What Ober Kaler does

Ober Kaler was a Baltimore-based law firm that became part of Baker Donelson (Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC), a national law firm headquartered in the southeastern United States. The combined firm operates a legal services platform with more than 700 attorneys and public policy advisors across more than 20 offices spanning 14 states and Washington, D.C., with cross-border teams serving clients in more than 100 countries. The client base includes more than half of the Fortune 100 and more than 40 of the top 100 US financial services companies, with deep vertical specialization in health care, financial services, energy, manufacturing, transportation, and retail.

The firm's service offering spans 30+ practice areas covering corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, health law, financial services regulation, data privacy and cybersecurity, intellectual property, labor and employment, tax, real estate, and cross-border transactions. Technology supporting service delivery includes proprietary tools such as WEBSCAN (a document scanning and management system) and DB3 (an internal database/integration platform), alongside standard legal technology for eDiscovery and litigation support. Specialized transaction practices have been built around medical sub-specialties, digital health, and emerging regulatory areas including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, blockchain, and cannabis/psychedelics. Associated entities The Howard Baker Forum and The Daschle Group extend the firm's reach into policy and public affairs.

Baker Donelson generates revenue through professional services billing — hourly fees, fixed fees, and matter-based arrangements — with multi-year engagements typical for enterprise clients. Go-to-market relies on direct attorney-client engagement, business development, and referrals, supported by content marketing, events and webinars, podcasts, and social media-driven thought leadership. Customer segments are predominantly large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies, segmented by industry vertical rather than company size, with health care and financial services as primary verticals.

Name

Ober Kaler

Legal name

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

Website

https://ober.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ober Kaler is part of Baker Donelson, a national US law firm with 700+ attorneys across 20+ offices serving more than half of the Fortune 100 and 40+ top US financial services firms across 30+ practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices27 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Baker Donelson generates revenue through providing legal services across more than 30 practice areas including corporate, litigation, health law, financial services, and more. Revenue is generated through hourly billing, fixed fees for specific services, and matter-based arrangements with enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ober Kaler is a Baltimore-based law firm with approximately 90 employees providing legal advisory, transactional, litigation, and regulatory compliance services to enterprise clients. The firm focuses on corporate, health law, financial services, and litigation matters, with its practitioners integrated into a broader national legal services platform following the merger with Baker Donelson. Revenue is generated through hourly billing, fixed fees, and matter-based engagements with corporate clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Howard Baker Forum: Policy forum associated with the firm.
• The Daschle Group

Products and services

• Corporate and Business Legal Services Legal advisory and transactional services for corporate clients covering business formations, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities, and commercial transactions. For enterprise corporate clients and growth-stage companies.
• Health Law Practice Legal services for health care providers, hospitals, health systems, and life sciences companies covering regulatory compliance, transactions, HIPAA, HIPAA compliance, health information technology, and policy advocacy. Nationally-ranked practice handling significant matters across all 50 states.
• Financial Services Legal Practice Legal advisory for banks, investment firms, insurance companies, and financial institutions. Covers securities and corporate finance, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, financial services litigation, and government affairs. Trusted advisors to more than 40 of the top 100 US financial services companies.
• Litigation and Dispute Resolution Commercial/business litigation, class and collective actions, appellate practice, alternative dispute resolution, trials, and product liability defense. Backed by more than 300 attorneys with trial experience across 49 states and Washington, D.C.
• Cross-Border Business and International Legal Services Cross-border legal advisory for international business operations, including country-specific teams for Austria/Germany/Switzerland, China, Italy, and Japan, plus international arbitration, immigration, and trade/national security counsel. Guides clients in more than 100 countries.
• Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Services Intellectual property protection and technology legal services including patent prosecution and litigation, trademarks and branding, copyright, trade secrets, AI-related matters, blockchain and digital assets, data privacy, and cybersecurity incident response.
• Labor and Employment Legal Services Legal counsel on labor and employment matters including ERISA litigation, wage and hour, workers' compensation, OSHA, reductions in force, restrictive covenants, and employment policies and training.
• Real Estate and Construction Legal Services Real estate, construction, real estate finance, REIT, and land conservation legal services for developers, lenders, and property owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nationally-ranked health care practice handling significant matters in all 50 states
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• The Howard Baker ForumminorOthersBaker Donelson is associated with The Howard Baker Forum, a policy discussion platform named after former U.S. Senator Howard Baker.
• The Daschle GroupminorOthersBaker Donelson is associated with The Daschle Group, a policy advisory firm.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DLA Piper: DLA Piper is a global law firm with thousands of lawyers serving Fortune 500 enterprises across corporate, litigation, regulatory, IP, and cross-border matters. It is a comparable broad incumbent whose national platform and Fortune 100 client roster overlap directly with Baker Donelson's positioning.
• Hogan Lovells: Hogan Lovells is a global law firm with strong healthcare, financial services, and regulatory practices serving large enterprises and financial institutions. It competes with Baker Donelson in the same enterprise legal services market with similar multi-disciplinary industry teams.
• Dentons: Dentons is the world's largest law firm by headcount, with a polycentric platform spanning corporate, regulatory, healthcare, and energy. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Baker Donelson's enterprise and multi-jurisdictional service model.
• Norton Rose Fulbright: Norton Rose Fulbright is a global law firm with a strong US platform in financial services, energy, and corporate transactions. It competes for the same Fortune 100 and large financial institution clients as Baker Donelson across regulatory and cross-border mandates.

Direct peers

• Nelson Mullins: Nelson Mullins is a southeastern US-based national law firm with similar size and overlapping healthcare, financial services, and corporate practices. It is a direct peer competing for the same Fortune 100 and large enterprise clients across the Southeast.
• King & Spalding: King & Spalding is an Atlanta-based national law firm with comparable size, similar southeastern US roots, and overlapping healthcare, energy, financial services, and litigation practices. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Baker Donelson in the enterprise and healthcare markets.
• Akerman LLP: Akerman is a national law firm with similar size, a strong southeastern US footprint, and overlapping real estate, healthcare, financial services, and corporate practices. It is a direct regional peer that competes head-to-head for enterprise clients in the Southeast.
• McDermott Will & Emery: McDermott Will & Emery is a national law firm of comparable size known for its nationally-ranked healthcare practice and strong regulatory and corporate work. It is a direct peer because of its similar healthcare franchise and Fortune 500 client base.
• Holland & Knight: Holland & Knight is a national law firm with comparable size, multiple southeastern US offices, and overlapping healthcare, financial services, litigation, and real estate practices. It directly competes for the same enterprise clients in the Southeast.

Regional players

• Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis: Waller is a Nashville-based law firm with comparable healthcare and financial services practices serving enterprise clients in the southeastern US. It is a regional peer with significant overlap in healthcare transactions and financial services regulatory work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Baker_Donelson
• Facebookfacebook.com/BakerDonelson
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ober-kaler
• Instagraminstagram.com/bakerdonelson

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ober Kaler