Baker Botts has hired Michael Arruda, Joanne Du and Phillip Georgiou as partners from Jones Day’s Hong Kong office. The trio will be based in Hong Kong and Beijing.

During his 30-year career, oil and gas specialist Arruda has clients in activities ranging from exploration and development through midstream processing and transportation, to downstream refining and sales, as well as oilfield services. He also has oil and gas merger and acquisitions experience.

Du counsels oil and gas clients in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and operational matters, and has experience across the range of upstream and downstream activities and transactions.

An arbitration lawyer, Georgiou has represented clients in arbitration cases before various institutions including ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, JCAA, KLRCA and CIETAC as well as ad hoc tribunals under the UNCITRAL Rules of Arbitration. Apart from expertise in construction disputes he also has experience in energy-related disputes.

“Mike, Joanne and Phillip are all outstanding lawyers, each with an impressive client base and sophisticated practices. Their admission to our firm will bolster our thriving capabilities in Asia in the oil and gas and dispute resolution fields, and further highlights our focus on expanding our firm’s international footprint in its 175th year,” said Andrew M. Baker, managing partner of Baker Botts, in a statement.