Commentary: A hundred years of certitude

In my experience, lawyers have too many tasks and too few hours to accomplish them. I have found that it often takes a special occasion, such as the 100th anniversary that we are celebrating this year at Ober Kaler, to focus our attention on the really big issues, the ones that too easily slip from our minds as we rush to meet the daily demands of a busy law firm.

As we have planned and pondered the significance of our centennial, two issues have continually held my attention, and I share them here because I know they are relevant to all Baltimore law firms, whether they are marking 100 years in legal practice or 100 days.

While 100 years ago it was unthinkable for a major Maryland law firm to be located anywhere but downtown near the courthouses and other lawyers, what is the continuing importance of remaining in a downtown setting in an age of far-flung suburbs and equally far- flung clients? Does downtown provide any advantages to a Baltimore- based law firm anymore, especially a firm with a majority of its clients, and the services performed for them, located outside metropolitan Baltimore?

And second, as connections to communities become more tenuous in this endlessly mobile and shifting corporate world, where headquarters and CEOs are in transition, does it really matter whether a law firm, or any firm for that matter, makes a commitment to corporate citizenship?

At Ober Kaler, we have considered both issues and concluded that, yes, downtown still confers distinct advantages for the practice and operation of a law firm, and yes, a commitment to corporate citizenship is as valid today, even more so, as when Stuart S. Janney and Albert C. Ritchie launched our firm in 1903.

Continued relevance

The question of downtown's continued relevance is most pressing, as some firms have chosen to leave center city and others have threatened. At Ober Kaler, we are nearing the mid-point of a 10-year lease renewal, and are firm in our conviction that downtown Baltimore will remain the vital and growing center of our network of four Mid- Atlantic offices.

Of our 278 professionals and staff, 238 are based downtown. We came to this conviction not simply because we are champions of downtown, but because our objective assessment of downtown's competitive advantages resulted in a scorecard that put downtown far ahead of the alternatives.

When we plotted the residences of our employees, downtown was squarely at the center of the map. When we evaluated commutes to various urban and suburban locales, downtown remained a clear winner. When we examined access to transportation alternatives to the automobile, a particular concern of support staff, there was simply no comparison. When we examined our desire to have a law firm with people who reflect our society's multi-racial, multi-ethnic present and future, we judged that a location downtown would most effectively aid us in meeting our firm's goal.

As to the pocketbook issues of downtown versus the suburbs - higher leasing rates and burdensome parking costs - there's more myth than reality. Rental rates for Class A office space downtown are on par with the suburbs. Many more downtown parking spaces are available today than just a few years ago, so availability of parking is no longer a critical problem. Additionally, the development of many new garages has contained the rising cost of parking.

The choice of downtown vs. suburbs is not only about cost, but also a matter of access and appeal. Downtown offers more prestige, diverse office locations, a greater density of businesses, more stimulating work environments, and superior networking opportunities.

Serving the community

Our decision to remain downtown is a practical one, guided by considered self-interest. Our efforts to serve the community, however, accomplish something far more meaningful.

In a community such as Baltimore, with so many needs and not enough solutions, we know that our contributions of time, talent and financial resources have made a difference to many groups, as varied as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, The Center for Poverty Solutions, many local hospitals and schools, the Maryland Mentoring Partnership, and Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, to name just a few.

We also know that our commitment to corporate citizenship helps us attract and retain talented, energetic lawyers and staff. The corporate citizenship model we prefer at Ober Kaler is more distributed than centralized. Simply put, we believe in supporting the objectives of our individual lawyers and staff, rather than commanding a firmwide focus.

This model, we think, reflects the proper reality of a law firm, with a collegial and not hierarchical structure. By leveraging the personal commitments of our lawyers and staff with firm resources, both human and financial, we are able to demonstrate to our most talented and energetic colleagues that we share and support their philanthropic and civic passions, which in turn make them more a part of the firm.

With a century of experience and what we hope is accumulated wisdom to inform us, we are confident that downtown still makes sense for Ober Kaler. We are equally certain that corporate citizenship still matters to success. I am hopeful - for our firm and for Baltimore - that my successor a hundred years hence will continue to share these views.

John Baldwin is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Ober Kaler.

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