has been translated into English.<ref>http://g8fip1kplyr33r3krz5b97d1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/161124-NRC-Online-EN2.pdf.</ref> The article also stated that Yukos settled, out of court, after the Dutch court admitted the proofs of these actions.

==Notable partners and employees==
<!--alphabetical order, please, if they're not notable enough to have their own Wikipedia article they shouldn't be in the list -->
* [[Claude Allen]], associate employee 1991-1995<ref>[https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050105-6.html White House press release]</ref>
* [[James A. Baker, Sr.]], joined 1881, partner 1887, grandfather of James Addison Baker, III
* [[James Baker]], senior partner, as of 1993
* [[Richard C. Breeden]], former employee, activist hedge fund manager and former [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] Chairman {{Who|date=May 2010}}
* [[George W. Bush]], former mail room employee<ref>Bryce, Robert. -  [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20041011/bryce/single "It's a Baker Botts World"]. -  ''The Nation''. - September 23, 2004.</ref>
* [[Jean Dalby Clift]], former employee, 1952-1957
* [[Wallace Clift]], former employee, 1953-1957
* [[Ted Cruz]], former employee, 1995 <ref>{{Cite web|title = Vetting Ted Cruz's Presidential Resumé|work=[[Houstonia Magazine]]|url = http://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2015/9/1/vetting-ted-cruz-presidential-resume-september-2015|access-date = 2016-02-09}}</ref>
* [[Peter W. Gray]], founder, partner, 1840–1874
* [[Joe R. Greenhill]], former employee, [[of counsel]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.statesman.com/news/local/retired-supreme-court-justice-joe-greenhill-dies-in-1248698.html|title=Retired Supreme Court Justice Joe Greenhill dies in Austin|work=Austin-American Statesman|date=February 11, 2011}}</ref> Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court 1972-1982
* [[Robert Jordan (lawyer)|Robert Jordan]], partner
* [[Robert Keeton]], former employee
* [[Thomas R. Phillips]], current partner, retired Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court 1988-2004
* [[Mike Schofield]], Republican member of the [[Texas House of Representatives]] and former policy advisor to [[governor of Texas|Governor]] [[Rick Perry]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mikeschofield.com/ |title=Mike Schofield for State Representative |publisher=mikeschofield.com |accessdate=December 10, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141210205904/http://www.mikeschofield.com/ |archivedate=December 10, 2014 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Houston|Companies|Law}}
*[http://www.bakerbotts.com/ Official Firm Website]

[[Category:Law firms established in 1840]]
[[Category:Law firms based in Houston]]
[[Category:Foreign law firms with offices in Hong Kong]]