Katten Muchin Rosenman will close its small offices in Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area, with the pending departure of nine environmental and workplace safety partners from four cities.

The group of nine lawyers is expected to join Baker Botts in Austin, Houston, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., according to an individual with knowledge of the move.

When asked about the pending lateral hires, a spokesman for Baker Botts provided this statement: "We are always in the market to enhance our premier environmental, health and safety crisis response capabilities. We will continue to add talent that provides the strategic and cultural fit required to sustain the exemplary level of business and legal judgment that our clients expect from us in their most high-profile and sensitive EHS matters."