Baker Manock & Jensen : Attorneys at Law

Baker Manock & Jensen : Attorneys at Law

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Profile: Jeff Jaech, Managing Partner, Baker Manock & Jensen, PC
August 17, 2007

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What led you to become the managing partner of Baker Manock & Jensen, PC? Like most lawyers, I enjoy working to solve client problems, rather than deal with our own business challenges. In a relatively small firm, all owners must assume some management responsibilities, and I gradually assumed more. Four years ago, I was elected by my partners to be managing partner. It is a part-time job; I still practice law, too.

What were you doing prior to that? I came directly from law school to Baker Manock & Jensen, the only law firm where I have practiced. I took a six-year sabbatical to work as an FBI agent, returned in 1991 to Baker Manock & Jensen, and resumed my trusts and estates law practice.

What distinguishes your law firm from others? In short, it's the expertise and skills of our lawyers and staff. We deliver big-city-quality lawyering in the down-to-earth and friendly way we enjoy in Fresno.

What are your greatest challenges as managing partner? First, encouraging our lawyers, who are consumed with their client work, to invest in their futures by doing things – other than providing top-quality legal services – that are necessary to build their practices. Second, educating our potential clients and referral sources to see us as much more than an agricultural and water law firm. As Fresno's industry has diversified, so have we.

What makes your job easier? Our lawyers, managers, and staff require little management. Our lawyers successfully manage their practices. Our non-lawyer managers effectively manage their own operations.

Any business advice or quotations on the top of your mind? I like Peter Drucker's reminder of the obvious: "The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer." A good motivation thought is a theme from Jim Bouton's Ball Four: "You are only as good as the last time you pitched."

What are your favorite management books? Good to Great – for the elements of success. Little Red Book of Selling – for basic sales training. Moneyball – lessons in exploiting flaws in competitors' conventional thinking.

Who have been your mentors and what did you learn from them? Jack Baker and Ken Manock taught my generation at our firm how they practiced law. This included superior client service, highest-quality products, no corner cutting, and maintaining the highest ethical standards and integrity. I'm also grateful to Bob Fishman for his help to me as a young lawyer. Now, I appreciate the advice and insights of all my partners but especially Joe Marchini, Ken Manock, Carl Refuerzo, and Doug Jensen, and our office administrator, Cheryl Heberger.

Where do you see the legal profession headed in the next 10 years? As society becomes more complex, so does the legal profession. This works to our advantage as a large firm in Fresno because our lawyers can specialize, and our clients can find the specific expertise they need at our firm. If we don't have the expertise, we refer them elsewhere. For example, we do not handle divorces because we do not have the expertise.

What was your first job and what did you learn from it? I delivered the Oakland Tribune on my bicycle in Livermore. I learned that most customers expect reliable and flawless service every day, and that it was personally satisfying to meet their expectations.

What is your favorite local civic or charitable organization?
I am involved with the Fresno Regional Foundation, Fresno's community foundation (www.fresnoregfoundation.org). Its mission is to promote and facilitate philanthropy in our region. I'm proud of the leaps we have made in the last several years to improve the foundation so we can much better accomplish our mission.

What we do: We use our knowledge, experience, abilities, and connections to help our clients achieve their goals by avoiding and overcoming legal problems. We focus on serving private and family businesses and their owners and executives. We help clients with certain specialties such as tax, trusts and estates, bankruptcy, real estate, public agencies and water. Our 30-plus lawyers include experienced litigation and transactional attorneys.

Education: J.D., Boalt Hall, UC-Berkeley, 1977 B.A., Washington State University, 1974

Age: 53

Family: Wife: Rebecca. Three children: Aaron 20, Alex 28 and Allison 16.