Halliburton hires new general counsel

Houston, Texas-based Halliburton Company has hired Van Beckwith to take up the position of senior vice president and general counsel, effective January 1, 2020.

Beckwith was previously chair of the litigation department at Baker Botts and a member of the law firm’s executive committee. Halliburton has been a long-time client of Baker Botts, where Beckwith had worked for almost 30 years, running a national trial practice for many of Baker Botts’ key clients while also holding a range of leadership roles.

Beckwith’s appointment at the energy industry service provider follows the promotion of Robb Voyles, who was previously executive vice president, secretary and general counsel, to the role of executive vice president, secretary and chief legal officer (CLO), also effective January 1. Voyles, to whom Beckwith now reports, continues to serve on the Halliburton executive committee.

‘We congratulate Robb on his well-earned appointment to [CLO],’says Halliburton chair, president and CEO Jeff Miller in a statement. ‘He has built an outstanding legal team that provides sound legal guidance for our entire organization, and we are very fortunate to have him leading our corporate legal strategy.’

Baker Botts has named Bridget Moore and Danny David as the new co-chairs of its litigation department, which Beckwith had led since 2017.

‘Van has served as an outstanding leader of our litigation department, which is experiencing a historically strong year in terms of our results for clients and our productivity across the system,’ says Baker Botts managing partner John Martin in a statement. ‘I look forward to having Bridget and Danny lead our efforts to continue our remarkable trajectory as they share the duties required of department chairs for our largest department.’