Willkie Elevates Litigator Craig Martin to Top Americas Role (1)

Willkie Farr & Gallagher promoted its Midwest leader to a newly-created role overseeing the firm’s North America region, the firm said in a statement Friday.

Craig Martin takes on the Americas chairmanship after overseeing the firm’s growth in Chicago and the broader Midwest market. “This change reflects the contributions he has made and will continue to make to our global platform,” Willkie chairman Matthew Feldman said in the statement.

Martin, a one-time Jenner & Block chairman, joined the New York City-based law firm to open its Chicago office in 2020. He has a foot in both the firm’s corporate and litigation work, representing Henry Crown & Co. with the $3.5 billion refinancing of its Rockefeller Center in New York and securing the dismissal of claims against client Univar Solutions for alleged price fixing.

Craig Martin

Before joining Willkie, Martin capped off a three-decade career at Jenner, a firm with significant pedigree in Chicago as a litigation powerhouse. He was a partner since 1996 and served as chair from 2019 to 2020, at which point he left for Willkie.

“Willkie Chicago, under Craig’s leadership, has exceeded all expectations,” Feldman said. “This was due in no small part to Craig’s ongoing commitment to working closely and collegially with all of our offices.”

All of Willkie’s Americas offices are based in the US, but the firm handles plenty of work in Canadian and Latin American jurisdictions, Martin said. He declined to say whether the firm has plans to open Americas-based offices outside the US.

While he oversaw the firm’s Midwest region, Martin said the firm has focused on growing its roster of lawyers representing clients in class actions and capital markets. The Chicago office, initially a litigation shop, is now made up of 35% to 40% transactional lawyers, Martin said.

Martin’s goal as Americas chair is to “leverage the platform of Willkie for the benefit of all clients, regardless of geography,” he said.