HOUSTON, January 10, 2008 -- President George W. Bush has nominated partner Greg Copeland to fill the post of general counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The nomination will be submitted to the U.S. Senate on January 21, 2008. A confirmation hearing will follow.

Copeland is currently head of the Firm's Energy Litigation practice group and is a member of the Executive Committee. He joined the Firm in February 1973, shortly after graduating from the University of Texas School of Law. He initially worked as an associate in the utility department assisting with regulatory matters for Houston Lighting & Power, among many other representations. During his tenure with the Firm, he has represented many Firm clients including BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Marathon, Reliant and Wagner & Brown.

"The 35 years of legal experience in the energy sector that Greg Copeland will bring to the DOE's general counsel post is hard to find," said Managing Partner Walt Smith. "During his tenure at Baker Botts, Greg has been deeply involved in representing clients in all sectors of the energy industry across the nation. We will miss him, but I can think of no one more qualified to fill the DOE's general counsel post than Greg."

Copeland's litigation experience includes investigations, arbitrations and trials in state and federal court in more than 15 states. He has been recognized as a leading energy litigator in numerous publications and by a number of organizations, including Chambers Global The World's Leading Lawyers and Texas Monthly/Texas Super Lawyers.

To read the White House news release announcing Copeland's nomination, please click here.

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