Key Partner Moves Strengthen Strategic Practice Areas For Baker Botts L.L.P. in Palo Alto and California

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A trio of key Baker Botts L.L.P. partners have relocated to the firm's Palo Alto office in moves that strengthen the firm's strategic practice capabilities in northern California, Baker Botts announced today.

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Partners John Martin (Corporate), Eliot Williams (Intellectual Property) and Kevin Sadler (Litigation) have transferred to Palo Alto during the summer from the firm's Dallas, New York and Austin offices, respectively. Collectively, they bring nearly 70 years of legal experience to Silicon Valley, representing clients in the Technology Sector and other industries.

"These moves build on the significant growth we have experienced during the past five years in Palo Alto and the Bay Area," said Baker Botts Managing Partner Andrew Baker. "Adding the skills of John, Eliot and Kevin to our talented group of lawyers already in place further demonstrates our commitment to building a premier corporate and technology practice in Silicon Valley." 

As Baker Botts' Technology Sector Chair, Martin oversees the delivery of integrated client offerings to the firm's technology clients, drawing on Baker Botts' deep transactional, IP and litigation experience. "Concentrating these skills in Silicon Valley will enhance our ability to serve existing and future client demand," Baker said.

Martin's practice focuses on mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, and corporate governance matters. He has extensive experience in representing multi-national companies in M&A matters, particularly in the acquisition of technology targets focused on cloud technologies and management consulting. Martin also has significant joint venture, private equity and venture capital experience.

Williams has more than a decade of experience as an IP litigator. He has argued numerous Markman (claim construction), preliminary injunction and summary judgment hearings in patent cases around the country; has jury trial experience, including examining and cross-examining technical and expert witnesses; and has successfully briefed and argued appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has jurisdiction over appeals from most patent trials around the country.

He is also a registered patent attorney and frequently represents his clients before the Patent & Trademark Office, both to obtain patent protection over his client's new technologies and to challenge the validity of others' patents via administrative proceedings in the Patent Office.

Sadler focuses on civil litigation and has represented major technology, energy and service firms in connection with  intellectual property, employment, contract, statutory and tort claims.

He currently serves as lead trial counsel for a multi-billion dollar federal court receivership involving thousands of claims and lawsuits. He is also an experienced appellate advocate, having argued more than a dozen cases before federal appellate courts.

In announcing the partners' move to Palo Alto, Baker also pointed to a need to meet growing client service demands in California beyond the Silicon Valley in the future.

"Energy -- and that includes a multitude of complex legal issues that accompany all aspects of the energy industry -- is one of our calling cards around the world," he said. "While we will maintain a strong focus on the Technology Sector here, we recognize that energy issues are increasingly becoming more important in California. As we have throughout our history, most recently with the addition of 14 lawyers in the firm's Middle East offices, we are committed to putting lawyers on the ground where our clients ask us to represent them."

In just over five years, Palo Alto has grown from four lawyers to more than 20, and the addition of Martin, Williams and Sadler demonstrates that growth continues not only in the head count but in the number of clients and the industries they represent, said B.C. Boren, Partner in Charge of the Palo Alto office.

"We are going to continue to leverage the breadth and depth of our recognized IP practice here and across the country  with a view to further expanding our West Coast client service offerings in both the Technology and Energy Sectors," Boren said.

Additional information about the Palo Alto office is here.

About Baker Botts L.L.P.
Baker Botts is an international law firm of approximately 700 lawyers practicing throughout a network of 14 offices around the globe. Based on our experience and knowledge of our clients' industries, we are recognized as a leading firm in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors. Throughout our 173-year history, we have provided creative and effective legal solutions for our clients while demonstrating an unrelenting commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit www.bakerbotts.com

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SOURCE Baker Botts L.L.P.