Beginnings
From an early age, I was drawn to language, analysis, and the way ideas could be shaped through argument. Law was a natural path, though I didn’t fully appreciate that at the start. Like many young lawyers, I only discovered my true niche after a few years in practice. What kept me going through those early years was the intellectual challenge of law school and the sense that hard work could open doors.
One of those doors was working for the late, great Hon. Morey L. Sear, Chief Judge Emeritus of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. It was a formative experience. Judge Sear served on the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), which meant I saw firsthand how major disputes were centralized after events like plane crashes and large-scale product failures. I learned how courts think about efficiency, jurisdiction, and fairness when hundreds of cases are at stake. My time with Judge Sear remains one of the most significant milestones in my career.
Before law school, I studied Law and Society at UC Santa Barbara and spent a semester studying at Georgetown University in and working in the prosecutor’s office Washington, D.C. That experience confirmed that I wanted a career in advocacy and problem-solving, and it gave me an early appreciation for the realities of practice outside the classroom.
Cozen O’Connor: Trial by Fire
After my clerkship, I joined Cozen O’Connor in Chicago in 2002. The road there was not straightforward — I was a summer associate with the firm in San Diego, but chose Chicago to be with my future wife, who was studying at Northwestern. Cozen O’Connor made a place for me in its Chicago office, and I began my career there as an associate attorney.
The practice was unique. Although Cozen O’Connor is a large national firm, I worked in its property subrogation group, handling catastrophic losses on a contingency basis. My docket included fires, explosions, collapses, floods — the events that devastate communities and test the resilience of buildings and systems. I often traveled to loss sites with forensic experts to secure evidence, sometimes while the damage was still smoldering.
In four years, I filed dozens of lawsuits across the Midwest, took part in well over 90 depositions, and appeared in state and federal courts throughout the region. It was intense, sink-or-swim work that forced me to develop quickly. I learned that litigation is not always about getting to trial; in fact, most civil cases resolve beforehand. The real skill in plaintiff-side contingency work lies in identifying good cases, moving them efficiently, and driving them to resolution in a way that serves the client’s interests.
Having missed my calling to study architecture, it was also during this time I realized where I wanted my career to go. The construction-related cases fascinated me most, and I found myself drawn to the people — developers, architects, engineers, and builders — who designed and built the projects. I wanted to work directly with them, helping them shape projects before disputes arose, and guiding them through challenges when they did.
Schiff Hardin LLP: Finding My Calling
That opportunity came when I joined Schiff Hardin LLP in 2006. It had one of the leading construction law practices in the country, and I was fortunate to learn from outstanding mentors: Mark C. Friedlander, Paul M. Lurie, Kenneth M. Roberts, and so many others. They invested in me, and I absorbed as much as I could.
At Schiff Hardin LLP, I finally worked for the clients I had been seeking: developers, institutional owners, design-builders, architects, engineers, and contractors. I handled transactions, advised on project delivery methods, and litigated and arbitrated disputes tied to major infrastructure and real estate development projects. I saw how large-scale projects — some with budgets in the billions — were negotiated, managed, and resolved when problems arose. I learned how to approach disputes strategically, focusing on early resolution and efficient outcomes rather than drawn-out battles.
Some of the representative matters I worked on at Schiff Hardin LLP include:
- advising a medical center on a $1 billion project that included an 800,000-square-foot LEED Gold-certified hospital
- representing a consortium of utilities in litigation involving $150M in claims tied to a billion-dollar project
- defending the developer of a 71-turbine, 109.5 MW wind farm against constitutional challenges
- guiding a municipality through procurement of a $60M transportation infrastructure project
- defending a property owner against multimillion-dollar claims in American Arbitration Association (AAA) arbitration hearings
- recovering fees for an international design firm in the $100M+ Chicago Spire bankruptcy
- Helping complete a $50M retirement home project after the prime contractor’s mid-project bankruptcy
I also represented dozens of prominent architecture and engineering firms. I defended A/E firms in professional negligence cases, advised leadership on risk management, drafted templates and compliance programs, and delivered AIA-accredited education programs.
After my first six years at Schiff Hardin LLP, I grew from associate to an elected partner, first-chairing disputes, training younger attorneys, and working on some of the most complex matters in the design and construction industry. It gave me a foundation in both litigation and transactional work, and it showed me the value of blending practical, real-world advice with legal strategy.
The Turning Point
A piece of advice from a Schiff Hardin LLP mentor helped crystallize my thinking: “Smart business people who design and construct are beginning to ask why they’re paying so much for trials that will never occur.” He was right. Construction cases almost always resolve. Clients want predictable outcomes, not endless hours of trial preparation. I knew I wanted to practice law in a way that reflected that reality.
By 2019, I was ready for a change. Schiff Hardin LLP was an extraordinary place, and leaving was difficult. I continue to remain very close with my former partners. But I wanted a practice where I could focus fully on efficiency, client service, and the work itself. I also wanted more balance for my family — four children at home meant baseball games, swim meets, and dance competitions I didn’t want to miss.
So I founded Baker Law Group LLC…
Baker Law Group LLC
Since 2019, our firm has represented over 200 clients on projects totaling billions of dollars in hard construction costs and about 10 million square feet. We’ve negotiated countless contracts, often using AIA contract documents, and developed custom agreements for major projects. We’ve advised on project delivery methods, counseled clients through risk management, and resolved disputes ranging from payment issues to multimillion-dollar disputes.
Our clients include developers, institutional property owners, design-builders, architects, engineers, and contractors. We work across industries: healthcare, industrial manufacturing, high-rise residential and mixed-use, education, and beyond. And when disputes arise, we focus on mediation and early resolution whenever possible, using litigation and arbitration as tools of last resort.
I’ve also continued contributing to the profession: serving since 2015 as a liaison to the AIA Contract Documents Committee, teaching Construction Law as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (f/k/a John Marshall Law School), and guest lecturing at Harvard Graduate School of Design. Along the way, I’ve been honored to have published and spoken widely on construction law and dispute resolution.
Why I Do What I Do
Looking back, the through-line is clear. From my clerkship with Judge Sear, to my early litigation years at Cozen O’Connor, to my time at Schiff Hardin LLP, the lesson has been the same: clients deserve smarter, faster, better outcomes. They deserve lawyers who can prevent disputes where possible and resolve them efficiently when they arise. They deserve contracts and delivery methods that align with their goals. They deserve practical counsel informed by real experience.
That’s why I do what I do. To help clients design and build with confidence. To protect their interests without unnecessary conflict. To deliver results that matter.
This is the story of how I got here. And it is the foundation for everything I do today.
— Jeremy Baker
