Craig W. Budner
Craig W. Budner is the firm’s global strategic growth partner. In this role, Craig manages the global recruiting and integration functions for the firm. He also manages the firm’s global business development, marketing, and media relations functions. Additionally, he serves on the firm’s management and advisory committees.
As a practicing lawyer, Craig maintains a national practice concentrating in counseling commercial litigation and arbitration with a strong focus on outsourcing. He leverages his skills to benefit many clients in the outsourcing and financial services sectors. In addition to other accolades, Craig was recently recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Banking & Finance, 2020. He was also named to the 2022 inaugural class of D Magazine's Best Lawyer Hall of Fame, a designation received by only 50 lawyers.
Craig has extensive experience representing major creditors and bondholders in bankruptcy-related litigation, as well as in a wide variety of commercial litigation common to technology companies and financial institutions. This includes:
- Arbitration and commercial litigation related to outsourcing transactions
- Business fraud litigation in state, federal and bankruptcy courts
- Representation of litigation trusts and creditors’ committees in a variety of matters arising out of complex commercial bankruptcies
Craig has received many recognitions, including:
- Consistently recognized for the last 20 years with the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® rating, recognizing outstanding professional excellence, legal ability, and adherence to the highest ethical standards in the legal profession
- America’s Most Honored Lawyers for 2020, 2021
- 2014 Recipient of The Jack Lowe Sr. Award for Community Leadership Award (Dallas Urban Debate Alliance)
- 2013 Recipient of the The Ann Loeb Sikora Humanitarian Award
- Best of the U.S., bankruptcy and commercial litigation, 2006 – present
- Texas Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition, 2008 – present
- Best Lawyers® 2011-2020, 2022, and 2023 editions of The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation; Litigation – Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy, Mergers and Acquisitions; “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Banking & Finance, 2020
- Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2005 – present
- Texas Super Lawyers, Law & Politics Magazine and Texas Monthly, 2004 – present
- Top 100, 2006
- Top DFW, 2006
- Texas Rising Star, Law & Politics Magazine and Texas Monthly, 2004
- Best Lawyers Under 40 in Dallas, D Magazine, 2002, 2004
- Prince Henry Navigator Award for Service to the Community, 2010
- American Bar Association
- Dallas Assembly
- Dallas Bar Association
- Dallas Citizen’s Council
- Former Barrister, Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court
- Board Member and Former President, Vogel Alcove, day care facility for homeless families
- Former Board Member, St. Mark’s School of Texas
- Founder, Past Chair, and Current Board member, Dallas Urban Debate Alliance
- Former member of Board of Directors, Temple Emanu-El
- Former member of Board of Directors, Children’s Eye Foundation
- Chair of Dallas Bar Association Justice Baker Scholarship Committee
- Craig has presented to audiences around the world, including in over a dozen countries on topics including but not limited to:
- Herbstveranstaltung 2021 - Legal Operations, Vereinigung Schweizerischer Unternehmensjuristen (VSUJ), 24 November 2021
- US Trade Policy and its impact on companies investing in the US
- US Litigation risk for companies investing in the US
- “Finding Your Why” in a changing world for attorneys
- Business Development skills for attorneys
- Craig has also moderated over 100 panels around the world with leading General Counsels and other executives, including moderating the plenary panel 2 years in a row at the Association for Corporate Counsel (ACC) Europe’s Annual meeting.
- Speaker on career resources at Dallas Bar Association's Relaunch! Career Workshop
- “Strategies to Minimize Economic Risk in High Stakes Litigation,” panel member at the Texas General Counsel Forum Quarterly Event
- Speaker on international arbitration at Center for International Legal Studies (CILS), Steamboat Springs, Colorado
- Speaker on bankruptcy litigation, University of Texas Advanced Bankruptcy Litigation workshop
- National Conference on Fraud for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Bankruptcy Litigation
- Lecturer at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law on Law Firm Economics and Client Development
- Frequent Lecturer at leading U.S. law schools on law firm economics and business development practices for young lawyers
- “Ten Tips for Junior Lawyers,” The Law Society Gazette, 3 October 2016
- "Four Partners Listed Among “Best of the U.S.," July 24, 2006
- "The Exclusionary Rule's Application in Tax Proceedings: Reconciling the Rule's Purpose for Tax Defendants," Note, Texas Law Review, March 1990
- “Improving Lateral Integration,” Association of Legal Administrators, 12 December 2024
- "'We Have That Equal Responsibility': One Am Law 50 Firm's Approach to Lateral Integration,” The American Lawyer, 28 October 2024
- "Can K&L Gates Quadruple Its Revenue Again?" Law360, 4 September 2024
- "ACC Europe: the Madrid conference is underway," InHouseCommunity.it (Italy) and IberianLawyer.com, 23 May 2022
