David Emmons, who has extensive corporate experience representing clients in energy services, technology and outsourcing, has been named Partner in Charge of the Middle East offices in Dubai, UAE and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for Baker Botts L.L.P. He will be based in Dubai.
Emmons is now the fourth partner in Dubai for Baker Botts. His arrival caps a six-month growth period for the firm in that region. Earlier this year, Sean Korney and Nigel Thompson joined Baker Botts as partners in the firm’s office in Dubai. Steven Matthews guided the firm’s Middle East efforts prior to Emmons’ arrival last month. Matthews will remain in Dubai and continue his corporate and banking practice.
Emmons concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising transactions and joint ventures. He also has broad expertise in matters of corporate strategy and governance, compliance with securities laws and executive compensation issues. He has extensive experience in advising energy service companies in many areas, including strategic acquisitions and divestitures, capital raising transactions, including initial public offerings, shipyard construction projects and strategic joint ventures.
“David has a sophisticated and varied corporate practice focused on energy and finance matters,” said Walt Smith, Managing Partner of Baker Botts. “This fits with the strategic plan for our Middle East offices, where our clients are experiencing increased activity in those key practice areas.”
The Baker Botts Dubai office provides service to the energy industry, including ongoing work involving oil and gas exploration and production, LNG, pipeline, gas to liquids, petrochemical, refinery and electric power projects in the Gulf region. In addition to focusing on energy projects, the firm has expanded its corporate, banking, finance, telecommunications, construction and dispute resolution work for clients throughout the Middle East.
Emmons said he looks forward to the challenge of continuing to build on Baker Botts’ successes in the Middle East.
“Dubai and Saudi Arabia are focal points for businesses operating in the Middle East,” Emmons said. “Dubai and Riyadh are dynamic centers of influence in both energy and financial projects. Our clients are important drivers in this growth. We expect there will continue to be strong demand for a broad range of sophisticated legal services delivered by an experienced team of lawyers on the ground in the region.
“We will continue to pursue strategic growth of our offices in the Middle East in order to meet our clients’ growing demands.”
About Baker Botts in the Middle East
Through its Dubai and Riyadh offices, Baker Botts offers great depth of experience and knowledge in the Middle East and broad-based expertise in energy-related project development and finance. The firm represents clients in the region not only in the energy industry but also in the telecommunications, manufacturing, transportation, construction, and banking industries, among others. The firm's practice also encompasses transactional work, including entity formation and structuring, contract negotiation, and banking and finance, as well as litigation and arbitration matters internationally. Baker Botts’ energy-related project development and finance work is enhanced by the firm’s experience with the complex issues faced in financing these projects under local law, which is largely founded on the shari'a or Islamic law.
About Baker Botts L.L.P.
Baker Botts L.L.P., founded in 1840, is a leading international law firm with offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Moscow, New York, Riyadh and Washington. With approximately 730 lawyers, Baker Botts provides a full range of legal services to regional
