Baker Botts picked up 32 antitrust lawyers from the remains of Howrey, including nine partners.  The team will work out of the firm’s Washington DC office.  Seven of the former Howrey partners will be partners at Baker Botts and the other two will be of counsel.

Included in the group is Sean Boland, former vice-chair of Howrey, and two former assistant US attorneys general who will both serve as senior counselors at their new firm.  Boland led Howrey’s negotiation discussions with Winston & Strawn and said that one of the reasons the deal fell through is that client conflicts would have split up his anti-trust group.