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Ralph Baxter is an American lawyer and businessman, widely regarded as a transformational figure in the business of large law firms.

Baxter spent most of his career at Orrick, one of world’s largest law firms, serving as its Chairman from 1990 to 2013, and leading its evolution from its San Francisco origin to a global presence with more than 1,100 lawyers. Among the innovations Baxter initiated at Orrick was the creation of a “Global Operations Center,” in Wheeling, West Virginia, housing the firm’s infrastructure, to deliver client service better, faster, and less expensively, an unprecedented move when it was made, which became an industry standard.

In 2013, The American Lawyer Magazine recognized Baxter as one of the “Top Fifty Big Law Innovators in the Last 50 Years.”

Early Life

Baxter was born September 7, 1946 to Ralph Baxter and Edith Wright Baxter. He grew up in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, moving to California in 1956, when his mother accepted a position as office manager of a life insurance company in San Francisco, where she had worked during World War II.

Baxter received a B.A. in history from Stanford University in 1968, an M.A. in education from Catholic University in 1970, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1974.

Prior to his legal career, Baxter taught sixth grade at Scott Montgomery Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

Legal Career

Baxter joined Orrick in 1974. He became a partner in the firm in 1980, and Chairman in 1990.

In 1976, as a second-year associate, Baxter founded a new department, specializing in employment law. He built a successful employment law practice, representing clients such a Apple and The Gap, grew the Orrick employment law department to national prominence, and became a leading authority on American employment law.

As Chairman, Baxter led and managed Orrick through a transformation from a prominent regional firm, with revenues of $72 million, to a diversified global firm, with more than 1,100 lawyers in 25 offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and revenues in excess of $850 million.

As it transformed, Orrick became known for its innovative approach to the profession and business of law, making bold changes in the way it did nearly everything necessary to deliver legal service.

The innovation that received the most attention was opening a Global Operations Center, in West Virginia, hundreds of miles from Orrick’s nearest law office, in a community of 25,000 people. Initially derided by some as a “bone headed move,” the “GOC” established a new standard commonly adopted by large law firms today. Now employing 15% of Orrick’s worldwide workforce, the GOC enables the firm to deploy its resources more efficiently, optimize the use of technology, increase the responsiveness and speed of its legal service, enhance career satisfaction, reduce its costs, charge clients more reasonable fees, and increase the firm’s profits. California Lawyer Magazine said of the GOC, “…Orrick’s move has revolutionized conceptions about normal law-firm structures and opened the door to similar projects.”

During his Orrick years Baxter became a thought leader in the American legal profession, speaking and writing about the evolution legal service. In 1995 he founded the Law Firm Leaders Forum, which became the longest-running and most prominent annual, national program for leaders of large law firms, which will have its 22nd convening in 2017. The National Law Journal named Baxter one of America’s 100 Most Influential Lawyers.

Post Orrick Career

After he stepped down at Orrick, Baxter continued to focus on innovations in legal service, focusing on a diverse set of participants in the legal ecosystem. He served for two years as Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Advisory Board to Thomson Reuters Legal, the world’s largest supplier of content and support to legal service providers. He serves on the advisory boards to centers on the legal profession at the law schools at Stanford, Harvard, and Georgetown. He advises legal technology companies, such as Intapp, Legal Zoom, Lex Machina, and Ravel Law. He advises corporate legal departments, with particular involvement with the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium. He also advises a select group of law firms which are actively seeking to modernize the way they serve clients.

Public Service

Baxter has long been active in public service, particularly in West Virginia. From 2006 to 2010 he served as Co-Chair of Governor Manchin’s 21st Century Jobs Cabinet. He has served for many years on the board of directors of the West Virginia Education Alliance. In 2009 he was inducted in the June Harless Education Hall of Fame at Marshall University.

Personal

Baxter is married to Cheryl Waterman Baxter, the founder of The SweatBar, an on-line purveyor of women’s active wear, and has four children.

He lives in Wheeling, West Virginia.