Baker Botts L.L.P. > Dallas, United States > Firm Profile

‘The energy litigation team at BakerBotts understands the complexity and pitfalls of the energy business. They are committed to the client and the client’s needs.’

‘The team works together to pool its strengths and come up with winning and unique strategies to address our litigation issues. I can’t recommend any other firm for energy litigation.‘

‘Bill Kroger is the team leader. His personality blends well with our company and I consider him a great store of wisdom and knowledge for guiding us through the legal issues in the energy business.‘

‘Jason Newman handles our issues with great optimism and great ferocity. I appreciate Jason for all the hard work he does for our company.‘

‘Elaine Walsh – top notch legal lion and heavy hitter. She is a tireless workhorse for her clients and is extremely engaged, both on substantive matters, networking, and mutual business development opportunities. She is selfless with her time and really values getting to know her clients on a personal level. Broad-based skillset across high-value M&A, regulatory issues, bankruptcy law, and commercial transactions spanning a diverse range of energy sub-sectors (renewables, retail energy, conventional power, oil & gas, and logistics providers), as well as public and private investors, among companies both large and small, from the start-ups, to the JVs, to the big public companies.’

‘Responsive, client-focused, and cost-effective for the caliber of service they provide.’

‘A fantastic team, led by Jason Bennett. The BB team brings powerful legal analysis that is coupled with an extremely commercial approach. They have a wealth of market knowledge and deploy that in their advice. They are much more like partners than advisors. They roll up their sleeves, dig into a project and become part of the deal team.’

‘Jason Bennett – one of the best lawyers and advisors in the market. Top five lawyers I have worked with over my 20 year career. He is a counsellor and advisor. He is who you want in a crisis.’

‘Rob Butler – a fantastic partner. Technically very strong but brings the commercial awareness that is the hallmark of the Baker team.’

‘Matthew Fusina – a brilliant lawyer who becomes a core part of every internal deal team. Earns the trust of his clients faster than almost any lawyer I have ever seen.’

‘John Taladay’s team is wonderful, hard working, responsive, smart, prudent. Fantastic team.’

‘Terrific communication and follow up. Strong grasp of the law and strategy. Exceptional at budgeting and sticking to it.’

‘Erik Koons — terrific.’

‘The firm has deep experience with our company and others. It takes into account our approach to risk. Very responsive. Practical and not academic. Coordinates complex projects and ensures timely filings – both HSR and responses to requests for information.’

‘ Quick and valuable advice from all. Paul Cuomo can advise on any competition issue with a worldwide view and pull in regional or subject matter expertise as needed.’

‘Kent Mayo is calm in a crisis.’

‘The team is extremely responsive and happy to take on any challenge you can think of to throw at them. They are prompt, thorough and conduct exhaustive research informed by their deep expertise in energy issues.’

‘I have had the opportunity to work closely with  Emil Barth – an impressively deep knowledge of legal theory, especially as it relates to the energy sector.’

‘Emil Barth is fantastic to work with. Knows his stuff, articulates well in conversations with FERC staff, judges, pipeline folks.’

‘Baker Botts’ renewable energy practice is robust and is amplified by deep experience representing developers, tax equity and long term investors.’

‘The Baker Botts renewables team lawyers, and especially Peter Delvecchio, are expert in the many areas relevant to the renewables practice (regulatory, corporate, real estate, tax, etc.).’

‘Jeff Kayes and Adam Griffin are both level-headed and forward thinking advisors.’

‘Very responsive, knowledgeable and efficient. The team has been able to juggle multiple projects while providing thorough legal advice.’

‘Baker Botts has a very cohesive team that is extremely knowledgeable and professional. They are quick to respond and be available. There is rarely a need to remind or re-request services or follow-up as with some law firms that just seem too over-inundated with clients to move transactions along at a fast pace. Baker Botts does not force their services/opinions on us; rather they offer and listen to our suggestions – collaboration is fantastic and we were extremely successful last year despite the pandemic and remote work. This law firm has been my favorite to work with over at least 15 others in the past 6-7 years.’

‘I am fortunate to work with Peter del Vecchio (Of Counsel) for over 6 years and not only is he well versed in energy law, he is a professional in every sense of the word, going above and beyond for his clients. I am extremely happy to be working with Jeff Kayes again this year. He has a very strong expertise in energy finance and loan/sale matters. A take-charge partner, he succeeds in keeping multiple parties on track to move transactions quickly and smoothly.’

‘The team has worked with me on a number of complex, bespoke and oftentimes unprecedented transactions in a variety of sectors. They have innovated and provided the legal substance to protect us in potential downside scenarios as our primary goal being preservation of capital.’

‘Adam Griffin (partner) has become more of a counsel than my lawyer. I trust his opinion on both legal and commercial matters. John Papaspanos (sr associate) has become my close #2 in terms of making sure i get his opinion.’

‘The team is highly skilled and knowledgeable about environmental laws and regulations at the state and federal levels that are key in environmental claims.‘

‘Lily Chin (partner) and Martha Thomsen (associate) manage our company\’s matters with a strategic business focus and project manage the file well.‘

‘Baker Bott has an incredible range of knowledge and experience. They have a number of individuals with experience at both federal and state agencies. This practical knowledge helps them to “flip-the-map” and see issues from all aspects.’

‘Paulina William’s breadth and depth of knowledge is only eclipsed by her responsiveness and compassion. She is available at any time, day or night. I have yet to pose the environmental question or issue that she couldn’t navigate through her team.’

‘The team is unusually adept at creating business-savvy licensing frameworks & agreements. They listen, think creatively, push back appropriately, and are comfortable doing things in a new way.’

‘Margaret Sampson is an exceptional licensing attorney.’

‘Baker Botts is doing a great job. They are very familiar with the inner workings of the ITC and have kept us on top of its aggressive schedule.’

‘Lisa Kattan brings great insight to the inner workings of the ITC.’

‘Lisa Kattan is my go-to expert consultant for any issue related to the ITC. She has patiently, efficiently, clearly and quickly provided answers to every question I have ever had on any issue related to ITC actions. Her expertise and experience in this unique area of law are impressive.’

‘Baker Botts has done an excellent job of getting our IPR petitions instituted.’

‘Eliot Williams is an excellent IPR advocate. He writes great petitions and is an excellent oral advocate.’

‘The inter partes review and ex parte reexam practice has a great depth of knowledge in PTO practices and procedures. Coupled with excellent drafting skills makes them our go-to firm for these types of proceedings.’

‘We use Eliot Williams for our inter partes reviews and ex parte reexams. He is an outstanding attorney who understands the process, law and requirements inside and out. He is excellent on his feet and has great judgement.’

‘Responsive, great listeners, extremely capable and effective communicators.’

‘Personable, extremely knowledgeable, willing to take the time to explain options and consequences so that the client can have a say in the direction that will be taken. Jon Feldhammer in particular has been a pleasure to work with. His experience and demeanor instills confidence that the approach to be taken will be the most effective path forward for the client.’

‘The partner was strategic, innovative and had key relationships with external parties that led to the ultimate resolution of the matter.’

‘The associate was detail-oriented and a perfect complement to the partner.’

‘Andrew Lankler is experienced and devised and drove a strategy that led to resolution in our favor.’

‘This team is head and shoulders above any comparable firm.’

‘The knowledge bases was truly impressive.’

‘We are involved in extensive domestic and international arbitration and litigation, combined with regulatory issues. Requires a strong, cooperative multi-disciplinary team with strong leadership. This is what the International Arbitration group is providing.’

‘Excellent arbitration advocates and arbitrators.’

‘Michael Goldberg is a brilliant lawyer who takes a practical approach to problem solving. After evaluating an issue’s strictly legal implications, he has an uncanny ability to view the case from a solutions point of view, taking a business approach to cut through the complex legal issues.’

‘Vern Cassin is commercial, willing to dive into even the most tedious of tasks, provides practical advice, is always available and turns projects around on short notice. He has handled a wide variety of litigation matters, from both international arbitration matters to domestic litigation.’

‘Dustin Appel is brilliant on forensic accounting issues.’

‘Team of highly motivated and intelligent lawyers who epitomize effective advocacy.’

‘Working with Baker Botts means you get a technically up to date experience with video calls, e-signatures, digital archives, and any other technological innovation that would be helpful. Billing is seamless through check or ACH. The firm has some of the brightest folks that I’ve met in law.’

‘The team was practical in their advice and judicious with respect to their expenditure of efforts. They were very knowledgeable about the subject area and brought an excellent blend of substantive knowledge and court room savvy that was very powerful. We are in the heart of the midwest and the judges are from that area and lawyers who are persuasive but not overpowering in their presence tend to resonate best with the courts.’

‘My primary contact was Danny David. He was an excellent team leader for this effort. He related well to our management team and our board. While the team and board consist of smart people, Danny had the unique ability to communicate the issues in a practical, not overly technical legal way that assisted the team and board in grasping the issues and determining the best path forward on how to proceed.’

‘Danny David is well versed in the subject matter and as I noted above, he has an excellent presence in the court room. His ability to breakdown these concepts into understandable sound bites had to be helpful to the judge who hears a wide range of legal disputes.’

‘Jonathan Shapiro is a winner in and out. He is extremely persuasive and always looking to represent his clients in the best way possible. He is a great listener and knows how to speak to clients and regulators. It takes a very different tone and approach for the many different audiences that come up in litigation and Jonathan knows how to adjust.’

‘I feel confident when I call on Baker Botts to find the right advice for a critical legal issue for my business. They can find the right internal expert in any area, and are incredibly fast and responsive to me needs. I have been impressed with their billing practices compared to other firms – they do not overbill. Simply put, knowing I have a right legal team in place helps me sleep better at night.’

‘Jessica Pulliam and Danny David stand out as excellent partners in their areas of expertise. Their responsiveness, availability, efficiency and candor is top notch compared to other firms. They are worth their hourly rates and do not overbill.’

‘The #1 securities litigation group in Texas — outstanding team.’

‘Jessica Pulliam — she is the leading securities lawyer in the Dallas Fort Worth market.’

‘Danny David leads the team. He did an exceptional job over a seven-year period as our litigator in a case that was argued in district court, appellate court, the Texas state Supreme Court and the Delaware Supreme Court. Danny is intelligent, articulate and client centric. Danny’s attention to detail, outstanding verbal and written communication skills and mastery of the legal arguments was impressive. His dedication and unwavering focus over seven years was equally impressive.’

‘Baker Botts understands our business and the solar industry better than anybody else. Their industry expertise allows them to come up with creative legal solutions to meet complicated business goals. Baker Botts worked with us on our inaugural high-yield bond issuance, adopting our green bond framework and multiple securitisations this past year. They previously did our IPO in 2019, follow on equity offerings, multiple convertible notes offerings and multiple securitisations. They are very thoughtful and commercial, and really understood how to tailor the deal to our specific business goals as opposed to taking a cookie cutter approach. Baker Botts handles our project and project finance work. They have a soup-to-nuts renewables practice with incredible bench strength.’ 

‘Team is a good intersection of seasoned but still hungry and hustling.’

‘Josh Davidson is a very capable lawyer. Excellent reputation is well deserved. He is responsive and commercially minded. Wants to get a deal done and won’t let silly things get in the way.’

‘Seamless delivery of work product; deep experience in debt offerings; willingness to provide fee reductions based on volume of work.’

‘Justin Hoffman (in depth experience in debt offerings and covenant packages). Travis Wofford (great knowledge of our company as well as the capital markets). Garrett Hughey (main associate; hard worker).’

‘On the capital markets side, we work primarily with Travis Wofford and Natasha Khan. Travis is a big picture thinker and considers the legal issue in front of us as a whole, not just in terms of one specialty. The types of issues we face require a command of the industry, the market, and of course the legal and accounting issues. Thinking about those matters across practice areas and the various disciplines plays to his core strength. He is a high energy, insatiably curious, and thoughtful partner to us. Natasha is thoughtful, creative in her approach, and hard charging. She is both book smart and street savvy and has become a great contributor.’ 

‘Josh Davidson is a very capable lawyer. Excellent reputation is well deserved. He is responsive and commercially minded.’

‘Baker Botts understands our business better than anybody else. Their industry expertise allows them to come up with creative legal solutions to meet complicated business goals. They are very thoughtful and commercial, and really understood how to tailor the deal to our specific business goals as opposed to taking a cookie-cutter approach.’ 

‘On the capital markets side, we work primarily with Travis Wofford. Travis is a big picture thinker and considers the legal issue in front of us as a whole, not just in terms of one specialty. The types of issues we face require a command of the industry, the market, and of course the legal and accounting issues. Thinking about those matters across practice areas and the various disciplines plays to his core strength. He is a high energy, insatiably curious, and thoughtful partner to us.’

‘Practical advice; very experienced team.’

‘The Baker Botts IP Team knows our industry and our company better than any other firm. They bring the whole package: excellent technical chops; litigation savvy; first-rate work product; and excellent oral advocacy.’

‘Hopkins Guy is at the top of his game. He’s a seasoned trial lawyer and an excellent patent lawyer. He provides excellent tactical advice and is excellent in court. Eliot Williams is an excellent advocate in PTAB hearings and Federal Circuit arguments.’

‘The Baker Botts litigation team is very capable both in the various technologies and in all the legal issues. They are focused on strategy from the beginning and consistently achieve great results.’

‘Hopkins Guy is an outstanding strategist, has a deep understanding of the law and one of the best attorneys I know on his feet in depositions or court.’

‘Sarah Guske is extremely dedicated and hard-working and she’s also a pleasure to work with. She is funny, smart and thinks through even the minutiae with a strategic mindset. She is a fantastic attorney. Sarah stands out because of her responsiveness, how relationship-minded she is, and her intense strategic approach to every aspect of litigation.’

‘The team is always responsive and provides a comprehensive view of all options and associated risks while keeping budget in mind.’

‘Suzanne Hengl truly listens to the needs of the business. She functions much as in-house attorney would by partnering with the business to find solutions.’

‘Professional, well-experienced, responsiveness and offers practical and effective solutions/recommendations.’

‘I would strongly refer Suzanne Hengl of Baker Botts with whom my team and I have worked for decades. She is consistently very responsive, helpful and is so well- experienced to help handle the clients’ IP issues in a practical and cost effective way.’

‘Our company and legal team have been working exclusively with Lee Charles. His knowledge of M&A and auction related deals is superb. His background and experience gives a higher level of confidence to his clients when making tough decisions. Additionally Lee exhibits extraordinary patience and does an excellent job in breaking down complicated contractual language for the laymen so they feel comfortable in reaching a determination on how to proceed. If we are involved in a high stakes and complicated deal Lee is the attorney we would feel most comfortable representing us.’

‘The team from Baker Botts are chosen because of their experience and the quality of their work. Each lawyer brings a different set of expertise to the project, which helps the ultimate product.’

‘Creatively and efficiently levers experience to answer complex commercial appellate questions.’

‘Aaron Streett applies his expertise to provide astute advice on appellate strategy for complex commercial issues. Senior associate Elisabeth Butler’s advice on appellate strategy levers her experience and complements Aaron’s thinking to form a great team.’

‘I feel confident when I call on Baker Botts to find the right advice for a critical legal issue for my business. They can find the right internal expert in any area and are incredibly fast and responsive to my needs. I have been impressed with their billing practices compared to other firms – they do not overbill. Simply put, knowing I have the right legal team in place helps me sleep better at night.’

‘Jessica Pulliam and Danny David stand out as individual partners with whom I have enjoyed working. I would describe them as ‘hardcore’ in a good way. They each respond immediately, are efficient, and provide straightforward advice. They do not waiver. I find their direct approach refreshing.’

‘Dedicated team approach bringing in multiple disciplines and views to fully analyze and determine strategy.’

‘Danny David is an extremely effective communicator and knows how best to navigate the litigation system and read people and situations for the benefit of his client.’

‘Excellent general commercial firm.’

‘Jessica Pulliam is outstanding.’

‘Josh Davidson is a very capable lawyer. His excellent reputation is well deserved. He is responsive and commercial-minded. Wants to get a deal done and won’t let silly things get in the way.’

‘Great experience and in depth knowledge.’

‘Josh Davidson (senior partner; great securities resource). Travis Wofford (primary capital markets partner; great experience and knowledge of our business).’

‘Their team understands our business and the solar industry better than anybody else. Their industry expertise allows them to come up with creative legal solutions to meet complicated business goals. They were able to provide actionable advice on how to structure the acquisition and the strategic partnership so we were protected but could still get the deal through.’

‘Baker Botts previously did our IPO in 2019 as well as follow on equity offerings, multiple convertible notes offerings and multiple tax equity partnerships. They are very thoughtful and commercial, and really understood how to tailor the deal to our specific business goals as opposed to taking a cookie cutter approach.’

‘Baker Botts provides advisory work on SEC reporting, public disclosure and compliance, as well as corporate governance. We went through our first SEC comment letter process this year, and the Baker Botts team were true pros. They were the steady hand communicating with the SEC, and really knew their stuff in what the staff cared about and the best way to respond.’

‘On the capital markets side, we work primarily with Travis Wofford and Natasha Khan. Travis is a big picture thinker and considers the legal issue in front of us as a whole, not just in terms of one specialty. The types of issues we face require a command of the industry, the market, and of course the legal and accounting issues. Thinking about those matters across practice areas and the various disciplines plays to his core strength. He is a high energy, insatiably curious, and thoughtful partner to us. Natasha is thoughtful, creative in her approach, and hard charging. She is both book smart and street savvy and has become a great contributor. Josh Davidson has been very involved in our equity work and with our SEC communications and has brought considerable experience and a senior voice to which our CEO will respond.’

‘Jeff Kayes and his team are efficient and responsive.’

‘Jeff Kayes- Jeff is smart and practical. Excellent at identifying issues and solutions.’

‘The team has worked with me on a number of complex, bespoke and oftentimes unprecedented transactions in a variety of sectors. They have innovated and provided the legal substance to protect us in potential downside scenarios as our primary goal being preservation of capital.’

‘Adam Griffin (partner) has become more of a counsel than my lawyer. I trust his opinion on both legal and commercial matters. John Papaspanos (sr associate) has become my close #2 in terms of making sure i get his opinion.’

‘Baker Botts has an outstanding team of IP litigators and commercial litigators that combined forces when facing a tough trade secrete litigation case for us. Their ability to work together as a team with different perspectives and experiences then come to the best decisions and strategy were instrumental to us in winning the jury trial and preparing the best position for us on the appellate phase.’

‘Robin Melman is thorough and has a great understanding. She analyses an issue from all sides and gives practical advice.’

‘We worked with Robin Melman who was excellent. Knowledgeable, accessible and always looking out for the interests of the company.’

‘Flexible, creative, willing to get into the sausage making. The brand of Baker Botts in my mind means “true partner, part of the team”. An extremely hard working group of brilliant lawyers.’

‘Extremely smart. Creative. Responsive, professional. Excellent bedside manner with clients. Loyal, team-oriented. Strong ethics. Collaborative.’

‘The Baker Botts team we worked with has a strong relevant scientific background. They are able to understand the science quickly and provide a patent strategy that suits the client’s needs. The team also adapts to the client’s needs in terms of billing, e.g., offering flexible fee arrangement or reduced fee structure.’

‘Steve Lendaris is the partner we usually interact with. He is smart, posed and strategic. He not only advises us from the patent lenses, but also from the business lenses. He can always find a way to detangle complex legal issues and help us come up with a well-rounded solution.’

‘The team at Baker Botts that I’ve worked with has a fundamental understanding of the legal and business risk points of our organization. They act as an additional safeguard and protector of our firm. The team helps to seek out practical business solutions around complex risk issues.’

‘The team that I have worked with is readily available, understands our broad organizational structure, goals, and break points. I have valued their candid feedback and pragmatic approach to challenges.’

‘Baker Botts’ Real state Department is unique due to the ultra client responsiveness and pragmatic veteran real estate deal lawyers who are pragmatic and even-keeled.’

‘Jon Dunlay is the most senior lawyer in the department and a true gentlemen lawyer who prides himself on getting deals done in an efficient and reasonable manner. His responsiveness is unmatched by any other attorney I have worked with in the past. ‘

‘Connie Taylor is another fantastic attorney with deep expertise in the retail asset class as well as general real estate deal work.’