Attorney Lance K. Baker

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When Lance Baker takes a case, he doesn’t just represent his clients—he goes to war for them. He stops at nothing, outworks everyone in the room, and refuses to be intimidated by complex facts, aggressive prosecutors, or public pressure.

Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Lance has built his reputation the same way he grew up—tough, competitive, and unafraid to take on the hardest fights. Lance grew up immersed in athletics – playing a variety of sports, including ice hockey. Lance played ice hockey from age five and spent parts of multiple summers living in Canada, competing for a AAA team out of Seattle, Washington, and later for a United States Junior Development team. That said, to this day Lance still considers one of his proudest moments when he captained the first team out of Knoxville to win a prominent tournament in Detroit, Michigan. Those years of high-level competition taught him how to take hits, give them back, and never stay down—skills he now brings to every courtroom battle.

A Knoxville Catholic High School graduate, Lance went on to the University of Tennessee, where he majored in History before earning his law degree from Lincoln Memorial University's Duncan School of Law. During law school, Lance was a Dean’s List recipient and upon graduation, received the Abraham Lincoln Award for academic excellence leadership, and pro bono service. He also spent a summer working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., sharpening his understanding of government, power dynamics, policy, and advocacy. While there, Lance drafted some of the legislator’s key constituent responses regarding critical issues at the time, including The Affordable Care Act and Operation Fast & Furious.

Since entering practice, Lance has built a reputation as a relentless litigator and one of the most competitive attorneys, and individuals you will ever meet. He has litigated several high-profile cases across Tennessee and beyond, defending clients facing the most serious criminal charges or taking on big governmental entities in complex federal civil actions. These cases require navigating complex legal issues with strategic precision and a deep understanding of how to win – something he has done his entire life. His courtroom presence, preparation, and refusal to be outworked have earned him multiple CityView Magazine Top Attorney awards in criminal defense, DUI, civil rights, and personal injury.

Additionally, not only has Lance been invited and joined The National Trial Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 in Criminal Defense and Plaintiff’s Civil Litigation, an invitation-only group that recognizes the top rising attorneys in the state or region who meet strict requirements, he has also been selected as one of the Mid-South’s Rising Stars by Super Lawyers. Lance has also taught courses to other attorneys for the Tennessee Bar Association on Section 1983 litigation, such as excessive force and jail medical-care cases. Finally, Lance enjoys providing political commentary frequently on WBIR-TV and is a former panelist on Fox 43’s “Heavy Hitters” show.

Lance practices law by one uncompromising mission: “Loyalty is a two-way street. If I’m asking for it from you, you’re getting it from me.”

Outside the courtroom, Lance enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his family, being on the water, snow skiing, and playing golf when he has time.

Practice Areas

• Criminal Defense
• Civil Rights
• Personal injury
• Class Actions

Bar Admissions

• Tennessee
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Tennessee
• U.S. District Court Middle District of Tennessee
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois

Professional Associations

• Tennessee Bar Association
• Knoxville Bar Association
• Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Nucleus Knoxville

Honors

• Elite Lawyer, 2024 - 2025
• Mid-South Rising Stars by Super Lawyers: 2022 - 2025
• Cityview Magazine Top Attorney: 2019 - 2025
• Criminal Defense
• Civil Rights/Constitutional Law
• Personal Injury
• Antitrust
• Class Action-Plaintiff
• Consumer Protection-Plaintiff
• DUI Defense
• Personal Injury-Motorcycle Accident-Plaintiff
• Named Top Male Rising Star of Knoxville by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – 2018
• The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 under 40 Civil Plaintiff Lawyers, – 2018
• The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Criminal Defense – 2017

Education

• Lincoln Memorial University, Duncan School of Law, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Juris Doctor – 2013
  • Honors: Dean's List recipient
  • Honors: Abraham Lincoln Award
  • Honors: Real Estate Affiliate at the Tennessee Real Estate and Comprehensive Sales School in 2011
• University of Tennessee
  • B.A. – 2009
  • Major: History