Bruce J. Baker

Illinois Bankers Association

Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES

About Bruce J. Baker

Biography

Bruce J. Baker is an accomplished attorney who has represented many important clients during his practice of law during the past 30 years. He is a member of the American Bar Association, working specifically with the antitrust and banking committees. A leader in his field, Bruce J. Baker also has previously served as Chairman of the banking committee’s task force for state law developments.

After graduating from law school, Bruce Baker began his career working as the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. Even as a recent law-school graduate, he was granted a lot of responsibility. He worked with appellate litigation and civil trials regarding bid-rigging, price-fixing, unreasonable restraints of trade, and tying arrangements. He also provided legal counsel for class-action suits, obtaining $5 million in settlements, and argued and won two decisions with the Illinois Supreme Court in 1982.

After four years with the Attorney General’s Office, Baker went on to work for Mass, Miller, and Josephson, Ltd. of Chicago, representing the Illinois Bankers Association and various financial institutions in matters of legislation, regulation, and operation. Next, with Dean Witter Financial Services Group, Baker provided senior counsel for Discover Card Services, Inc., a major credit-card corporation. In this position, he expanded his focus from banking and tax to other business litigation issues such as employment, multi-state taxation, and corporate governance. In 1991, he took on a leadership position managing an entire law department as General Counsel for the Illinois Commissioner of Banks & Trust Companies.

For the past 13 years, Bruce J. Baker has been Executive Vice President and General Counsel with the Illinois Bankers Association. This association works with more than 700 companies, banks, and trust companies. He has a wide and diverse set of responsibilities in this position. In addition to formulating state and federal policies, he acts as the association’s liaison with major state financial institutions.