Prelude to Baker & McKenzie
Before there was Baker & McKenzie, there was a man with a dream. Russell Baker grew up in the rugged American Southwest, traveled by cattle car to go to college, and started his legal practice years before getting his law degree (a common practice at the time).
Here are some highlights from the "prelude" years:
1901
Russell Baker is born into a farm family in Portage, Wisconsin, US. At age 12, his family moves to Texas and later, in 1917, to New Mexico, where young Russell learns Spanish and develops a budding passion for diverse cultures.
1920
Unable to afford the fare, Baker rides for days in cold cattle cars to enroll at the University of Chicago. He works as a professional prizefighter at county fairs to pay his tuition. He also meets his wife, Elizabeth, a daughter of missionaries who grew up in Mexico.
1925
With a law school friend, Baker opens Baker & Simpson, the first of what will be several law firms bearing his name. He focuses on helping Mexican nationals and builds a practice specializing in immigration, bankruptcy, criminal and tort law.
1928
Baker brings Corrine Rice, an appellate lawyer, into the firm – an early indicator of his lifelong interest in diversity. Four years later, when Simpson retires due to health issues, Rice becomes a name partner in Baker's new firm. Her name stays on the door until 1949, five years after her death.
1933
Abbott Laboratories, a leading pharmaceutical company based in Chicago, begins a push to expand internationally. Baker will soon add it to his fledging corporate practice (and it remains a major client to this day). It is the start of the world's first truly global corporate practice.
1942
The United States tax code is amended to encourage investment in Latin America. Baker sees an opportunity to use newly created Western Hemisphere Trade Corporation provisions and, subsequently, foreign-base companies, to help companies reduce their tax liabilities. It was the start of what would become one of the world's largest tax planning practices.
1948
Baker and John McKenzie meet by chance while sharing a cab home from work. Baker describes his vision for creating an international law firm. Within a year, they would join forces to establish that firm. McKenzie took charge of Russell's flourishing litigation practice, one of the leading practices in the City of Chicago, permitting Baker to dedicate his time to the development of the international practice.