Houston-headquartered law firm Baker Botts launched its London outsourcing practice yesterday and also bagged Alex Mason as special counsel from global firm Baker & McKenzie. Mr Mason will advise buyers and service providers on major outsourcing, technology and systems integration agreements in several industries.

Disputes practice

Meanwhile, Atlanta law firm King & Spalding has launched a Russian disputes practice with the hire of Ilia Rachkov.
Russian law expert Mr Rachkov will establish an international disputes practice in Moscow as the firm continues to strengthen its global dispute resolution offering.
Mr Rachkov - an accomplished litigation lawyer - previously worked at the Moscow office of German firm Noerr before entering solo practice last year.

Financially sound

Elsewhere, New York white shoe firm Debevoise & Plimpton confirmed it is ditching its trusts and estates practice. The decision took members of the trusts and estates bar by surprise, reports the Deal Book web site, with many concerned by the actions of an apparently financially sound law firm.
‘It saddens me to see a great law firm terminate its estates department,’ said William Zabel, a partner at New York’s Schulte Roth & Zabel and one of the country’s leading trusts and estates lawyers. ‘Although I don’t know the reasons for this decision, it would seem to be a by-product of the economics of our society, making the law into more of a business than a profession.’
Debevoise’s presiding partner Michael Blair confirmed that the firm was cutting trusts and estates, adding that the group’s eight lawyers — including Jonathan Rikoon, the partner in charge of the practice — were trying to find another home.