Baker Botts

A very interesting article in today's American Lawyer about the new appellate practice at Baker Botts in Washington. I had the pleasure to spend most of this last summer working for Jeff Lamken and Mark Stancil, who are leading the new practice:

The 164-year-old law firm Baker Botts is known for many things, but a significant U.S. Supreme Court practice has not been one of them. Which is why, when the firm announced in July that it had hired three Supreme Court clerks fresh out of their year at the Court -- with the possibility of a fourth and fifth clerk coming over too -- it came as a considerable surprise. Most of the veteran Supreme Court firms consider themselves lucky if one or two clerks sign on in a given year. So why would three or more clerks who could write their own tickets at almost any firm choose to climb aboard at Baker Botts?

The answer goes back nearly five years and tells the story of how a venerable law firm goes about launching a Supreme Court practice, even at a time of fierce competition for a shrinking number of cases. It also shows how, in the process, a firm can rejuvenate and energize a prestigious part of its business. The next generation of top Supreme Court advocates may be assembling at Baker Botts.

Though I likely won't be returning to the firm any time soon (I'm looking in Atlanta for a six-month stint before I head to the JAG school and four years in the Army), I can't wait to see how the practice develops.