Law giant to create hundreds of jobs in area

TAMPA — Baker McKenzie, an international law firm that generated $2.9 billion in revenue last year, plans to locate a new global support facility in Tampa that will create 300 jobs by the time it opens in 2020.

According to a press release, the Tampa center will provide expert support to Baker McKenzie and its global clients in areas such as legal services, finance, IT, knowledge management, operations, business development, marketing and communications and talent.

Jamie Lawless has been tapped to serve as executive director of the firm’s new facility. Lawless, the release states, was previously COO of Baker McKenzie's Washington, D.C., and New York offices.

“We were looking for an exceptional pool of talent, a meaningful cultural fit and a global outlook that will work well with our business needs — Tampa ticked all those boxes,” she states in the release. “But we have found much more, including a really warm welcome. We have been encouraged by the hospitality of the local economic development team and local government — in fact, by everyone in the business community we’ve met so far and who has extended open arms to us.”

Baker McKenzie operates similar global hubs in Manila and Belfast, according to the release.