Baker Botts expands global partnership with key promotions in the Middle East

Baker Botts has elected 11 attorneys to partner and promoted 10 new special counsel, effective January 1, 2026.

“Our clients today face challenges at the intersection of energy and technology that span the globe,” said Baker Botts managing partner Danny David. “This new class of partners and special counsel ranges from engineers-turned-IP-litigators in New York to energy regulators in Texas and corporate specialists in the Middle East. They have the experience, expertise, and drive to understand our clients’ businesses and the global perspective to help solve the complex, multi-disciplinary, cross-border problems they confront.”

The firm has promoted corporate lawyer Rakan Alyusuf and global projects lawyer Chad Passlow to partners in their Saudi Arabia and UAE offices respective

• Rakan Alyusuf, partner – corporate, Riyadh: Alyusuf is a Saudi Arabian qualified lawyer whose practice covers corporate and capital markets transactional and regulatory matters, advising on M&A transactions, joint venture structures, and corporate governance. He also has experience advising clients on labor and employment matters, as well as representing clients in merger control filings and other antitrust issues before the Saudi Arabian General Authority for Competition.
• Chad Passlow, partner – global projects, Abu Dhabi: Passlow leverages his work as a former in-house counsel at a major Middle East energy company to lead complex regional and international energy and infrastructure transactions across oil and gas, renewable and gas-fired power generation, e-fuels, CC(U)S, petrochemicals, and critical social and economic infrastructure.