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Despite her interest in the law, Scholastica Baker didn’t immediately apply to law school after graduating from college. Instead, she spent the next decade in the Minnesota Army National Guard, where she gained experience as a paralegal and a military intelligence officer.
“I didn’t think that I was smart enough to get into law school,” says Baker, who received a Bronze Star Medal during her time in the Army. “When I started my civilian paralegal certificate, each of my professors told me separately that I should go to law school. I could be a twenty-year lawyer now instead of a ten-year lawyer if I hadn’t made the mistake of not believing in myself.”
Baker ended up not just getting accepted into law school but graduating with honors and with a job offer in hand. In the process, she learned the importance of facing her fears. That lesson emboldened her in 2022 to accept her current role as senior counsel and director in the commercial litigation group at McDonald’s Corporation. To join the fast-food industry icon, she had to relocate to a different state with her husband and their three sons—an incredible challenge that proved to be well worth the effort.
The daughter of two Ugandan immigrants, Baker spent most of her childhood in Minnesota. “Throughout my entire education, I was always, for lack of a better term, the token Black person,” she says. “I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood, so during the week, I’d be at school with people who didn’t look like me. That experience shaped who I am today—why I am unapologetically me and why I raise my kids the way that I do.”
“Building your personal brand starts the first day of law school. You need to become emotionally intelligent and self-aware, and you need to know who you are. In my case, I am a proud first-generation Ugandan American with locs down to my back and a nose ring in my left nostril. I bring who I am and how I look everywhere I go, and I know that McDonald’s hired me for my brain and not for the length or texture of my hair, the jewelry that I wear, or anything else.”
Scholastica Baker
It helps that Baker has a strong partner in her husband, who she met in the Army and married almost nineteen years ago. “I literally married my best friend,” she says. “We communicate all the time, and we teach our boys how to advocate for themselves, how to be honest, and how to live with integrity.”
Baker recognized those same values in McDonald’s when she first interacted with the corporation while at Minnesota-based law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. Still, she didn’t want to make the decision to accept her current role lightly, so she tapped a few of her career sponsors for advice.
“A mentor, to me, is somebody in your area of specialty who can make sure that you get the opportunities you need to develop yourself in that individual craft,” she explains. “A career sponsor is somebody—not necessarily even in your area—who has truly arrived. Sponsors are the people who lay out the red carpet, pave paths, break glass ceilings, dismantle myths, and provide a space for you to excel, with intention.”
Baker strives to be that person for others, and she has no shortage of tips to share. “Building your personal brand starts the first day of law school,” she offers. “You need to become emotionally intelligent and self-aware, and you need to know who you are. In my case, I am a proud first-generation Ugandan American with locs down to my back and a nose ring in my left nostril. I bring who I am and how I look everywhere I go, and I know that McDonald’s hired me for my brain and not for the length or texture of my hair, the jewelry that I wear, or anything else.”
Baker also advocates for taking the time to develop a personal organization and prioritization system. That practice has been crucial to her successful navigation of the myriad lawsuits, claims, and business issues that she handles as one of seven commercial litigation attorneys at McDonald’s.
“The biggest challenge in my role is figuring out how to get everything done,” she says. “It’s understanding not only the law, but also the company itself, which means getting to know people, reading the intranet resources that are available along with the quarterly and annual filings, and learning the corporate-speak so that I can be a better business partner.”
“The biggest challenge in my role is figuring out how to get everything done. It’s understanding not only the law, but also the company itself, which means getting to know people, reading the intranet resources that are available along with the quarterly and annual filings, and learning the corporate-speak so that I can be a better business partner.”
Scholastica Baker
To grow her business acumen even further, Baker is currently pursuing her MBA. She hopes that the degree will complement her legal expertise and make her a strong candidate for advancement within McDonald’s and for board service externally. As she moves closer to achieving those two ambitions, she savors every minute that she gets to spend in her current role, at a company where she can envision herself remaining for many years to come.
“I am so excited, humbled, pleased, and blessed to work for such a wonderful corporation that is successful financially—and that is successful because it has excellent leadership and an excellent innovative vision,” Baker says. “My career goal is one day to become a C-suite member of a multibillion-dollar corporation, and I would love for that corporation to be McDonald’s.”
“Scholastica is an inspirational leader who motivates and empowers her teammates to achieve greatness. Her visionary approach and commitment to excellence sets a standard to which others aspire. By focusing on collaboration and diversity, Scholastica creates a culture of success and innovation.”
—Michael C. Zogby, Partner and Cochair of Trial & Global Disputes
