Eight-partner team moves from Norton Rose Fulbright to Baker Botts

Baker Botts has sealed the hire of a 14-lawyer team from Norton Rose Fulbright in the Middle East, including eight Legacy Fulbright & Jaworski partners. The team, which made up the bulk of legacy Fulbright’s operation in Dubai includes corporate partner JOHN LONSBERG, who helped to establish Fulbright’s presence in the Middle East when he joined the firm in 2005. 

Lonsberg is joining Baker Botts alongside fellow Dubai partners MARK BISCH (finance), JONATHAN SUTCLIFFE (disputes), JOSEPH COLAGIOVANNI (disputes), RICHARD DEVINE (finance), HASSAN ELSAYED (corporate), PHILIP PUNWAR (financial institutions) and Riyadh partner SAM EVERSMAN (finance), as well as five associates, a trainee and several support staff. 

The partners, who joined Baker Botts on July 16, 2013 and are based across the US firm’s offices in Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. 

The move comes after the merger of Norton Rose and US firm Fulbright in June 2013. The hires bring Baker Botts’ Middle East lawyer count to 40. The firm has recently been moving to ramp up its presence in the region and earlier this year signed an alliance agreement with Kuwait’s International Legal Group.