Baker Donelson and Ober Kaler vote to merge
Maryland law firm Ober Kaler will merge with Baker Donelson to form a firm with more than 800 lawyers in nine states and Washington, D.C.
Shareholders at both law firms have approved the merger, which is set to take effect Jan. 1, according to a press release and stories by the Washington Business Journal, the Baltimore Sun and the Tennessean.
The merged firm, which will keep the Baker Donelson name, will be one of the nation’s 50 largest law firms. The merger will also create the third largest health-care practice in the country.
Ober Kaler chairman and CEO S. Craig Holden told the Baltimore Sun that his firm initiated the merger. “This is not a situation where [Baker Donelson] came looking for someone to acquire,” Holden said. “We made a strategic decision to look at potential partners recognizing our need to grow.”
Ober Kaler has about 110 lawyers while Baker Donelson has about 700 lawyers.
