Practice Areas

Construction Law

Baker & Baker, P.A., represents clients in nearly all sectors of the construction industry, including subcontractors, general contractors, material suppliers, construction equipment manufacturers, construction equipment lenders, and owners of commercial construction projects.

The firm also counsels homeowners from the pre-contract phase to completion and final settlement, including the resolution of any construction disputes. The firm represents some of the largest companies in the construction arena as well as small local businesses.

The firm provides experienced and practical advice to clients on a broad range of construction issues, including litigating and resolving construction disputes in a practical, cost-effective manner. 

William Baker lectures on construction law and has written or co-written several books and articles on construction law, including: Construction Lien Law in Maryland, Lorman Education Services (2003); Construction Payment Remedies in Maryland, National Business Institute, Inc.(2002); and “The Mechanics of Mechanics’ Liens”, Maryland Service Review Volume 2, No. 6 (November/December, 1994)

Wills, Trusts and Estate Administration

The firm provides estate planning and probate administration to clients of all wealth levels.  The firm prepares wills for its clients ranging from basic, simple wills to sophisticated multiple-trust wills; and trusts ranging from simple trusts to complex trusts. 

The members of the firm have served as personal representatives of numerous estates and as trustees of numerous trusts. George W. Baker is a former Judge on the Orphan’s (Probate) Court of Baltimore City. George and William Baker are among the co-authors of the book Elder Law published by the National Business Institute, Inc.

Litigation

Baker & Baker, P.A. represents businesses and other clients before a wide range of Courts, including the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals, the United States District Court, the United States Bankruptcy Court, the Maryland Court of Appeals, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the Maryland Tax Court, and numerous Circuit and District Courts and administrative agencies throughout Maryland. 

The firm limits its litigation practice to civil litigation, primarily in the areas of business, construction, commercial, contract and tax litigation. George Baker was co-counsel for the School Board of Baltimore City in the famous Supreme Court school prayer case, Madeline Murray (O’Hair) v. Curlett, 374 U.S. 203, 83 S. Ct. 1560 (1963). William Baker has represented clients in hundreds of lawsuits. Most recently, William Baker successfully represented a professional athlete before the Maryland Tax Court, the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County, and the Maryland Court of Appeals in the tax case of Comptroller v. Kolzig, 375 Md. 562 (2003).

Real Estate

The firm counsels clients in the sale, acquisition, rental, development and use of both
commercial and residential real estate.  The firm prepares and negotiates, for sellers and buyers, contracts for the purchase and sale of commercial and residential real estate; prepares leases for landlords for commercial and residential properties; and analyzes and negotiates leases for tenant clients, as well as provide representation in a wide variety of other real estate transactions.  William Baker has co-authored two books on real estate law, The Essentials of Commercial and Residential Leasing in Maryland, and Keys to Success in a Real Estate Transaction in Maryland.

Commercial Law and Secured Transactions

The firm represents a variety of businesses and individuals in commercial matters, including secured and unsecured lenders, manufacturers, sellers, and purchasers of products. The firm represents secured and unsecured creditors in the United States Bankruptcy Court, and in litigation in federal and state court. The firm prepares and reviews a wide range of commercial documents for its clients.  William Baker taught secured transactions at the University of Maryland School of Law. 

Business Law

Baker & Baker, P.A. represents businesses in a wide range of industries, from small,
local businesses to Fortune 500 companies. The services range from assisting clients in comparing and selecting the most appropriate form of organization for their business, including advice and counsel on capitalization, control, and all other aspects associated with the formation of a start-up business, to providing counsel on day-to-day matters such as personnel issues, collecting problem accounts, corporate governance, tax issues, and a broad spectrum of other business issues. The firm negotiates, prepares and reviews for its clients a wide variety of contracts relating to all aspects of their business and their contractual relationships, including by way of example, sales and delivery forms, notes, security agreements and other commercial forms, employment contracts, buy-sell agreements, stockholders agreements and distributorship agreements.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Baker & Baker, P.A. has taken a lead role in the subject of Alternative Dispute Resolution.  While disputes are inevitable, costly litigation usually is not.  There are many good reasons to choose alternative forms of dispute resolution, such as mediation or arbitration. 

Disputes which wind up in litigation, or which are resolved by means of trial, can imperil important relationships, are a source of stress and frustration to the parties to the suit, and can often be an expensive diversion from a client’s efforts to get on with its business.

When a client is involved or is about to be involved in litigation, one of the first steps undertaken by the firm is to explore with the client the most practical cost-efficient resolution of the dispute. William Baker has experience in not only representing clients in mediation and arbitration, but has served as an arbitrator and mediator for the State of Maryland, the District and Circuit Courts of the State of Maryland, as well as in private practice. 

William Baker has served as an arbitrator on the Maryland Health Claims Arbitration Board since 1984.  He is a civil case mediator for both the Circuit Court for Baltimore County and the District Court for Baltimore County.  He was a member of the Maryland State Bar Association Special Committee on the Cost of Civil Litigation Task Force, and authored the section of the Committee’s report on Alternative Dispute Resolution.