© 2017 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(Feb. 21) – Baker Botts announced this week that nine partners from Norton Rose Fulbright have joined the firm’s Houston office. The move is a boon for Baker Botts’ corporate and M&A practices.
The departing Norton Rose Fulbright partners include several who held significant leadership positions, including the former heads of the firm’s U.S. M&A, securities and tax practice groups.
Kelly Rose, chair of Baker Botts’ corporate practice, says her new colleagues add depth to the firm’s core strengths and strengthen targeted areas.
“We are always interested in hiring quality lawyers,” said Rose. “They bolster our preexisting strengths in M&A and energy and help us build out our private equity practice.”
Ed Rhyne is one of those private equity experts. He focuses his practice on fund formation, private equity sponsored mergers and acquisitions and capital financing transactions.
“I moved to Texas in 1986 and have always viewed Baker Botts as the top firm in the state, if not the region,” said Rhyne, who has a couple of private equity formations in the works. “It was a tremendous opportunity to come over here.”
Rose noted that her firm had targeted several of the Norton Rose nine for several years now. Rhyne said conversations with his colleagues about moving started getting more serious last August.
Five of the new partners – Rhyne, David Peterman, Efren Acosta, Natasha Khan and Dan Tristan – will be in Baker Botts’ corporate group.
Peterman is the former head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s U.S. M&A and securities practices and Acosta was the leader of the Houston office’s corporate, M&A and securities practices.
Ned Crady and Daniel Mark, who focus on asset-based transactions, will be in the firm’s global projects practice. Robert Phillpott, who was the head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s U.S. tax practice, and Ron Scharnberg are in Baker Botts’ tax section.
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