For 130 years, Baker Donelson has built a reputation for achieving results for our clients on a wide range of legal matters. While providing legal services is our focus, it is how we deliver them that sets us apart. Our goal is to provide clients with more than what they have come to expect from a law firm.
Baker Donelson commits to a deep understanding of a client's business, to enable us to anticipate clients' needs and assist in their decision making processes. Because we offer consistent, knowledgeable guidance based on their specific goals and objectives, clients view us as a valued business partner. This allows them to focus on the growth and success of their business, confident their legal issues will be handled by an attentive, responsive team.
As the 74th largest law firm in the U.S., Baker Donelson gives clients access to a team of more than 650 attorneys and public policy advisors representing more than 30 practice areas, all seamlessly connected across 21 offices to serve virtually any legal need. Clients receive informed guidance from experienced, multi-disciplined industry and client service teams. Our diversity and women's initiatives ensure diversity in our people, perspectives and experiences. Technology helps us operate more effectively and efficiently by providing instant access to client-specific information and other key resources.
Founded in 1891
1287 people in their team
The more than 300 attorneys in Baker Donelson's Business Department represent public, private and emerging companies in a wide variety of areas, including data protection and privacy, technology transactions and agreements, public and private offerings, capital markets and lending transactions, executive compensation issues, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, strategic business planning, entity formation, and domestic and global commercial transactions.
Our team members provide advice on tax planning considerations for our clients' businesses at every stage of the lifecycle, including executive compensation, recapitalization, benefit plans and state and local taxes. We also offer our business clients advice on transitioning their businesses to the next generation of owners and managers. We are knowledgeable in both domestic and foreign tax issues, from individual tax and estate planning to international tax treaties.
Additionally, we help our clients protect and promote their brand's trademarks, inventions and other forms of intellectual property in the U.S. and throughout the world. We also assist our clients in managing real estate investments in a wide spectrum of real estate transactions including developments, single asset and portfolio sales and acquisitions, leasing and financing.
Our focus on industry-specific service teams means our attorneys understand the business climate and unique challenges under which our clients are operating. These teams include Gaming; Manufacturing; REITs; Drug, Device and Life Sciences; Hospitality, Franchising and Distribution; Automotive; Energy; Telecommunications; Retail; Health Care; and Construction.
We draw upon our extensive knowledge and experience to work as a strategic partner and advisor to our clients, serving their immediate goals as well as their longer-term objectives. We tailor our services and approach to meet the unique needs of our clients by providing timely, thoughtful and effective solutions, whether their businesses are public or private, domestic or foreign.
The more than 300 attorneys in Baker Donelson's Business Department represent public, private and emerging companies in a wide variety of areas, including data protection and privacy, technology transactions and agreements, public and private offerings, capital markets and lending transactions, executive compensation issues, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, strategic business planning, entity formation, and domestic and global commercial transactions.
Our team members provide advice on tax planning considerations for our clients' businesses at every stage of the lifecycle, including executive compensation, recapitalization, benefit plans and state and local taxes. We also offer our business clients advice on transitioning their businesses to the next generation of owners and managers. We are knowledgeable in both domestic and foreign tax issues, from individual tax and estate planning to international tax treaties.
Additionally, we help our clients protect and promote their brand's trademarks, inventions and other forms of intellectual property in the U.S. and throughout the world. We also assist our clients in managing real estate investments in a wide spectrum of real estate transactions including developments, single asset and portfolio sales and acquisitions, leasing and financing.
Our focus on industry-specific service teams means our attorneys understand the business climate and unique challenges under which our clients are operating. These teams include Gaming; Manufacturing; REITs; Drug, Device and Life Sciences; Hospitality, Franchising and Distribution; Automotive; Energy; Telecommunications; Retail; Health Care; and Construction.
We draw upon our extensive knowledge and experience to work as a strategic partner and advisor to our clients, serving their immediate goals as well as their longer-term objectives. We tailor our services and approach to meet the unique needs of our clients by providing timely, thoughtful and effective solutions, whether their businesses are public or private, domestic or foreign.
Baker Donelson's Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity Team offers clients access to more than 30 attorneys with experience in all areas of information management, from privacy and data security planning and design, to compliance, data breach and litigation management. We provide the resources and concise, knowledgeable counsel our clients expect to address the entire information life cycle from start to finish.
We assist clients across a multitude of industries in conducting assessments of their current data privacy obligations, we institute cutting edge policies and procedures, and we train internal teams and conduct security and risk assessments.
We support our clients through all phases of a data breach and incident response, and regularly communicate with federal and state government regulators and law enforcement agencies on behalf of our clients.
Our team is vigilant about monitoring the constant flood of new privacy regulations and global legal requirements and determining how to work with our clients to develop a plan and method surrounding these new regulations. Through this unique lens, we can guide clients through every phase of the compliance process, from compliance program creation and gap analysis, to ongoing assistance with documentation and decision-making, according to each client's specific priorities and resources.
More than one-third of our team is credentialed with the world's largest privacy organization, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Through IAPP, our attorneys have earned many accreditations. These include the United States-focused Certified Information Privacy Professional, CIPP/US; the Europe-focused Certified Information Privacy Professional, CIPP/E accreditation; the Canadian-focused Certified Information Privacy Professional, CIPP/C accreditation; and the privacy management-focused Certified Information Privacy Manager, CIPM. In addition, we have a team member certified in the Law of Data Security and Investigations (GLEG) and another who is certified as a Payment Card Industry Professional (PCIP).
Key Industries
Baker Donelson's Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity Team offers clients access to more than 30 attorneys with experience in all areas of information management, from privacy and data security planning and design, to compliance, data breach and litigation management. We provide the resources and concise, knowledgeable counsel our clients expect to address the entire information life cycle from start to finish.
We assist clients across a multitude of industries in conducting assessments of their current data privacy obligations, we institute cutting edge policies and procedures, and we train internal teams and conduct security and risk assessments.
We support our clients through all phases of a data breach and incident response, and regularly communicate with federal and state government regulators and law enforcement agencies on behalf of our clients.
Our team is vigilant about monitoring the constant flood of new privacy regulations and global legal requirements and determining how to work with our clients to develop a plan and method surrounding these new regulations. Through this unique lens, we can guide clients through every phase of the compliance process, from compliance program creation and gap analysis, to ongoing assistance with documentation and decision-making, according to each client's specific priorities and resources.
More than one-third of our team is credentialed with the world's largest privacy organization, the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Through IAPP, our attorneys have earned many accreditations. These include the United States-focused Certified Information Privacy Professional, CIPP/US; the Europe-focused Certified Information Privacy Professional, CIPP/E accreditation; the Canadian-focused Certified Information Privacy Professional, CIPP/C accreditation; and the privacy management-focused Certified Information Privacy Manager, CIPM. In addition, we have a team member certified in the Law of Data Security and Investigations (GLEG) and another who is certified as a Payment Card Industry Professional (PCIP).
Key Industries
Baker Donelson's Immigration Group provides strategic counsel with effective results. We give our clients a comprehensive, experienced and efficient approach to immigration complexities and processes. We apply broad-based knowledge of the maze of legal issues to pick the best paths to meet specific client objectives. Our experience and relationships help us cut through to practical solutions, using state-of-the-art systems to drive our best thinking through each step of every case.
Our focus is to understand the unique challenges facing our clients and deliver outstanding personalized solutions. We are committed to providing excellence in client service, ensuring the delivery of strategic and customized advice and creating tailored programs to reach your goals.
Robert Divine, our team leader, served as Chief Counsel and Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and is the author of Immigration Practice, a respected practical treatise used as a reference by immigration authorities nationwide. We use the latest technology and first class customer service to guide clients through the entire range of immigration processes geared to foreign investors, executives, managers, staff and their family members.
In the current environment of worksite enforcement and proliferating "catch-22" requirements, we deliver practical advice and training tools for paper and electronic I-9 completion, E-Verify employment verification and corporate compliance. We have been intimately involved in numerous significant worksite investigations and corporate prosecutions. We have testified in Congress and provided expert court testimony about employment verification issues.
We understand that business is global and multi-directional. Thus, we have a network of immigration lawyers in full-service law firms throughout the world ready to facilitate coordinated global movement of business personnel and to provide other business and employment law assistance.
The Group works closely with the Firm's well-connected and well-respected Public Policy Group, which was founded by former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker. Our Immigration Group is led by the former first Chief Counsel of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services who also served as acting director for a time. In cooperation with these colleagues, the Immigration Group can represent clients in seeking statutory changes, influencing regulatory developments and contacting officials in particular cases.
Addressing the challenges of today's global immigration environment is no small task, but Baker Donelson's Immigration Group is uniquely prepared to take it on. Proficient in all aspects of immigration law, knowledgeable about global business, well-versed in regulatory issues and cognizant of the critical immigration policy being shaped, the goal of the Immigration Group is to become your trusted advisor and valued counselor.
Baker Donelson's Immigration Group provides strategic counsel with effective results. We give our clients a comprehensive, experienced and efficient approach to immigration complexities and processes. We apply broad-based knowledge of the maze of legal issues to pick the best paths to meet specific client objectives. Our experience and relationships help us cut through to practical solutions, using state-of-the-art systems to drive our best thinking through each step of every case.
Our focus is to understand the unique challenges facing our clients and deliver outstanding personalized solutions. We are committed to providing excellence in client service, ensuring the delivery of strategic and customized advice and creating tailored programs to reach your goals.
Robert Divine, our team leader, served as Chief Counsel and Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and is the author of Immigration Practice, a respected practical treatise used as a reference by immigration authorities nationwide. We use the latest technology and first class customer service to guide clients through the entire range of immigration processes geared to foreign investors, executives, managers, staff and their family members.
In the current environment of worksite enforcement and proliferating "catch-22" requirements, we deliver practical advice and training tools for paper and electronic I-9 completion, E-Verify employment verification and corporate compliance. We have been intimately involved in numerous significant worksite investigations and corporate prosecutions. We have testified in Congress and provided expert court testimony about employment verification issues.
We understand that business is global and multi-directional. Thus, we have a network of immigration lawyers in full-service law firms throughout the world ready to facilitate coordinated global movement of business personnel and to provide other business and employment law assistance.
The Group works closely with the Firm's well-connected and well-respected Public Policy Group, which was founded by former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker. Our Immigration Group is led by the former first Chief Counsel of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services who also served as acting director for a time. In cooperation with these colleagues, the Immigration Group can represent clients in seeking statutory changes, influencing regulatory developments and contacting officials in particular cases.
Addressing the challenges of today's global immigration environment is no small task, but Baker Donelson's Immigration Group is uniquely prepared to take it on. Proficient in all aspects of immigration law, knowledgeable about global business, well-versed in regulatory issues and cognizant of the critical immigration policy being shaped, the goal of the Immigration Group is to become your trusted advisor and valued counselor.
The Intellectual Property Group is responsible for the protection of inventions and other forms of intellectual property for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. We obtain, defend and enforce patents, trademarks and copyrights in the United States and throughout the world. The Firm has developed relationships with intellectual property lawyers in many major foreign countries, and has facilitated applications for patents and registration of trademarks in more than 145 foreign jurisdictions.
Our attorneys have a reputation for a practical, common sense business approach to client concerns, coupled with sophistication in a wide range of technical areas. As an IP boutique housed in a full-service business law firm, we manage your assets in the context of your comprehensive business and competition strategy. We offer strategy for resolving difficult freedom-to-operate obstacles, negotiating licensing and material transfer agreements, and utilizing effectively existing intellectual property portfolios to strengthen clients' competitive positions.
The Intellectual Property Group is responsible for the protection of inventions and other forms of intellectual property for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. We obtain, defend and enforce patents, trademarks and copyrights in the United States and throughout the world. The Firm has developed relationships with intellectual property lawyers in many major foreign countries, and has facilitated applications for patents and registration of trademarks in more than 145 foreign jurisdictions.
Our attorneys have a reputation for a practical, common sense business approach to client concerns, coupled with sophistication in a wide range of technical areas. As an IP boutique housed in a full-service business law firm, we manage your assets in the context of your comprehensive business and competition strategy. We offer strategy for resolving difficult freedom-to-operate obstacles, negotiating licensing and material transfer agreements, and utilizing effectively existing intellectual property portfolios to strengthen clients' competitive positions.
No firm in the Southeast matches the "boots on the ground" experience and depth of resources offered by Baker Donelson's Real Estate Group. With more than 95 real estate lawyers in 22 offices stretching from Houston to Washington, D.C. to Orlando, we are uniquely positioned to handle multi-state real estate and financing transactions for clients on a regional and national scale. We bring to large, complex transactions the speed, efficiency and responsiveness which only deep familiarity and experience that local real estate markets make possible. As our clients' transactions require, our real estate team has ready access within the Firm to comprehensive ancillary support and services often required by complex matters, including corporate and partnership tax law, federal, state and local tax, federal regulatory, environmental and state regulatory, corporate and securities, and land use and zoning.
No firm in the Southeast matches the "boots on the ground" experience and depth of resources offered by Baker Donelson's Real Estate Group. With more than 95 real estate lawyers in 22 offices stretching from Houston to Washington, D.C. to Orlando, we are uniquely positioned to handle multi-state real estate and financing transactions for clients on a regional and national scale. We bring to large, complex transactions the speed, efficiency and responsiveness which only deep familiarity and experience that local real estate markets make possible. As our clients' transactions require, our real estate team has ready access within the Firm to comprehensive ancillary support and services often required by complex matters, including corporate and partnership tax law, federal, state and local tax, federal regulatory, environmental and state regulatory, corporate and securities, and land use and zoning.
Handling difficult litigation matters requires a thorough knowledge of the relevant areas of law, and a complete understanding of our clients' businesses. Baker Donelson's litigation attorneys listen to our clients first, because we understand that companies have different business and legal objectives, ranging from righting a wrong to limiting financial exposure. We work with our clients to assess the issues and risks, and then provide effective solutions and sound advice for resolving disputes.
Our commitment to understanding a client's business not only enables us to better address the matter at hand, but to look ahead to see how the case affects the future of the organization. When we know the business, we can anticipate the issues and help our clients make smarter decisions. Companies from virtually every industry rely on Baker Donelson for their litigation needs, from financial institutions, to manufacturers and retailers, to professional service companies.
Where appropriate, we create client service teams by marshalling the best talent, knowledge and experience from across our Firm. Many of our trial lawyers have developed in-depth business knowledge by concentrating their practices in specific industries. Such industry knowledge greatly increases our efficiency and effectiveness in resolving business disputes. We are committed to achieving the best results in a timely manner at minimum expense. This includes a willingness to devise alternative fee arrangements that will serve the clients' interests without compromising the quality of legal services.
We are proud to have among our ranks some of the most notable and outstanding trial lawyers in the southern United States – respected attorneys with substantial experience in major jury and non-jury cases, and trial lawyers who have established a national practice in their areas of concentration. They include attorneys named in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA and Super Lawyers since their 1983, 2003 and 2006 inceptions respectively. Our trial attorneys are licensed to practice in more than 20 states and have tried cases in many more. Others are licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and before multiple state and federal courts of appeal, and several have had experience as judicial clerks with state and federal trial courts or courts of appeal. In addition, many of Baker Donelson's trial attorneys are members of organizations dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of litigation practice, such as the American College of Trial Lawyers, DRI, the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Association of Defense Counsel.
Our client-centered approach, along with our experience across industries, enables us to handle even the most complex kinds of litigation. It is our Firm's willingness to take difficult cases to trial, and our reputation for winning them, that places our clients in the best possible position with opposing parties in settlement negotiations or trial.
Handling difficult litigation matters requires a thorough knowledge of the relevant areas of law, and a complete understanding of our clients' businesses. Baker Donelson's litigation attorneys listen to our clients first, because we understand that companies have different business and legal objectives, ranging from righting a wrong to limiting financial exposure. We work with our clients to assess the issues and risks, and then provide effective solutions and sound advice for resolving disputes.
Our commitment to understanding a client's business not only enables us to better address the matter at hand, but to look ahead to see how the case affects the future of the organization. When we know the business, we can anticipate the issues and help our clients make smarter decisions. Companies from virtually every industry rely on Baker Donelson for their litigation needs, from financial institutions, to manufacturers and retailers, to professional service companies.
Where appropriate, we create client service teams by marshalling the best talent, knowledge and experience from across our Firm. Many of our trial lawyers have developed in-depth business knowledge by concentrating their practices in specific industries. Such industry knowledge greatly increases our efficiency and effectiveness in resolving business disputes. We are committed to achieving the best results in a timely manner at minimum expense. This includes a willingness to devise alternative fee arrangements that will serve the clients' interests without compromising the quality of legal services.
We are proud to have among our ranks some of the most notable and outstanding trial lawyers in the southern United States – respected attorneys with substantial experience in major jury and non-jury cases, and trial lawyers who have established a national practice in their areas of concentration. They include attorneys named in Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA and Super Lawyers since their 1983, 2003 and 2006 inceptions respectively. Our trial attorneys are licensed to practice in more than 20 states and have tried cases in many more. Others are licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and before multiple state and federal courts of appeal, and several have had experience as judicial clerks with state and federal trial courts or courts of appeal. In addition, many of Baker Donelson's trial attorneys are members of organizations dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of litigation practice, such as the American College of Trial Lawyers, DRI, the American Board of Trial Advocates and the International Association of Defense Counsel.
Our client-centered approach, along with our experience across industries, enables us to handle even the most complex kinds of litigation. It is our Firm's willingness to take difficult cases to trial, and our reputation for winning them, that places our clients in the best possible position with opposing parties in settlement negotiations or trial.
