Baker Botts
Encyclopedia
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of around 800 attorneys, with a long, prominent history, significant political connections, boasting more than half of the Fortune 100 companies among its clients. Headquartered in One Shell Plaza
One Shell Plaza
One Shell Plaza is a 50 floor skyscraper at 910 Louisiana Street in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. At its completion in 1971, One Shell Plaza was the tallest building in Houston, Texas, standing 715 feet tall. Including the antenna tower on its top, the height is 1,000 feet .One Shell...
in Downtown
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, the firm has a major list of energy related clients. It is said to be the second-oldest law firm west of the Mississippi, with Rose Law Firm of Little Rock, Arkansas and Lathrop & Gage LLP of Kansas City Missouri both laying claim to the title of oldest.
History
The firm traces its history to 1840 in the Republic of TexasRepublic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
, with the beginning of legal practice by founding partner Peter W. Gray
Peter W. Gray
Peter W. Gray was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator from Texas. He represented Texas in the Confederate House of Representatives....
. Gray represented the Allen Brothers, founders of the city of Houston. Confederate Colonel Walter Browne Botts (from Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
) joined the firm in 1865, and it became Gray and Botts. In 1872, James Addison Baker
James Addison Baker the elder
James Addison Baker was an American jurist and politician.He was born March 3, 1821, and became a prominent lawyer in Huntsville, Texas, as well as a Texas state legislator and judge....
(a.k.a. Judge Baker; 1821–1897; from Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
) 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 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
William Marsh Rice
William Marsh Rice was an American businessman who bequeathed his fortune to found Rice University in Houston, Texas.-Biography:...
(Rice became 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 the 5 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
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. 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
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
, his major client at Sam R. Fisher in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Captain Baker's son, James Addison Baker, Jr.
James A. Baker, Jr.
James Addison Baker, Jr. was an American attorney in the firm later renamed Baker Botts.His son James A. Baker III is the political figure especially known from the Reagan and G. H. W. Bush administrations.-References:...
(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
Edgar Odell Lovett
Edgar Odell Lovett was an American educator and education administrator.He was the first president of Rice Institute in Houston, Texas...
) joined in 1924. Walter H. Walne served as managing parter from 1926 to 1933.
After leaving public service, former Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's first administration and United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
James Addison Baker, III
James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
(a.k.a. James Baker) joined the firm as a senior partner in 1993. He maintained two offices in Washington, being also affiliated as a parter at the Carlyle Group (with the title of senior counsel). Prior to government service, Mr. Baker had worked for the rival Houston law firm Andrews & Kurth to avoid suspicions of nepotism.
In 2000, the firm renamed itself Baker Botts.
Notable partners and employees
- Claude AllenClaude AllenClaude Alexander Allen was the Assistant to the President of the United States for Domestic Policy in George W. Bush's White House and a withdrawn Bush judicial nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The African-American Republican was appointed to his White House...
, associate employee 1991-1995 - James A. Baker, Sr.James A. Baker, Sr.James Addison Baker, Sr. was an American attorney and banker in Houston, Texas.Grandfather of the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's administration, James Addison Baker III...
, joined 1881, partner 1887, grandfather of James Addison Baker, III - James BakerJames BakerJames Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
, senior partner, as of 1993 - Richard C. BreedenRichard C. BreedenRichard C. Breeden is a former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, hedge fund manager, and corporate chairman.-Early career:Breeden began his career practicing corporate and securities law in New York City...
, activist hedge fund manager and former SEC Chairman - George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, former mail room employee - Peter W. GrayPeter W. GrayPeter W. Gray was an American lawyer, judge, and legislator from Texas. He represented Texas in the Confederate House of Representatives....
, founder, partner, 1840–1874 - Joe R. GreenhillJoe R. GreenhillJoe Robert Greenhill was an American attorney. He served on the Texas Supreme Court for 25 years, 10 of those as Chief Justice.-Biography:...
, of counselOf counselOf counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept... - Robert Jordan, partner
- Robert KeetonRobert KeetonRobert Ernest Keeton was an American lawyer, jurist, and legal scholar. As a law professor at Harvard Law School and a federal judge he was known for his work on torts, insurance law, and practical courtroom tactics...
, former employee - Baine KerrBaine KerrBaine Perkins Kerr was a prominent Houston lawyer who was a partner in the law firm of Baker and Botts, where he managed the corporate law department, before he joined Pennzoil.-Career:...
, partner - Thomas R. Phillips, partner
- Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former employee
- Charles "Luckey" McDowell, partner