Baker McKenzie

With more than 70 offices in over 40 locations, Baker McKenzie takes "global" to another level. The firm’s geographic reach and practice area diversity have enabled it to ride out financial storms while outrunning a legion of BigLaw competitors. The firm’s attorneys counsel more than one-half of the world’s largest public companies, among other clients, across a range of sectors and practices.

Global From the Start

It all started in 1948 when Russell Baker and John McKenzie discussed the idea of establishing an international law firm while sharing a taxi ride home. By 1949, they had launched Baker & McKenzie, with Baker focused on building the international practice and McKenzie handling the litigation work. In 2024, Baker McKenzie proudly celebrated its 75th anniversary. 

Since its inception, the firm has engaged in steady growth without losing its reputation for quality legal work; it is now home to over 5,800 lawyers and tax advisers, who speak over 90 languages. The firm has steadily grown its commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity, as well as sustainability and access to justice, as evidenced by its top score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for 15 consecutive years. Today, the firm touts its ability to adopt new ways of thinking and uses cutting-edge legal technologies to help clients compete in the new world economic order. 

Crossing Borders, Crunching Numbers

While the firm wears many hats, it is known primarily for its cross-border work and tax practice. The firm advises on an array of areas, including antitrust, capital markets, employment, intellectual property, international commercial and trade, M&A, private equity, real estate, restructuring, and tax matters across the globe. In fact, according to the firm, almost two-thirds of firm revenue is derived from cross-border deals involving clients that operate in more than five countries.

The firm's deal portfolio consistently shows an increase in the number of high-profile, cross-border, and domestic M&A transactions, including public and private M&A deals, joint ventures and strategic alliances, divestitures and carve-outs. Baker McKenzie's M&A practice has consistently been recognized as a top three firm for cross-border M&A by volume for the past decade. The firm is one of only a handful of law firms with a dedicated global reorganizations practice, which allows firm attorneys to guide clients through all stages of their transactions from deal shaping (including asset carve-outs) and negotiation to closing and post-transaction restructuring and integration.

Baker McKenzie is also consistently among the top five firms in Vault’s Tax practice area rankings. With more than 900 tax practitioners comprising lawyers, economists, and advisers in more than 40 countries, the firm’s tax team offers unmatched technical tax expertise for assisting companies with customs, economic services, real estate tax, state and local tax, supply chain tax planning, tax dispute resolution, tax issues relating to M&A and reorganization, general tax planning and policy, and related matters.

Jet Setters

With its global reach, Baker McKenzie is able to offer its associates ample international work experience, including the opportunity to live and work abroad. Through the firm’s Associate Training Program, associates live and work abroad for a period ranging from two months to two years. Among other advantages, this interoffice secondment gives associates insight into the firm’s global operations, contributes to associates’ professional development, and bolsters the firm’s transactional strategies.

• Baker McKenzie is representing Capital One Financial Corporation in its agreement to acquire Brex, an AI native intelligent finance platform, in a cash and stock transaction valued at $5.15 billion. 
• Baker McKenzie is advising FedEx Corporation and a consortium including Advent, A&R, and PPF on a conditional agreement for a recommended all-cash offer for InPost at an offer price of €15.60 (cum dividend) per share. 
• Baker McKenzie advised Honeywell International Inc. on the international aspects of the $1.4 billion sale of its Productivity Solutions and Services Business to Brady Corporation as well as the international aspects of its sale of its Warehouse and Workflow Solutions Business to American Industrial Partners. 
• Baker McKenzie is representing Servier on its definitive agreement to acquire Day One Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing targeted therapies for patients of all ages with life-threatening diseases, for approximately $2.5 billion.

• No. 2 on Pulse Global Leaders List, 2025—Law360
• Tax Practice Group of the Year, 2026—Law360
• Top 10 Investigations Practice, 2025—Global Investigations Review
• Best Use of AI Award, Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards, 2025—Law.com
• Beacon of Justice Award, 2025—The National Legal Aid & Defender Association