DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, September 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Corporate Lawyer's Move to Dubai Adds Fourth Partner to Firm's Team in
Region

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, national and
international clients. For more information, please visit
http://www.bakerbotts.com.

Web site: http://www.bakerbotts.com