The Middle Years
As Baker & McKenzie matured, Russell Baker would become one of the oldest lawyers ever to pass the rigorous California Bar exam. He took it so that we could open an office in San Francisco. We would be among the first into China as we expanded to Asia Pacific and the Middle East, while growing to become the largest law firm in the world.
Here are some highlights from our middle years:
1970
The Firm wants to begin operations in San Francisco. But Bar rules require firms to use the names of lawyers who have passed the state Bar exam or who are dead. After taking a review course, and a couple of tries, Russell Baker passes the California Bar exam, and the office opens. He became the oldest candidate ever to pass the examination, reputed to be the most difficult in the United States.
1972
A four-year associate, Eugene Theroux, accompanies a US congressional delegation to China and begins to travel there regularly for clients. Nine years later, as a partner, he will give lectures on commercial law for Chinese business people. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, many of his students will go on to hold important positions in government and business.
1974
The Firm opens its office in Hong Kong only to learn that people believe a ghost inhabits the building. An 8-foot-tall statue imported from New Guinea is posted outside the door, and the ghost disappears. The office thrives, becoming one of the largest in the Firm.
1978
Baker & McKenzie ranks first among US law firms in the first annual rankings by the US-based National Law Journal. It will continue to hold that position for more than 25 years. Wulf Döser is elected chairman. He becomes the first non-US partner to lead the Firm.
1979
Russell Baker dies on September 28 – the same month and day as his founding partner, John McKenzie, had died 17 years earlier. His death also coincided with the date of the Firm's annual meeting in Paris, the first that Russell did not preside over. The Firm's attorney roster reaches 500.
1980
The Firm opens an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Long accustomed to working with both civil law and common law issues, the Firm now adds to its capabilities an understanding of the sharia, the basic body of Islamic law that underpins many legal systems in the Middle East.
1981
The Firm hires its first director of professional development, beginning a focused effort to continually improve both practice skills and the consistency of legal services across the Firm's global network.