Mr. Baker’s practice includes litigation and transactional work with an emphasis on intellectual property, business, and real property.  In more than 20 years of practice, his legal experience has included a substantial amount of work in the areas of trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, computer software development, licensing, distribution agreements and protocols, franchising, publisher’s rights, real property development and construction defects, homeowner’s associations, product liability, wrongful death and personal injury defense, and executive compensation and employment rights.  Mr. Baker represents multi-national corporations, small and mid-size businesses, computer software companies, magazine publishers, real property owners and developers, and individual clients on a myriad of issues.

Mr. Baker has tried numerous cases before the California state superior courts and the Federal courts and has argued appeals before the California state appellate courts.  He has successfully represented clients in more than 100 arbitrations and an equal number of mediations.

• He represents the leading developer and provider of Student Information Software to public and private school districts in the state of California.
• He represented one of the largest residential communities in California in a contentious and highly-publicized Federal Court action over trademark rights resulting in a very favorable settlement for his client.
• He represented the widow of a president and CEO in litigation with her husband’s corporation over intellectual property and real property rights resulting in a judgment and a later settlement worth more than $3.2 million in her favor.
• He represented a well-known gate operator manufacturer in multiple lawsuits against competitors whose designs infringed on his client’s trade rights and forced the competitors to change their designs to avoid infringement.
• He represented the retiring president and CEO of a major telephone directory in negotiating and securing a retirement package worth in excess of $12 million.
• He represented a building contractor in a construction defect trial and subsequent bad faith action against his insurer resulting in a net $1.2 million judgment for his client.
• He tried a significant products liability case against Mercedes Benz in binding arbitration and obtained a defense verdict for his client.

Admissions:

• California
• U.S. District Court Central District of California

Education:

• University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, California, J.D., 1987; Editor, International Law Journal
• University of Southern California, B.A., 1983,  With Honors

• University of Kent, Canterbury, England, 1983, University Diploma with Honors

Publications:

• Mr. Baker is a frequent contributor to numerous legal and business publications and his articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, The Orange County Business Journal, OC Metro and The Orange County Register as well as many popular and trade publications.

Affiliations:

• California State Bar Association
• Orange County Bar Association
• American Bar Association