The roots of Baker Donelson's Chattanooga office go back more than 60 years to when Albert W. Taber opened a solo practice in the Chattanooga Bank Building, focusing on corporate, tax, estate, and trust law.
In 1964, the office added Thomas Caldwell as a partner and expanded to become a full-service firm. Thomas O. Helton joined in 1968, followed by Carl Hartley and David Fielder, forming what came to be known as Caldwell, Heggie & Helton. Heiskell Donelson opened its doors in Chattanooga in 1986 and, in 1993, merged with the Caldwell firm. A year later, Heiskell Donelson merged with Baker Worthington to form Baker Donelson.
Today, the Chattanooga office is home to approximately 40 lawyers with practices serving international, national, regional, and local clients. The office boasts a national practice dedicated to the needs of stakeholders in skilled nursing and seniors housing; a nationally recognized team representing lenders and borrowers in HUD-insured commercial loans for health care and multifamily housing facilities; a national litigation team that represents telecommunications providers and Class I railroad carriers; an immigration team that provides trusted counsel to clients around the world on business-, employment-, and family-based immigration matters, including a significant EB-5 practice; trial lawyers focused on representing investor-owned water utilities in condemnation actions and other regulatory matters; tax and economic development lawyers supporting local and national clients; a trusts and estates team focused on planning, administration, tax, and litigation; and a bankruptcy and creditor's rights team that represents local, regional, and national financial institutions on a range of issues.
Our lawyers' commitment to nurturing a collegial work environment complements and reinforces their dedication to excellent client service, as do state-of-the-art technology and support services. In addition, both lawyers and administrative staff are active in giving back to the community – with volunteer and charitable support of multiple organizations, such as regularly providing meals for women and children at "Room in the Inn" for more than 25 years, serving meals and working on special projects with the Chat Foundation (formerly The Community Kitchen), and active involvement in other organizations, including the United Way and the YMCA.
Baker Donelson's Chattanooga office is comprised of high-performing teams focused on being trusted advisors to local, regional, and national clients. Deeply invested in a vibrant Chattanooga, the office is committed to the needs of the business community and providing legal advice that accounts for the business and operational realities of the client's industry. The localized experience is buttressed by the whole of Baker Donelson, making the Chattanooga office an entry point into a panoply of legal services provided across the Firm's footprint.