March 13, 2023
Partners Craig C. Martin, Chairman, Midwest, and Matt Basil have been named to Crain’s Chicago Business’ “Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys 2023” for excellence in high-stakes cases, pro bono service and civic leadership.
They are among the 74 select litigators in the Chicago area who excel in “headline-making courtroom battles” and “epitomize all that the Latin phrase pro bono – ‘for the public good’ – represents.”
Craig is widely recognized as one of the top trial lawyers in the country and counsel to marquee clients, including major Chicago companies and some of the nation’s most influential families. He led the opening of Willkie’s Chicago office in March 2020 with five other prominent lawyers, and quickly established it at the forefront of the market, helping to build a diverse team of 75 attorneys.
Crain’s noted Craig’s leadership at Willkie as Chairman, Midwest, and a member of the firm’s executive committee, and in the broader business community. It highlighted his commitment to pro bono advocacy, and a record that includes an eight-figure jury verdict on behalf of a terminally ill inmate, as well as ongoing work in an array of civil rights cases relating to voting integrity and gender equality. The publication also highlighted Craig’s civic contributions. He serves on the Aspen Institute board of trustees, as well as on the boards of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Crown Family Philanthropies and the Chicago Urban League. He also serves on the University of Chicago Law School Advisory Council and teaches trial advocacy at Harvard Law School.
Matt Basil was recognized for his accomplishments in complex commercial litigation, including high-profile trials, and his dedication to pro bono service. Crain’s noted his recent role on a Willkie trial team that secured a multimillion-dollar verdict in a patent infringement trial, as well as his success in obtaining the dismissal of an antitrust lawsuit and his work as defense counsel in a significant breach of fiduciary duty litigation brought by a public pension fund. The publication also highlighted Matt’s pro bono representation of a former Illinois inmate in an upcoming federal jury trial, and his longtime service on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.
View the Crain’s Chicago Business “Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys 2023” here. [Subscription required].
