Baker & McKenzie
Encyclopedia
Baker & McKenzie is an international law firm
, founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. It is home to more than 3,800 lawyers spread over 70 offices in 42 different countries.
As a transnational operation, no single nationality dominates the firm, and more than 80 percent of its lawyers practice outside the United States
. The lawyers come from 60 countries and speak more than 75 languages, with English
in common.
The firm saw US$2.27 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2011. As of 2006, Baker & McKenzie was the second largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys. Among U.S. firms, it was ranked the second largest by number of attorneys as of 2008 and, as of 2011, the largest by revenue. It is also the largest international law firm in Asia, with 14 offices, and in Latin America, with 16 offices.
, was raised in New Mexico
. From an early age he was exposed to the Spanish language and other cultures. The early firm, Baker & Simpson provided legal services to Chicago's growing Mexican American
community. The firm soon positioned itself to advise US companies investing in Latin America
. Abbott Laboratories
became a chief client in 1934 as it expanded overseas. In 1949, the firm relaunched with John McKenzie, an experienced litigator who had graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law
. McKenzie took charge of the flourishing litigation practice, and Baker was able to devote his energies to building an international practice. Through the 1950s, the firm's client roster expanded to include Eli Lilly and Company
(still a valued client today), G. D. Searle & Company
, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
and Honeywell
.
contacted Baker & McKenzie about opening a joint venture office in Caracas
. Donald Baker, the name partner's son, soon moved to Caracas to launch a practice for the firm. In the next three years, flags were planted in Washington, D.C.
, Brussels
, Zurich
, New York
and São Paulo
. Unlike fellow American firms that often practiced US law abroad, Baker & McKenzie made a decision to train local lawyers, often bringing them to the Chicago base for an initial period or temporarily relocating US attorneys to the foreign office to oversee the establishment of the practice. By 1978 Baker & McKenzie had 26 offices in 20 countries.
fell. To achieve critical mass in California
, the firm merged with MacDonald, Halsted, and Laybourne to start offices in Los Angeles
and San Diego. Further growth resulted such that the firm operated some 49 offices on 6 continents by 1990, employing some 1500 attorneys generating $404 million in revenues.
— then-Paris managing partner and an antitrust and labor lawyer — was elected Chairman of the Global Executive Committee, the first woman to lead Baker & McKenzie. She was Chairman for five years. In 2004, Forbes listed Lagarde as No. 76 in its list of “Most Powerful Women in the World." She then served as France’s Minister of Finance. In June 2011, she was elected as the first woman to become Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
.
In 2001 the firm employed 3000 attorneys and had $1 billion in revenues. Baker & McKenzie adopted a Swiss Verein
structure on July 1, 2004. In 2005, the firm received a large boost when some 70 partners and other legal staff from the New York office of the disbanding international firm Coudert Brothers
joined Baker & McKenzie.
In October 2006, Unilever
chose the firm to manage its global trademark portfolio, the largest in the world with over 160,000 registrations. It was the first time a multinational company outsourced its trademark management to a law firm on such a large scale.
In September 2007, BTI Consulting rated the firm as one of the world's top 10 transaction law firms in its recent survey on corporate transactions, which was reported by National Law Journal.
John Conroy was re-elected to a second term as Chairman of the firm in October 2007. The firm’s profit per partner (PPP) broke US$1 million for the first time during his first term.
In early 2009, Baker & McKenzie opened an office in Abu Dhabi
, its fourth office in the Middle East, having received a professional license from the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning & Economy.
In October 2010 the firm opened an office in Luxembourg
, its 68th office worldwide.
Eduardo Leite was elected Chairman in October 2010, the Firm's first chairman from Latin America.
In October 2011, the Firm opened its 70th office in its 42nd country when it established partnership with Istanbul-based, Esin.
In 2006, Baker & McKenzie wrote the amicus brief of the Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA) in support of the petition for a writ of certiorari in Winkelman v. Parma City School District, and later, COPAA's amicus brief on the merits. It argued that parents have the right to represent themselves in court to enforce their IDEA rights and protect their children's access to a free appropriate public education. This led to a unanimous Supreme Court decision in June 2007 granting parents the right to proceed without counsel on behalf of children with disabilities.
In December 2009, Baker & McKenzie won a landmark tax case against the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for Symantec Corporation. The IRS had claimed that the VERITAS Software Corporation, which Symantec had subsequently acquired in 2005, owed over $1 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest as a result of VERITAS non-U.S. operations. Symantec took the case to the U.S. Tax Court where Baker & McKenzie argued that the IRS position was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable. In an opinion by Judge Maurice Foley, the U.S. Tax Court decided in favor of Symantec.
The firm was recognized in 2008 for the second year in a row by Working Mother magazine as one of the Best Law Firms for Women.
Since 2005, Baker & McKenzie has been one of seven law firms who are members of Diversity Champions, a 'good practices' program for blue-chip and major public sector employers. Diversity Champions is an effort of Stonewall
, a UK-based lobbying group dedicated to the rights of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
In 2009, the firm joined the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a group focused on developing strategies to increase diversity in the legal profession.
, then a New York attorney, filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights, charging that he had been fired from his job at the Manhattan branch of Baker & McKenzie law firm after AIDS-related lesions appeared on his face. The firm maintained that he was fired purely for his performance. Two months after testifying at a hearing on the complaint, he died at age 33. The case was resolved in his favor in late December, when Baker & McKenzie was ordered to pay $500,000 to Bowers' estate. It was one of the first AIDS discrimination cases to go to a public hearing. Baker & McKenzie appealed but subsequently withdrew the appeal after they negotiated a confidential settlement in 1995 with Bowers' family forbidding parties from ever discussing the case or the terms of the agreement. These events were one inspiration for the film Philadelphia
, starring Tom Hanks
and Denzel Washington
(the script of which was derived from numerous sources). The film's credits include the following message: "This motion picture was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers’ AIDS discrimination lawsuit, the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of AIDS."
In 1994, in a seminal case, a legal secretary
, Rena Weeks, successfully sued the law firm for sexual harassment
. The trial court ordered the law firm to pay $6.9 million in punitive damages
, making it one of the largest damage awards in history for this type of action. On May 4, 1998, the California Court of Appeal
for the First District upheld the trial court's judgment in full, and the Supreme Court of California
denied review. A subsequent dispute among Weeks' victorious attorneys as to the division of fees among them (she had signed a contingent fee
agreement for 40% of her recovery) did reach the Supreme Court of California in 2002; the court held that the later-associated co-counsel could not recover the full amount he sought because Weeks' attorneys had not obtained her consent to an agreement to split fees among co-counsel from different firms as required by California court rules. Martin R. Greenstein, the partner whose actions resulted in Weeks' successful lawsuit, was given a public reproval by the State Bar of California
on March 26, 1998, and for obvious reasons, is no longer with Baker & McKenzie (the Court of Appeal decision noted that he was terminated by the firm in August 1993).
In June 2005, a senior associate
, Richard Phillips, drew a considerable amount of media attention after it was revealed that the highly paid lawyer had been making a determined effort to have a £4 dry cleaning
bill paid by a secretary who had accidentally splashed tomato ketchup on his trousers. In an open email
, the secretary explained that she had been slow in attending to the matter due to the recent death and funeral of her mother. Before long, the story had been widely circulated throughout the City of London
and beyond.
Baker & McKenzie is one of the first law firms to have adopted a functional outsourcing operation, which is now being emulated by other firms. Its offshore operations in Manila, which include marketing, business research, and IT and computer maintenance support, was profiled in January 2006 by BusinessWeek
magazine.
in which each office is a largely autonomous component of a loose international organization.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
, founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. It is home to more than 3,800 lawyers spread over 70 offices in 42 different countries.
As a transnational operation, no single nationality dominates the firm, and more than 80 percent of its lawyers practice outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The lawyers come from 60 countries and speak more than 75 languages, with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in common.
The firm saw US$2.27 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2011. As of 2006, Baker & McKenzie was the second largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys. Among U.S. firms, it was ranked the second largest by number of attorneys as of 2008 and, as of 2011, the largest by revenue. It is also the largest international law firm in Asia, with 14 offices, and in Latin America, with 16 offices.
Chicago Origins
Baker & McKenzie was founded in 1949 but it has its origins in Russell Baker's practice opened in 1925 upon his graduation from the University of Chicago School of Law. Russell Baker, though born in WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, was raised in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. From an early age he was exposed to the Spanish language and other cultures. The early firm, Baker & Simpson provided legal services to Chicago's growing Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
community. The firm soon positioned itself to advise US companies investing in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
became a chief client in 1934 as it expanded overseas. In 1949, the firm relaunched with John McKenzie, an experienced litigator who had graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of the Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago, within walking distance of the Water Tower , the John...
. McKenzie took charge of the flourishing litigation practice, and Baker was able to devote his energies to building an international practice. Through the 1950s, the firm's client roster expanded to include Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is a global pharmaceutical company. Eli Lilly's global headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States...
(still a valued client today), G. D. Searle & Company
G. D. Searle & Company
G.D. Searle & Company or just Searle was a company focusing on life sciences, specifically pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and animal health. It is now part of Pfizer.- History :...
, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
and Honeywell
Honeywell
Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....
.
Early expansion and the Baker & McKenzie model
The firm became an international firm after 1955 when a lawyer in VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
contacted Baker & McKenzie about opening a joint venture office in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
. Donald Baker, the name partner's son, soon moved to Caracas to launch a practice for the firm. In the next three years, flags were planted in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. Unlike fellow American firms that often practiced US law abroad, Baker & McKenzie made a decision to train local lawyers, often bringing them to the Chicago base for an initial period or temporarily relocating US attorneys to the foreign office to oversee the establishment of the practice. By 1978 Baker & McKenzie had 26 offices in 20 countries.
Consolidation and further expansion
The firm's management made a series of predictions that yielded greater profits and more legal mandates. In 1986, the firm established offices in Northern Mexico to facilitate legal transactions connected to industrial development in that region. Baker & McKenzie was one of the first firms to go East and open offices after the Iron CurtainIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
fell. To achieve critical mass in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the firm merged with MacDonald, Halsted, and Laybourne to start offices in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Diego. Further growth resulted such that the firm operated some 49 offices on 6 continents by 1990, employing some 1500 attorneys generating $404 million in revenues.
1999–present
The firm celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999. That same year, Christine LagardeChristine Lagarde
Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde is a French lawyer and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund since July 5, 2011...
— then-Paris managing partner and an antitrust and labor lawyer — was elected Chairman of the Global Executive Committee, the first woman to lead Baker & McKenzie. She was Chairman for five years. In 2004, Forbes listed Lagarde as No. 76 in its list of “Most Powerful Women in the World." She then served as France’s Minister of Finance. In June 2011, she was elected as the first woman to become Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
.
In 2001 the firm employed 3000 attorneys and had $1 billion in revenues. Baker & McKenzie adopted a Swiss Verein
Swiss Verein
A Swiss Verein is a legal structure in Swiss law. It is similar to the Anglo-American voluntary association. Unlike in Germany, a Swiss Verein does not need to be registered in order to have a separate legal personality...
structure on July 1, 2004. In 2005, the firm received a large boost when some 70 partners and other legal staff from the New York office of the disbanding international firm Coudert Brothers
Coudert Brothers
Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York-based law firm with a strong international outlook that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006.-History:...
joined Baker & McKenzie.
In October 2006, Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
chose the firm to manage its global trademark portfolio, the largest in the world with over 160,000 registrations. It was the first time a multinational company outsourced its trademark management to a law firm on such a large scale.
In September 2007, BTI Consulting rated the firm as one of the world's top 10 transaction law firms in its recent survey on corporate transactions, which was reported by National Law Journal.
John Conroy was re-elected to a second term as Chairman of the firm in October 2007. The firm’s profit per partner (PPP) broke US$1 million for the first time during his first term.
In early 2009, Baker & McKenzie opened an office in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, its fourth office in the Middle East, having received a professional license from the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning & Economy.
In October 2010 the firm opened an office in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, its 68th office worldwide.
Eduardo Leite was elected Chairman in October 2010, the Firm's first chairman from Latin America.
In October 2011, the Firm opened its 70th office in its 42nd country when it established partnership with Istanbul-based, Esin.
Transactional focus
In recent years, Baker & McKenzie has been involved in some of the most complex transactions for clients. Recent matters include:- Cargill on its binding offer to acquire Provimi, the global animal nutrition company, for an enterprise value of EUR1.5 billion from Permira funds, the private equity firm which owns Provimi.
- Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA on its acquisition of Liberty Dialysis Holdings, Inc., the holding company for Liberty Dialysis and Renal Advantage for a purchase price of USD 1.7 billion
- Ecolab Inc., in connection with its USD 8 billion merger with Nalco Holding Company
- Ensco Plc’s acquisition of Pride International Inc. for USD 7.3 billion in a deal that will create the world's second-largest offshore drilling company.
- Abbott Laboratories' acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals SA from Solvay SA, the Belgium-based chemicals and pharmaceuticals company, for EUR4.5 billion, and their USD 3.7 billion acquisition of the domestic health care business of Piramal Healthcare Ltd.
- Novatek's sale of a 12% stake in the company to Total SA, the listed French oil and gas company, for USD 4 billion
- China National Offshore Oil Corporation's (CNOOC) USD 3.1 billion joint venture with Bridas Energy Holding Company
- Veolia Transport on its merger with Transdev, creating the first worldwide public urban transportation group with an annual turnover of EUR8.3 billion and a major player in the French public transportation market
- Bemis Company Inc. on the acquisition of the Food Americas division of Alcan Packaging Inc., a business unit of Rio Tinto plc, for USD1.2 billion
- Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma'aden) and Alcoa on their $7.5bn aluminium smelter and rolling mill project at Ras Az Zawr in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Gas Natural Group on its USD1.448bn energy acquisition, the largest mergers and acquisitions deal in Mexico in 2007.
- American Standard in 2007 on the US$1.745bn sale of its bath and kitchen products business and the wider separation of the company’s operations.
Notable cases tried
Baker & McKenzie represented five leading luxury goods and fashion brands in 2005 in an action against the landlord of the infamous Silk Market Shopping mall where counterfeit goods were sold. The Intermediate and Higher People’s Courts both confirmed that the landlord was jointly and severally liable for failing to stop infringements by vendors after being notified of them, making this the first time a landlord is held responsible for the illegal activities of their tenants in the judicial history of China. This case was also recognized as a “Top Ten” case by the Beijing Higher People’s Court.In 2006, Baker & McKenzie wrote the amicus brief of the Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates (COPAA) in support of the petition for a writ of certiorari in Winkelman v. Parma City School District, and later, COPAA's amicus brief on the merits. It argued that parents have the right to represent themselves in court to enforce their IDEA rights and protect their children's access to a free appropriate public education. This led to a unanimous Supreme Court decision in June 2007 granting parents the right to proceed without counsel on behalf of children with disabilities.
In December 2009, Baker & McKenzie won a landmark tax case against the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for Symantec Corporation. The IRS had claimed that the VERITAS Software Corporation, which Symantec had subsequently acquired in 2005, owed over $1 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest as a result of VERITAS non-U.S. operations. Symantec took the case to the U.S. Tax Court where Baker & McKenzie argued that the IRS position was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable. In an opinion by Judge Maurice Foley, the U.S. Tax Court decided in favor of Symantec.
Awards
- Ranked #1 by gross revenue in the 2011 Am Law 100 list of the top grossing firms in the US
- Topped the National Law Journal’s NLJ250 rankings, an annual list of the largest US law firms by number of lawyers
- Named the world's strongest law firm brand in the sharplegal® Global Elite Brand Index, a survey of more than 2,000 of the world's largest law firm clients by Acritas, an independent research firm
- Ranked #2 in Law360's Global 20, a ranking of law firms that stand out as pre-eminent global outfits
- Selected by the International Law Office 2011 Client Choice Firm – International Award for excellence in client care and quality of service
- Selected by BTI Consulting’s 2011 Client Service A-Team list, for the fourth time in five years
- No. 1 in PLC Which Lawyer?’s Global 50 each of the past five years; Asia Law Firm of the Year, 2005–2009; Latin America Law Firm of the Year, three of the past five years; Middle East Law Firm of the Year, 2008 and 2009; Central & Eastern Europe Law Firm of the Year, 2008.
- Ranked in the top tier for its global climate change, data protection, employment, immigration, private client, outsourcing and technology & communications practices in the Chambers Global 2009 guide.
- The Foreign Policy AssociationForeign Policy AssociationThe Foreign Policy Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring the American public to learn more about the world. Founded in 1918, it serves as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding of, and providing informed opinions on global issues...
gave its 2008 Corporate Social Responsibility Award to Baker & McKenzie, the first law firm to receive such an award.
- Recipient of the first Corporate Pro Bono Partnering Award from the Pro Bono Institute.
- Recipient of the StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
Excellence in Diversity Award for 2009
- Recipient of the International Tax Review ITR award for European Indirect Tax firm of the year 2009
Diversity
Baker & McKenzie is among the law firms in the US recognized by MultiCultural Law Magazine as one of its "Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity."The firm was recognized in 2008 for the second year in a row by Working Mother magazine as one of the Best Law Firms for Women.
Since 2005, Baker & McKenzie has been one of seven law firms who are members of Diversity Champions, a 'good practices' program for blue-chip and major public sector employers. Diversity Champions is an effort of Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, a UK-based lobbying group dedicated to the rights of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
In 2009, the firm joined the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, a group focused on developing strategies to increase diversity in the legal profession.
In the news
In 1986, Geoffrey BowersGeoffrey Bowers
Geoffrey F. Bowers was the plaintiff in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases to go to public hearing.-Early life:Bowers was born in 1954 in Massachusetts. He received his bachelor's degree from Brown University where he studied political science. He worked in a factory and as a television...
, then a New York attorney, filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights, charging that he had been fired from his job at the Manhattan branch of Baker & McKenzie law firm after AIDS-related lesions appeared on his face. The firm maintained that he was fired purely for his performance. Two months after testifying at a hearing on the complaint, he died at age 33. The case was resolved in his favor in late December, when Baker & McKenzie was ordered to pay $500,000 to Bowers' estate. It was one of the first AIDS discrimination cases to go to a public hearing. Baker & McKenzie appealed but subsequently withdrew the appeal after they negotiated a confidential settlement in 1995 with Bowers' family forbidding parties from ever discussing the case or the terms of the agreement. These events were one inspiration for the film Philadelphia
Philadelphia (film)
Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington...
, starring Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
(the script of which was derived from numerous sources). The film's credits include the following message: "This motion picture was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers’ AIDS discrimination lawsuit, the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of AIDS."
In 1994, in a seminal case, a legal secretary
Legal secretary
A legal secretary is a particular category of worker within the legal profession.In the practice of law in the United States, a legal secretary is person who works in the legal profession, typically assisting lawyers. Legal secretaries help by preparing and filing legal documents, such as appeals...
, Rena Weeks, successfully sued the law firm for sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
. The trial court ordered the law firm to pay $6.9 million in punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
, making it one of the largest damage awards in history for this type of action. On May 4, 1998, the California Court of Appeal
California Court of Appeal
The California Courts of Appeal are the state intermediate appellate courts in the U.S. state of California. The state is geographically divided into six appellate districts...
for the First District upheld the trial court's judgment in full, and the Supreme Court of California
Supreme Court of California
The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...
denied review. A subsequent dispute among Weeks' victorious attorneys as to the division of fees among them (she had signed a contingent fee
Contingent fee
A contingent fee or conditional fee is any fee for services provided where the fee is only payable if there is a favourable result...
agreement for 40% of her recovery) did reach the Supreme Court of California in 2002; the court held that the later-associated co-counsel could not recover the full amount he sought because Weeks' attorneys had not obtained her consent to an agreement to split fees among co-counsel from different firms as required by California court rules. Martin R. Greenstein, the partner whose actions resulted in Weeks' successful lawsuit, was given a public reproval by the State Bar of California
State Bar of California
The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...
on March 26, 1998, and for obvious reasons, is no longer with Baker & McKenzie (the Court of Appeal decision noted that he was terminated by the firm in August 1993).
In June 2005, a senior associate
Associate attorney
An associate attorney is a lower-level employee of a traditional law firm who does not hold an ownership interest as a partner.-Attorneys:An associate may be a junior or senior associate, but normally does not yet hold an ownership interest in the firm even if they have been associated with the...
, Richard Phillips, drew a considerable amount of media attention after it was revealed that the highly paid lawyer had been making a determined effort to have a £4 dry cleaning
Dry cleaning
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a chemical solvent other than water. The solvent used is typically tetrachloroethylene , abbreviated "perc" in the industry and "dry-cleaning fluid" by the public...
bill paid by a secretary who had accidentally splashed tomato ketchup on his trousers. In an open email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, the secretary explained that she had been slow in attending to the matter due to the recent death and funeral of her mother. Before long, the story had been widely circulated throughout the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and beyond.
Baker & McKenzie is one of the first law firms to have adopted a functional outsourcing operation, which is now being emulated by other firms. Its offshore operations in Manila, which include marketing, business research, and IT and computer maintenance support, was profiled in January 2006 by BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
magazine.
Offices
Baker & McKenzie is organized as a Swiss VereinSwiss Verein
A Swiss Verein is a legal structure in Swiss law. It is similar to the Anglo-American voluntary association. Unlike in Germany, a Swiss Verein does not need to be registered in order to have a separate legal personality...
in which each office is a largely autonomous component of a loose international organization.
North America
- ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(One Prudential PlazaOne Prudential PlazaOne Prudential Plaza is a 41-story structure in Chicago completed in 1955 as the headquarters for Prudential's Mid-America company...
) - The Chicago office also houses Baker & McKenzie Global Services LLC, which coordinates Baker & McKenzie operations worldwide. - Dallas
- Houston
- Miami
- New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(W. R. Grace Building) - Palo Alto
- San Diego
- San Francisco (Embarcadero CenterEmbarcadero CenterEmbarcadero Center is a commercial complex of five office towers and two hotels on a site located off the Embarcadero in the financial district of San Francisco, California. The Trammell Crow, David Rockefeller and John Portman development was begun with Tower One in 1971, with the last...
) - TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(Brookfield Place) - Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Latin America
- BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
- Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
- CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
- GuadalajaraGuadalajara, JaliscoGuadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
- JuárezCiudad JuárezCiudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
- Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
- MonterreyMonterreyMonterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
- Santiago de Chile
- TijuanaTijuanaTijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
- Valencia (Venezuela)
- São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Porto AlegrePorto AlegrePorto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
and BrasiliaBrasíliaBrasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
, Offices of Trench Rossi e Watanabe, Baker & McKenzie's associated firm in Brazil.
Europe
- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
- Antwerp
- BakuBakuBaku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
- BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
- BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
- BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
- DüsseldorfDüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
- FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
- GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
- KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
- LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
- LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
- MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
- MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
- MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
- ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
- RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
- St. Petersburg
- StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
- ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
- WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
- ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
Asia/Pacific
- AlmatyAlmatyAlmaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
- with satellite office in TashkentTashkentTashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, UzbekistanUzbekistanUzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.... - BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
- BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(China World Trade Centre) - HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
(Vietcombank Tower) - Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
(Saigon Tower) - Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(Hutchison House, Pacific PlacePacific PlacePacific Place is a complex of office towers, hotels and a shopping centre situated at 88 Queensway, in Admiralty, Hong Kong. The latest phase, Three Pacific Place, is located at 1 Queen's Road East....
) - JakartaJakartaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
- Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
- operated by member firm Wong & Partners - ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
- MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
- ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
(Jin Mao Tower) - SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(Marina Bay Financial CentreMarina Bay Financial CentreThe Marina Bay Financial Centre , located along Marina Boulevard at Marina Bay, Singapore stands on a 3.55 hectare site, consisting of three office towers, two residential towers and retail space at Marina Bay Link Mall....
) - SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(AMP CentreAMP CentreAMP Centre is a Sydney skyscraper located at 50 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW Australia. It was built in 1976 and consists of 45 floors. It is used for commercial offices and made of concrete, glass and steel. The Centre's roof height is 188m, and it was the tallest building in Sydney until the MLC...
) - TaipeiTaipeiTaipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
- SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
- TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
- operated as a joint ventureJoint ventureA joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
named Baker & McKenzie GJBJ Tokyo Aoyama Aoki Koma Law Office