Baker McKenzie is adding a legal services center in Tampa to complement existing back office operations in Northern Ireland and the Philippines.

When the new Florida center is fully operational by 2020, the firm expects to have 300 employees on-site handling work in legal services, finance, IT, knowledge management, business development and marketing, among other areas.

“The creation of the center is truly part of a strategic project across the entirety of the firm to improve quality and provide 'follow the sun' services to our clients around the globe,” said Tampa center executive director Jamie Lawless, who has relocated from New York for the new role.