Ryan G. Baker Attorney

First Admitted: 2001, California

Professional Webpage: https://www.waymakerlaw.com/trial-lawyers/ryan-baker

Bar/Professional Activity:

Anti-Defamation League National Executive Committee, 2021
Harvard Law School Association Los Angeles Board Member, 2021
Member, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Northern District of California
Los Angeles County Bar Association
D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals
Central District of California
American Bar Association, Litigation Section
U.S. Supreme Court
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Southern District of California
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

Verdicts/Settlements (Case Results):

In a win for consumer-facing companies utilizing electronic signature technology, Waymaker achieved a complete victory in a two-day arbitration in which the claimants sought to void a contract they had previously electronically executed. Claimants, San Diego-area home owners, commenced arbitration, claiming they never signed a contract for the installation of solar panels on their roof. During the two-day arbitration, Waymaker demonstrated that claimants had, in fact, signed the Sunnova agreement using DocuSign. Waymaker also established that the solar panel system had resulted in energy savings for the claimants, contrary to their allegations. The arbitrator’s interim award was issued March 29, 2021. Based on the evidence and argument presented, the arbitrator summarily denied all claimants’ claims. Sunnova Energy International achieved a complete victory., 2021
Argued in California Supreme Court to overturn broad anti-SLAPP ruling. Obtained unanimous ruling reversing trial court, which had granted an anti-SLAPP motion based on a confidential and allegedly defamatory report. The Court concluded the confidential report was not protected. Accordingly, the trial court overextended California’s anti-SLAPP law beyond the legislative intent. , 2019
Following discovery and summary adjudication win in a breach of commercial lease matter, negotiated a favorable settlement for restaurant client against landlord, after landlord violated provisions of the commercial lease agreement that interfered with client’s ability to open and operate., 2022
After a two-hour argument before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the firm was able to negotiate a favorable settlement of the copyright dispute between the firm's client, a provider of internet television content, and the major television networks. , 2017
After several successful demurrers, facilitated resolution of series of consumer actions against firm client at the pleading stage., 2019
Obtained summary judgment in favor of FilmOn, an internet video streaming company, on FilmOn's claim it is entitled to a compulsory copyright license under Section 111 of the Copyright Act. This victory was hailed as a "legal earthquake," "unprecedented" and a "landmark ruling." , 2015
After Baker Marquart set aside a seven-figure default obtained against the firm's client, client was able to favorably settle the dispute in its entirety., 2018
Baker Marquart substituted for prior counsel a year into litigation brought by client plaintiff against purchaser of commercial laundromat equipment. Shortly after Baker Marquart appeared, Mr. Baker obtained a settlement for an undisclosed sum, which was greater than any amount previously offered by defendant., 2017
Baker Marquart won a Florida appeal, reversing a trial court's restraining order after Mr. Baker convinced the Florida Court of Appeal that the trial court's order violated the First Amendment. In this case, Mr. Baker obtained support from the American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Florida. This victory was hailed by the Washington Post and others as an important First Amendment ruling. It's impossible to put a dollar value on free speech!, 2016

Representative Clients:

University of Southern California
Avery Dennison Corporation
FilmOn.com
ICON Aircraft
THUMS Long Beach
DIRECTV
Bank of the West
Motorola
Sumitomo
Zions Bankcorporation
The Carlyle Group
Funtastic Limited (Australia)
Mattel
Rolls-Royce

Pro bono/Community Service:

Anti-Defamation League Executive Committee, 2021
International Mountain Biking Association Singletrack Society, 2020
Anti-Defamation League Legal Advisory Committee, 2019
Member, Central District of California Pro Bono Panel, 2012
Board of Advisors, After-School All-Stars, 2009
Ambasador for Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles, 2004
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, 1998

Honors/Awards:

Recognized as an influential law firm attorney and a 2023 visionary in Business of Law: Updates, Trends and Visionaries Magazine., LA Times Visionary, LA Times, 2023
Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2021
Legal Visionaries, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2022
Elite Boutique Trailblazers, National Law Journal, 2022
Benchmark, Litigation Star, 2020
Litigation Trailblazer, The National Law Journal, 2019
Named "Rising Star" by Los Angeles Magazine
Highest Peer Review Rating on Martindale-Hubble – AV Preeminent
Named "Super Lawyer" by Los Angeles Magazine
Recognizing Ryan's "tenacity and still as an advocate," Ryan was recently selected by editors and readers of Cablefax, a leading media and communications publication, as a 2017 top lawyer. Cablefax described the award as follows: In a world of constant change—from the new video world order to the regulatory uncertainty of a new administration—these are the heroes in the trenches. In this inaugural edition, Cablefax salutes the top lawyers in media and communications as chosen by our editors and readers. These legal eagles excel in contract negotiations, M&A, the intricacies of the FCC, intellectual property, spectrum issues and much more. Read on to learn more about the industry’s greatest legal minds, Top Lawyer, Cablefax, 2017

Educational Background:

Brigham Young University, Bachelor's Degree in Policital Science with honors, magna cum laude, 1997
Harvard Law School, J.D., 2000

Scholarly Lectures/Writings:

Continuing legal education presentation on the evolution of anti-SLAPP law on the state and federal level., Presenter, Anti-SLAPP: Has the Cure Become the Disease, Celesq CLE, Legal, 2023
Presenter, Copyright in the Cloud, Association of Corporate Counsel, 2013
Speaker at Intermountain eDiscovery Conference, Best Practices: Complex Discovery in Corporations and Law Firms
Presented to Philadelphia Chapter of Copyright Society regarding regulatory and copyright issues associated with emerging online video distribution business models., Panelist, Online Video Distribution -- A Discussion of the Regulatory & Copyright Issues Associated with Emerging Business Models, Copyright Society of the USA, 2016

Other Outstanding Achievements:

Quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, National Law Journal, Hollywood Reporter and numerous other publications
Appeared numerous times on BBC and NBC to discuss various topics ranging from the Depp v. Heard trial to social media liability arising from harm to children., 2022
Seven-time winner of Leadville 100 finisher's buckle, 2022

Industry Groups:

Banking
Bitcoin
Media
New Media
Real Estate

Contact Ryan

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