Laura Baker

More About Laura Baker

Laura Baker is a Shareholder at the Law Offices of John Day where she has spent more than 14 years representing clients in personal injury, wrongful death, and tort litigation across the state. She has successfully represented clients in hundreds of injury cases including motor vehicle, wrongful death, and slip and fall accidents, as well as medical negligence and products liability cases.

Laura's reputation and experience have earned her a number of awards and accolades. She has been named by The Best Lawyers in America as a top attorney in Personal Injury Litigation for Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice Law for Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Litigation for Plaintiffs. She has been selected as one of the “Best of the Bar” by the Nashville Business Journal five times and she has been named a Mid-South Super Lawyer in Personal Injury every year from 2013 to 2020. Laura has also been recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in the Mid-South by Super Lawyers, one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Tennessee, and one of the Top 50 Nashville Super Lawyers. Laura has earned the AV® Preeminent™ ranking from Martindale-Hubbell through its peer-review system, which indicates a ranking at the highest level of professional excellence.

Laura has also been recognized by the Nashville legal and business community for her professional and community contributions. She has received the "Rising Star Award" from the Lawyers' Association for Women. She has been recognized as an Athena Young Professional Award Nominee two times. In 2015, Laura was a winner of the Nashville Business Journal's “40 Under 40” award. Most recently, in 2019, Laura was recognized as an Attorney for Justice by the Tennessee Supreme Court in honor of her contribution of at least 50 hours of pro bono services.

Laura is a leader in the legal community. She currently serves as President of the Nashville Bar Association, a 3,000-member association of lawyers in the Nashville area. Laura has served on the Board of Directors for the NBA since she was first elected in 2016. Laura was awarded the NBA President’s Award in 2017 for her work in establishing the Friday Fundamentals program, a 13-week program for new lawyers designed to bridge the gap from law school to law practice. She served as Chair of the program in 2017 and 2018. In 2014, Laura was selected as one of 28 inaugural members of the Nashville Bar Foundation Leadership Forum. She also served on the Steering Committee for the Leadership Forum from 2015 through 2019, including serving as Co-chair of the Steering Committee for the 2018-2019 program year. Laura previously served the NBA as co-chair of the Chancery and Circuit Courts Committee. Laura was inducted as a Fellow of the Nashville Bar Foundation in 2015.

Laura previously served as the President of the Lawyers’ Association for Women, Marion Griffin Chapter from 2014-2015. She also has served this organization in other leadership roles, including as Treasurer from 2012-2013 and as a member of the planning committee for the Marion Griffin Women’s Symposium.

Laura was selected as an Associate Member of the Harry Phillips American Inn of Court in 2011 and served a two-year term. She was again selected for this organization as a Barrister from 2014 to 2018, and she served on the Executive Committee for the Inn in 2017-2018.

Laura is a member of the Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association, the Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women, and the Nashville, Tennessee, and American Bar Associations. In 2013, Laura was selected to the Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law class, an honor reserved for approximately 30 lawyers across the state each year.

Laura is a native Nashvillian. She attended St. Henry School and Father Ryan High School. Laura completed her undergraduate studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence at the University of Tennessee in 2006 where she concentrated on Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. During law school, she was selected as a member of the National Trial Team and she was a member of the Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy. She also won the Ray H. Jenkins intramural mock trial competition. After completion of her law degree, Laura was awarded the Award of Excellence in Trial Advocacy by the Tennessee Attorney General in 2006.

Laura is married to J.T. Baker, who is a Business Intelligence Analyst for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. They live in Nashville with their two children and two dogs.