Ben C. Adams became the Chairman and CEO of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, P.C. in 2003. In this capacity, he “adopted innovative approaches to law firm management during challenging economic times,” which was recognized by Law360 (a national newswire for business leaders) naming him one of the ten Most Innovative Managing Partners in the country. He achieved a new level of communication with the employees at his company, due to his managerial approach that he insists “all starts with listening, giving straight answers and simply treating employees with respect.” According to COO Jerry Stauffer, Adams is known to inspire both loyalty and confidence in his contented staff. He added, “that culture is a big part of our success, and it is a tremendous credit to Ben as a leader that we have maintained that culture through periods of real change, including significant growth and an economic downturn that drastically impacted the legal industry.” As Chairman and CEO, Adams has taken the company from less than 300 attorneys and advisors in 10 offices to its current total of over 630 attorneys and advisors in 18 locations across seven states and Washington, D.C. As well, the company has received many recognitions as being an exceptional workplace, including three consecutive rankings (2010, 2011 and 2012) among Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” and a fourth place overall ranking in the 2013 edition of Vault, Inc.’s “Best Law Firms to Work For.”