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Private company

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz

Logo: Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

U.S. law firm

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz P.C. is a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group with offices in the Southeastern United States and Washington, D.C. The firm was co-founded by James F. Baker, the father of Republican Representative Howard Baker Sr. and grandfather of Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker Jr. As of 2024, Baker Donelson is ranked the 79th largest U.S. law firm according to the National Law Journal's 2024 NLJ 500 ranking. The firm ranked 102nd on The American Lawyer's 2025 Am Law 200 ranking.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1888Founded1

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Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz P.C. is a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group with offices in the Southeastern United States and Washington, D.C. The firm was co-founded by James F. Baker, the father of Republican Representative Howard Baker Sr. and grandfather of Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker Jr. As of 2024, Baker Donelson is ranked the 79th largest U.S. law firm according to the National Law Journal's 2024 NLJ 500 ranking. The firm ranked 102nd on The American Lawyer's 2025 Am Law 200 ranking.2

The story

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz traces its roots back to Baker, Worthington, Crossley, Stansberry & Wolff, founded circa 1888 in Huntsville, Tennessee by James F. Baker.

James F. Baker's son, Howard Baker Sr., who served as a U.S. Representative from Tennessee, was a lawyer at the firm, as was his son Howard Baker Jr., who was U.S. Senate majority leader and White House Chief of Staff. Howard Baker Jr. was the last lawyer from the original Huntsville office, which closed after his death in 2014.

The current firm, headquartered in Memphis, is the result of a series of mergers of many different predecessor firms spread throughout the Southern United States. This includes its merger with healthcare law-focused Maryland firm Ober|Kaler, which was announced in 2016.

From Wikipedia’s article on Baker Donelson, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1888Founded Founded1

Sources

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