Four corporate law firms in Texas – Akin Gump, Baker Botts, Bracewell and Latham & Watkins – have announced they are ending their operations in Russia and will not represent Kremlin-controlled businesses.
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which has co-headquarters in Dallas and Washington, D.C., issued a statement Wednesday that it is “suspending operations in Moscow pending further developments.”
On Thursday, Houston-based Baker Botts issued an announcement that it has “decided to close our Moscow office and wind down our operations there.”
Latham, a Los Angeles-founded law firm with about 110 lawyers in Houston and Austin, announced its “intention to wind down its presence in Russia.”
And officials at Houston-based Bracewell issued a statement that the firm “will not represent individuals or entities that are controlled by, or under the influence of, the Russian state and the current Russian regime.”
Several other law firms with large operations in Texas, including Norton Rose Fulbright and Sidley, made similar announcements earlier this week.
Many corporate law firms have been watching Akin Gump, which has 14 lawyers based in its Moscow office. The firm was, of course, the home of Robert Strauss, who was the last U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union and the first U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
In a statement, Akin Gump said the firm’s lawyers are “saddened and shocked by the events in Ukraine and the tragic and senseless loss of life of so many innocent Ukrainians.” The firm said its suspension of Russian operations is because of the ongoing crisis.
“We will do so in an orderly way, as the safety and well-being of our long-time colleagues and ethical obligations to clients in Moscow remain a high priority,” according to the Akin Gump statement. “We will continue our efforts to provide humanitarian aid and pro bono assistance to Ukrainian refugees and others in need.”
Baker Botts, in a statement Thursday, said the firm “will conclude any relationships with state-affiliated entities in Russia.”
“We will withdraw from such engagements in an orderly manner, taking steps to ensure an appropriate transition in accordance with our legal and professional obligations,” the firm stated.
Baker Botts officials said they recognize that the decision “will have on our valued colleagues in Russia, with whom we have been privileged to practice for many years. However, in light of the situation in Ukraine, we see no alternative to winding down our operations.”
Bracewell, which doesn’t have a Moscow office but represents a lot of international energy companies, said the firm “supports the people of Ukraine and condemns Russia’s acts of aggression.”
“We are supporting the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine through financial contributions to the International Rescue Committee and the Disasters Emergency Committee,” Bracewell said in a written statement. “We will also provide pro bono legal services to displaced Ukrainians who are relocating to the United States.
Latham, which has 10 attorneys in Moscow, said the firm “condemns the war in Ukraine.”
“The unfolding humanitarian crisis is devastating to watch and we stand with so many in the world in condemning the violence in Ukraine and the needless human suffering taking place,” Latham Chair Rich Trobman said in a written statement issued Wednesday. “The firm will immediately begin an orderly transition, consistent with our ethical duties to our clients, to wind down operations in Moscow. During this process our focus will be principally on the safety and well-being of our colleagues in Russia.”