Latham & Watkins Adds Five Energy Partners in Houston
Developers and financiers in Houston's energy sector gain access to additional project finance and power-deal counsel.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Oil and Gas
Latham & Watkins has hired five energy partners, including Baker Botts global projects leader Jason Bennett, as it builds a Houston base for its worldwide energy projects business. The firm announced the hires on Monday, November 2, 2026, and all five join its project development practice.
Why it matters
Large energy and infrastructure projects depend heavily on specialized legal and financing expertise, so moves like this signal where major firms are concentrating talent and capacity. For Houston-based operators, a larger local bench of project finance and power-deal counsel can shape how quickly complex transactions get structured and closed.
Latham & Watkins added five energy partners in a single announcement on Monday, November 2, 2026. The hires span project development, electric power deals, and debt financing for solar, wind, and thermal projects, with no comparator headcount or revenue figures disclosed.
The players
Latham & Watkins
A global international law firm whose energy projects practice advises on large power, infrastructure and project finance transactions.
Baker Botts
A large international law firm that is losing global projects leader Jason Bennett and other project development lawyers to Latham.
Sidley Austin
A large global law firm whose electric power practice is losing partner Jessica Adkins to Latham.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
A global law firm with a finance practice that is losing partner Charles "Chase" Armbrust to Latham.
The details
Project development lawyers advise on the structuring and permitting of large energy and infrastructure builds, while finance specialists arrange the debt that pays for them. Jessica Adkins, arriving from Sidley Austin, advises on electric power deals including supply arrangements for data centers, a growing source of demand for generation capacity. Charles "Chase" Armbrust, from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, focuses on debt financing for solar, wind and thermal power projects.
Timeline
Monday, November 2, 2026: Latham & Watkins announces the five energy partner hires.
Market Landscape
Competition among large firms for energy and power-finance specialists is intensifying as data-center power demand creates new deal flow. Latham's Houston expansion places it alongside other major firms that already serve the region's energy sector.
Operators in energy and power should expect more locally available project finance and power-supply counsel as firms staff up in Houston. Businesses negotiating data-center power supply or renewable project financing should evaluate whether a larger local legal bench changes their options, and consult qualified counsel on specific deal terms.
The takeaway
Watch whether Latham's Houston base grows beyond these five hires, since that will indicate how much energy legal capacity is moving to the region. Operators with pending power or project finance transactions should discuss deal structuring with qualified energy counsel.
Further reading
For more on the sector behind these hires, see Oil and Gas coverage across Houston's energy industry.
