HOUSTON, January 5, 2026 – Baker Botts L.L.P., a leading international energy, technology, and life sciences law firm, has elected 11 attorneys to partner and promoted 10 new special counsel, effective January 1, 2026.

“Our clients today face challenges at the intersection of energy and technology that span the globe,” said Baker Botts Managing Partner Danny David. “This new class of partners and special counsel ranges from engineers-turned-IP-litigators in New York to energy regulators in Texas and corporate specialists in the Middle East. They have the experience, expertise, and drive to understand our clients' businesses and the global perspective to help solve the complex, multi-disciplinary, cross-border problems they confront.”

The Firm’s new partner class includes:

• Rakan Alyusuf, Partner – Corporate, Riyadh – Rakan is a Saudi Arabian qualified lawyer whose practice covers corporate and capital markets transactional and regulatory matters, advising on M&A transactions, joint venture structures, and corporate governance. Rakan also has experience advising clients on labor and employment matters, as well as representing clients in merger control filings and other antitrust issues before the Saudi Arabian General Authority for Competition.


• Kyle Doherty, Partner – Global Projects, Houston – Kyle counsels public and private equity-backed companies on strategic energy transactions across traditional and renewable power, carbon capture, oil and gas, and petrochemicals. He has advised numerous clients in developing large-scale power projects to meet the surging energy demands of data centers.


• Ben Geslison, Partner – Tax, Houston – Ben represents businesses in state and local tax disputes, securing favorable outcomes in arbitrations, trials, and appeals. He has also helped shape the regulatory landscape, providing testimony before state agencies and legislatures.


• Justine Gozzi, Partner – IP, New York – A nearly 20-year IP practitioner, Justine handles technology and pharmaceutical transactions and global portfolio strategy while maintaining an active pro bono practice that has served over 100 community members since 2011.


• Alia Heintz, Partner – Global Projects, Houston – Alia has handled multiple billion-dollar energy transactions as a trusted advisor for public, private, and private-equity-backed clients with a focus on upstream oil and gas assets, drillcos, and development arrangements.


• Landon Lill, Partner – Global Projects, Austin – Drawing on his experience as an attorney at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Landon provides specialized regulatory counsel to utilities, generators, and retail electric providers. He has become a go-to lawyer for data center work.


• Mark Little, Partner – Litigation, Houston – Mark is a distinguished appellate lawyer who has taken a lead role in challenges to national, state, and local energy regulations, arguing before the Washington and Texas Supreme Courts as well as federal appellate courts, including on matters related to gas ban litigation.


• Tony Lucisano, Partner – Litigation, Houston – A deeply experienced litigator in high-stakes securities class actions, derivative suits, and merger challenges, Tony’s trial and appellate practice spans a wide range of disputes.


• Steve Maule, Partner – IP, Houston – A former software engineer, Steve litigates patent disputes involving technologies ranging from electrical power and wireless systems to semiconductors and machine learning while teaching an upper-level patent litigation course at the University of Houston Law Center.


• Chad Passlow, Partner – Global Projects, Abu Dhabi – Chad leverages his work as a former in-house counsel at a major Middle East energy company to lead complex regional and international energy and infrastructure transactions across oil and gas, renewable and gas-fired power generation, e-fuels, CC(U)S, petrochemicals, and critical social and economic infrastructure.


• Dr. Frank Zhu, Partner – IP, New York – An inventor of 10 U.S. patents, Frank has an extensive hands-on engineering background and assists clients with patent litigation, prosecution, and due diligence.


• Amy Bergeron, Special Counsel – IP, Houston – Amy is a versatile IP and trial lawyer with experience in Texas state court, federal court, and the International Trade Commission. She handles patent and trade secret litigation involving telecommunications, chemicals, and oilfield sectors.


• Tom Carter, Special Counsel – Litigation, Washington, D.C. – As a former trial attorney with the DOJ Antitrust Division, Tom received the Assistant Attorney General's Award of Distinction two consecutive years. He represents clients in high-stakes antitrust litigation and complex merger reviews.


• Thomas Carter, Jr., Special Counsel – IP, Houston – Thomas handles patent prosecution, litigation, and counseling involving chemical, electrical, and mechanical fields. With a chemical engineering background, he brings technical depth to his practice from his previous work as a research engineer for a Fortune 500 utility company.


• Sam Kassa, Special Counsel – IP, Washington, D.C. – Sam litigates patents spanning satellite communications, digital security, cloud computing, and digital media distribution in U.S. District Courts and the ITC, and he advises government contractors on IP/technical-data strategy.


• Cailyn Reilly Knapp, Special Counsel – Litigation, Washington, D.C. – With litigation experience across a range of federal and state courts, Cailyn draws on two clerkships in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to tackle complex commercial, white-collar, and antitrust matters, alongside board roles with the Northern Virginia Federal Bar Association and No Stomach for Cancer.


• Patrick Leahy, Special Counsel – Global Projects, Austin – Patrick represents all parts of the electricity value chain in regulatory and litigation matters before state and federal agencies. With first and second chair litigation experience, he has served as lead subject matter attorney in ERCOT market repricing litigation, culminating in a favorable Texas Supreme Court ruling.


• Zack Lin, Special Counsel – Global Projects, Singapore – Zack handles energy and infrastructure project development, M&A, and financing across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Dual-qualified in Singapore and the U.K., he is recommended by Legal 500 as a key lawyer for his work in renewable energy and energy transition.


• Drew Lucarelli, Special Counsel – Litigation, Washington, D.C. – Drew represents companies in bet-the-company antitrust litigation, class actions, mergers before the FTC and DOJ, and civil and criminal government investigations across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, technology, and energy.


• Nic O'Brien, Special Counsel – Corporate, Dallas – Nic advises private equity funds, investors, and venture-backed companies on a broad array of transactional matters from private securities offerings to complex mergers and acquisitions for clients across the energy and tech landscapes.


• Victoria Sheets, Special Counsel – Litigation, Washington, D.C. – A former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, Victoria is a first chair trial lawyer who has led multiple federal jury and bench trials to verdict. She represents clients in white collar criminal defense, government investigations, and complex civil litigation, and has served on secondment to Morgan Stanley's regulatory groups.

ABOUT BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.
Baker Botts is an international law firm whose lawyers practice throughout a network of 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. Since 1840, we have provided creative and effective legal solutions for our clients while demonstrating an unrelenting commitment to excellence. For more information, please visit bakerbotts.com.