The University of Texas at Austin   School of Law

Education

• JD Yale
• BA Oxford
• BA Yale

Areas of Specialty

• Professional Responsibility
• Property
• State and Local Government Law

One of the nation's leading scholars on issues of professional responsibility in group litigation, Professor Baker is also a leading academic defender of federalism and the rights of states. She is frequently called upon by lawyers and legislators to serve as an expert on issues of legal ethics, state and local government law, and federalism.

Professor Baker is the co-author of a leading law school text, Local Government Law: Cases and Materials (Foundation Press, 4th ed. 2010) (with Clayton P. Gillette), and the author or co-author of dozens of articles and book chapters, including "Facts About Fees: Lessons for Legal Ethics" (Texas Law Review, 2002); "I Cut, You Choose: The Role of Plaintiffs' Counsel in Allocating Settlement Proceeds" (Virginia Law Review, 1998) (with Charles Silver); "Conditional Federal Spending After Lopez" (Columbia Law Review, 1995); and "Federalism and the Double Standard of Judicial Review" (Duke Law Journal, 2001) (with Ernest A. Young).

A fourteen-time national champion in tournament bridge, Professor Baker won a silver medal at the 2009 World Bridge Championships (Venice Cup) in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Recent Publications

• Fiduciaries and Fees: Preliminary Thoughts [Symposium: Civil Procedure and the Legal Profession], 79 Fordham Law Review 1833 (2011) (with Charles M. Silver).
• The Politics of Legal Ethics: Case Study of a Rule Change [Symposium: Ted Schneyer Ethics Symposium: Lawyer Regulation for the 21st Century], 53 Arizona Law Review 425 (2011).
• Local Government Law: Cases and Materials (New York: Foundation Press, 4th ed. 2010 with Clayton P. Gillette; 3rd ed. 2004; Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Law & Business, 2nd ed. 1999; Teacher's Manual, 4th ed. 2010 with Clayton P. Gillette; 3rd ed. 2004; Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Law & Business, 2nd ed. 1999).

Full list of publications…

Recent Activities

• Speaking Engagement

  June 8, 2007

  Hot Topics In Pharmaceutical Litigation Conference

  Spoke on "Group Settlements in the New Era: Ethical and Liability Issues," at the "Hot Topics In Pharmaceutical Litigation" conference on June 8, 2007 in Miami, Florida.

• Paper Presentation

  April 24, 2007

  Drawing Board Lunch

  Presented (with Dan Rodriguez) a work-in-progress titled "Comparative Domestic Constitutional Law: Federalism and Localism as a Case Study," at a Drawing Board Lunch at the University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, on April 24, 2007.

• Speaking Engagement

  March 30, 2007

  Mass Torts Made Perfect Symposium

  Spoke on "Group Settlements in the New Era: Ethical and Liability Issues," at the Mass Torts Made Perfect symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 30, 2007.

Full activities list…