Ralph Baxter is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, a position he has held from 1990.
Under Mr. Baxter’s leadership, Orrick has expanded, diversified and extended its geographic reach, transforming from a domestic firm with California origins to one of the world’s largest and most prominent law firms, with more than 1,100 lawyers in 22 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.
He has also launched several transformative initiatives that have more closely aligned Orrick with its clients, including the firm’s new talent and pricing models, distinguishing the firm as a bold innovator in the legal industry.
Recognized as one of America’s “100 Most Influential Lawyers” by The National Law Journal, Mr. Baxter is a frequent speaker on business leadership and the evolution of the legal profession. He is the founder of the Law Firm Leaders Forum, one of the most significant gatherings of law firm leaders that annually examine the critical issues facing the legal profession. 2010 marked the 15th anniversary of the forum.
In 2003, Mr. Baxter was named a California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer magazine. Selected in the category of law practice management, Mr. Baxter was recognized for his pioneering decision to consolidate all of the firm’s finance, technology and other operations functions into one dedicated, around-the-clock facility in West Virginia – Orrick’s Global Operations Center. California Lawyer editors wrote that many in the legal profession acknowledge that, “...Orrick’s move has revolutionized conceptions about normal law-firm structures and opened the door to similar projects.”
Currently Mr. Baxter serves on the Advisory Board of Harvard Law School’s Center on Lawyers and the Professional Services Industry.
Mr. Baxter has also led the firm’s efforts to contribute to the communities in which Orrick and its lawyers and staff work and live. He plays an active role in Orrick’s innovative Community Responsibility Program, which he helped create in 2001 to orchestrate the firm’s pro bono legal services, financial support and volunteer efforts. The program ensures that the firm’s resources are strategically organized and deployed to maximize both their community impact and the number of Orrick lawyers and staff who have a chance to participate directly in the firm’s sponsored activities.
Mr. Baxter is active in numerous civic leadership and public interest organizations, particularly in California and West Virginia. In California, for example, Mr. Baxter serves on the state Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth. He also served for many years on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Partnership, a group of business and government leaders dedicated to promoting economic growth and development in San Francisco. Mr. Baxter was a member of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Trade Mission to China in 2005 and a member of San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s Trade Mission to China in 1997.
Since 2006, he has co-chaired the Governor’s 21st Century Jobs Cabinet to help lead efforts to improve education and economic development in West Virginia. He also serves on the West Virginia Workforce Investment Council and on the Board of Directors of The West Virginia Education Alliance.
In April 2009, Mr. Baxter was inducted into the June Harless Education Hall of Fame at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, in recognition of his leadership in educational issues.
Prior to his election as Chairman and CEO, Mr. Baxter practiced employment law and led Orrick’s Employment Law practice, which he founded in 1980. He was recognized as one of the “Nation’s Best Litigators in Employment Law” by The National Law Journal. During his years as a practicing lawyer, he lectured and wrote extensively on developments in the law, and testified on employment law issues before the California State Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Prior to his career in the law, Mr. Baxter taught sixth grade at the Scott Montgomery Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
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