It was founded in 1949 under the name Baker & McKenzie (it was not until 2017 that it dropped the &, with the aim of simplifying its message). In 1955, it became a major international firm, opening its first satellite office outside the United States in Venezuela. From there, it established offices in Washington D.C., Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, New York, and São Paulo.
In 1965, it opened an office in Madrid and became the first international firm to establish itself in Spain. Later, in 1988, it did the same in Barcelona. In Spain, its lawyers advise on some of the most important transactions in the European market.
In 2006, the Unilever brand chose this firm to manage its global brand portfolio, marking the first time that a multinational company outsourced brand management to a law firm.
Today, Baker McKenzie has 77 offices in 45 countries and a team of more than 5,000 lawyers.
