Lucas T. Baker - Concord, NC

Lucas T. Baker Overview

Nickname: Luke

Practice Focus: Luke’s practice with the firm is focused primarily on personal injury law and he is the lead attorney in the firm’s personal injury practice section. His practice is completely devoted to litigation and pre-litigation settlement negotiations. In addition to personal injury law, Luke handles miscellaneous civil litigation matters for clients of the firm.

Personal: Born and raised in Sylva, North Carolina, Luke is a native North Carolinian from the western part of the state. Luke grew up with the mountains as his back yard and has deep connection in his heart to that area of the state. On those rare occasions when Luke is not at the office working tirelessly to advance his client’s cases, he enjoys personal training, watching movies, and spending time with his family. Luke is a HUGE fan of mixed martial arts and loves to watch the UFC. He also competes in triathlons. In 2011 Luke successfully completed a half Ironman distance triathlon, which consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and a half-marathon run (13.1 miles).

Education: Luke is member of the year 2000 class of Appalachian State University where he graduated, cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Fine and Applied Arts, majoring in Applied Communications and minoring in General Business. Luke attended law school at Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and graduated in 2007 cum laude (ranked 4th in his graduating class overall). While in law school Luke quickly excelled to the top of his class and was granted early membership to the prestigious Campbell Law Review in his first year of law school. Luke was also a teaching assistant for the legal research and writing department. He was the recipient of no less than three "book awards", wherein he obtained the highest grade in his class for that particular subject. Between his first and second year of law school Luke served as a research assistant for Webster's North Carolina Real Estate, a real estate treatise widely regarded as the source and authority for North Carolina real property law. In his final year of law school Luke served as the Managing Editor of the Campbell Law Review.

In addition to excelling in academics, Luke also displayed early promise as a litigator while in law school. Luke was invited in his second year of law school to be a member of one of Campbell's mock trial teams, an honor typically reserved exclusively for third year law students. Upon graduation, Luke was inducted into the prestigious Order of Barristers for his service to his alma mater and his having displayed excellence in the art of trial advocacy. While in law school Luke was also an active member of the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity. He also served in his second year on the law school's Honor Court, where he participated in student governed disciplinary hearings on academic and other student misconduct.

Professional: Prior to pursuing a career in law and after finishing his undergraduate degree, Luke worked in the landscaping industry in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through that experience, Luke was able to become proficient in conversational Spanish. That experience also eventually set Luke upon the path to become a lawyer. Prior to attending law school Luke worked as a legal assistant and gained critical practical knowledge regarding the successful operation of a law office. Between his second and third years of law school Luke worked as a law clerk for a large law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. That experience reminded Luke of his small town roots and instilled in him the desire to work in a smaller, more intimate setting. Following law school and after being licensed as an attorney, Luke proudly served as an associate attorney at the law offices of Black, Grossman & Cain, P.A. in Concord, North Carolina where his skills as a trial lawyer and litigator were honed and finely tuned. Luke left that practice to open the firm (then called The Baker Law Firm, P.A.) in March 2009.

Memberships: Luke is member/licensee of the North Carolina State Bar and Judicial District 19A Bar. He is admitted to practice in all North Carolina State Courts. He is also admitted to practice in the Federal Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Federal Districts. Luke is also an active member of the North Carolina Bar Association, North Carolina Advocates for Justice (formerly North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers), American Bar Association, and American Association for Justice (formerly American Trial Lawyers Association).

Community: Luke is an active citizen in the Cabarrus County and Concord community. He is a member of the Concord Rotary Club. He has previously volunteered with local boy scout troops and for other worthy causes and organizations. Luke is a Master Mason and a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. Luke has previously served on the Board of Directors of The Community Free Clinic, a local non-profit organization devoted to providing healthcare to the uninsured in the community. Most recently, he was asked to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Cabarrus Arts Council. Luke will begin serving in that role in August 2012. Luke believes strongly in the concept of service above self and in the obligation of attorneys to give back to their communities.

Family: Luke and Laura met in law school, where they were members of the same law fraternity (Delta Theta Phi) and were partners on the same mock trial team. The Bakers married in November of 2008 and have one child, Garrett, with another little girl on the way, due September 2012. The Bakers have a little dog named PJ, who is the unofficial firm mascot.