J. Ashley Cooper and Robert Anthony Wells have been elected to Baker Donelson's board of directors by the Firm's shareholders.
Mr. Cooper, who serves as managing shareholder in the Firm's Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, offices, is the Firm's first board member from the Carolinas. Since 2021, Baker Donelson has been focused on expanding in South Carolina and North Carolina, opening offices in Raleigh (2021), Charleston (2022), Charlotte (2024), and Winston-Salem (2025). In addition to his leadership role as managing shareholder for the South Carolina offices, Mr. Cooper has been actively involved with the Firm's expansion efforts in North Carolina. His election to the board of directors reflects Baker Donelson's continuing commitment to South Carolina and North Carolina.
Mr. Cooper represents companies with energy interests before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and state utility commissions. He counsels clients on compliance, transactional, and litigation issues across the energy sector and advises clients on emerging issues such as battery storage, generation deployment, and customer solutions. His work also includes supporting companies as they develop and implement regulatory compliance programs and preparing clients for and representing them during government audits and investigations.
Mr. Cooper is listed in Chambers USA as a leading Energy & Natural Resources lawyer in North Carolina (2025) and in The Best Lawyers in America® for Energy Law (2017 – 2026) and Energy Regulatory Law (2016 – 2026). He has been recognized by Charleston Business Magazine as a "Top Attorney in Energy & Utilities" (2020 – 2021) and as part of its "Legal Elite" in Government (2018 – 2019) and Energy & Utilities (2020 – 2021, 2023).
Mr. Wells serves as chair of Baker Donelson's Health Law Group and is the former co-leader of the Health Care Regulatory Team. He represents clients in health care regulatory and corporate matters and draws upon more than 25 years of experience advising long-established and emerging health care companies on achieving their business objectives while complying with complex federal, state, and international health care requirements.
His practice primarily focuses on fraud and abuse issues. He routinely handles complex legal and operational matters, including developing, implementing, and evaluating corporate compliance programs for providers across the health care industry. Mr. Wells' work includes addressing regulatory considerations related to pharmaceutical and medical device companies and their interactions with health care providers, as well as supporting the development and growth of innovative technology and health care data analytics partnerships.
He is listed in Chambers USA as a leading Health Care lawyer in Maryland (2021 – 2025) and in The Best Lawyers in America® for Health Care Law (2020 – 2026). Mr. Wells was named a 2025 Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer and recognized as one of The Daily Record's and Maryland State Bar Association's 2024 Leaders in Law honorees. He is a member of the American Health Law Association and has served on numerous governing boards of several organizations, including the West Virginia University Board of Trustees and, most recently, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation.
Baker Donelson Chair and CEO Timothy M. Lupinacci said, "Robert's experience in health care regulatory and corporate matters, along with his thoughtful leadership and service on governing boards, and Ashley's role as a trusted advisor with deep knowledge of our key markets, make them outstanding additions to our board. Their judgment, strategic insight, and commitment to client service align closely with the Firm's long-term vision, and I am confident their leadership will support our continued growth as we advance the objectives of our BakerVision 2028 strategic plan."