In the past two months, Baker Botts has added five partners in Northern California, where the Texas-based firm has offices in San Francisco and Palo Alto.

The latest is Michael Torosian, a former corporate partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, who joined the firm Monday. His arrival was preceded by litigators Cheryl Cauley and Jonathan Patchen, who joined from Taylor & Patchen, a litigation firm Patchen founded. Lily Chinn, managing partner of Katten Muchin Rosenman's San Francisco office, also joined Baker Botts along with her colleague Matt Baker. The two partners are both experienced in handling environmental litigation and investigations.

"We are targeting and are being successful in talking to potential lateral partners about the platform that we offer out here," said Patricia Stanton, managing partner of Baker Botts' San Francisco office, where four of the five latest partners are based. (Cauley is based in Palo Alto, while Torosian splits his time between the two offices.)