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Halliburton turns to long-term adviser Baker Botts for next general counsel
Head of litigation Van Beckwith follows well-trodden path from client's adviser to its general counsel
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Baker Botts' litigation chair, Van Beckwith, has secured one of the US legal profession’s most senior in-house roles as general counsel of Halliburton. The move sees him follow in the footsteps of Halliburton’s current GC, Robb Voyles, who joined the oil services giant from Baker Botts, a long-time adviser to the oil services giant, in 2013.
Beckwith will join Halliburton on 1 Jan, with Voyles stepping up to the role of chief legal officer (CLO) to allow for a period of transition ahead of his retirement.
Voyles told Texas Lawyer he would stay on for at least a year.
During his tenure at Halliburton, Voyles has overseen a series of high-profile lawsuits, including the litigation sparked by the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 that led to a $1.1bn settlement in 2014 with affected businesses, individuals and local governments.
In an interview with Texas Law Book in April he said his biggest disappointment was the failure of Halliburton’s $28bn bid to acquire Baker Hughes.
“My best day at Halliburton was the day I started,” he added. “I knew there would be huge challenges - and there definitely have been many - but I realised I now had a seat at the table where decisions were being discussed and made.”
Congratulating Voyles on his promotion to CLO, Halliburton chairman Jeff Miller praised him for building “an outstanding legal team which provides sound legal guidance for our entire organisation”.
Beckwith has served on Baker Botts’ executive committee since 2012 and has led the firm’s litigation department since 2017.
His career as a trial attorney has seen him specialise in business and energy litigation and defending consumer class actions.
Meanwhile, his imminent arrival at Halliburton has promoted a leadership reshuffle at Baker Botts, with Bridget Moore and Danny David named to succeed hims as co-heads of litigation.
The reshuffle at Halliburton comes hard on the heels of the news that The Coca-Cola Company’s GC, Bernhard Goepelt, is retiring in February 2020 after eight years in the role.
He started his career at the drinks company in 1992 as legal counsel for the former German division. Coca-Cola is yet to name a successor.
