Orrick expands energy practice in Houston

Seven months after Orrick opened a new office in Houston, the international law firm has added Gabriel Salinas to its Latin America team, the latest of a string of hires at its M&A and private equity practice.

Salinas, previously an associate at Mayer Brown, has joined Orrick as partner, representing clients in cross-border transactions and projects in the energy and infrastructure sector. He also advises on oil and gas, conventional and renewable energy projects.

“We are excited to deepen our Latin America bench with a rising star of Gabriel’s calibre,” said Rodrigo Dominguez Sotomayor, co-head of Orrick’s Latin America practice. “His deep experience in Mexico and Latin America, coupled with his bilingual skills, bicultural understanding, and deep energy sector experience, will be a tremendous asset to our clients.”

Founded more than 150 years ago, the San Francisco-based firm now has a quarter of its practice outside the US. Its overseas operations are led from outposts in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, China and Japan, as well as an affiliated office in Côte d’lvoire, which the firm opened in 2014 in order to boost its African energy footprint.

In January, it established the office in Houston, a market which Orrick described as “a critically important market”. Since then, the number of lawyers working out of its newest outpost has grown to 42.