Baker Donelson's presence in Knoxville dates to 1957 when Howard H. Baker Jr. and Robert F. Worthington founded Baker Worthington. Baker was elected to the United States Senate in 1966 and served there until 1985. Baker Worthington merged with the Heiskel Donelson firm to form Baker Donelson in 1994.
Just a few miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Knoxville is known for its natural beauty and easy-going lifestyle, which have made it a magnet for highly skilled and well-educated workers, as well as businesses seeking to employ them. The city has experienced remarkable growth, attracting enterprises of all sizes, including major companies in the pet products, media, health care, manufactured housing and highway travel center industries. Today, our Knoxville office is home to more than 20 lawyers serving the legal needs of these businesses.
Our Knoxville office is known for its strength in labor and employment law and litigation, financial institutions transactions, real estate development and public-private partnerships – including tax incentive financing and related economic development. In addition, our Knoxville office has been a leader in legal project management, developing process and technology protocols to manage legal matters more efficiently and provide greater budgeting certainty to clients.
Lawyers in our Knoxville office are very active in the community, supporting community organizations and providing pro bono legal service to populations in need, including homeless persons, veterans and families seeking to establish conservatorships.