Shearman & Sterling Targets Baker Botts Lawyers as It Prepares to Open Houston Office
The head of Baker Botts' oil and gas practice is expected to join Shearman & Sterling at its new office in Houston.
February 23, 2018 at 05:15 PM
3 minute read
Houston Skyline
Hugh Tucker, a Baker Botts partner who chairs the firm's oil and gas practice, is expected to move to Shearman & Sterling as the New York firm prepares to open an office in Houston, according to five sources familiar with Tucker's practice.
Shearman & Sterling also reportedly plans to open an office in Austin, a move that fits with the overall trend that has seen firms based outside of Texas putting down roots in the state to do energy work. Earlier this month, White & Case opened an office in Houston by hiring lawyers from more than one large Texas firm.
Hugh TuckerThe sources said Tucker, also chairman of the firm's global projects department in Houston, could not move immediately due to Baker Botts' 90-day hold policy for departing partners. Some of the sources said other oil and gas attorneys from Baker Botts are expected to join Tucker at Shearman & Sterling.
Tucker did not immediately respond to requests for comment. And Baker Botts managing partner Andrew Baker declined to discuss the move.
A spokeswoman for Shearman & Sterling also declined to respond to questions about Tucker. However, in a statement, Shearman & Sterling commented on expansion plans in general.
“We constantly assess the market for opportunities that fit with our business and offer added value to our clients,” the statement said. “Expanding our presence in the United States continues to be a strategic priority for our firm.”
According to deal coverage in Texas Lawyer, Tucker has represented Marathon Oil Corp., The Energy & Minerals Group, Occidental Petroleum Corp., and McMoRan Exploration Co.
Baker Botts initiated the 90-day leave policy after Latham & Watkins opened its Houston office in 2010 and quickly poached partners, according to a source familiar with the policy.
Six energy partners who moved from Baker Botts to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's new Houston office in 2017 also had to wait nearly 90 days to move.
Baker Botts is not the only firm with such a policy. In September 2013, Sidley Austin announced that eight partners from Weil, Gotshal & Manges would join its Dallas office. But the lawyers weren't able to transition to their new firm for nearly a month because they had to wait until Weil released them.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Seyfarth Launches Energy Transactions Practice in Houston With Polsinelli Team
3 minute read
Trending Stories
- 1Trump's SEC Likely to Halt 'Off-Channel' Texting Probe That's Led to Billions in Fines
- 2Special Section: Products Liability, Mass Torts & Class Action/Personal Injury
- 3The Elliott Management vs. Southwest Airlines Faceoff: Who Won and What Determined the Outcome?
- 4November Court of Appeals Roundup
- 5Trellis Launches Trellis AI, a New Suite of Automated Litigation Tools
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
