SATURDAY: College of Law's Anniversary Year Culminates with 175th Hooding Ceremony

Nationally known University of Cincinnati College of Law alumnus William R. "Billy" Martin will address students at the UC College of Law’s 175th Hooding Ceremony, May 17, 2008. The ceremony will be held at the Aronoff Center for the Arts beginning at 1 p.m. Approximately 125 students will graduate this year.

This year’s Hooding Ceremony, presided over by Dean Louis D. Bilionis, will feature alumnus Max R. Huffman, a 1998 graduate, as the recipient of the Nicolas Longworth III Alumni Achievement Award, and Professors Margaret Drew, A. Christopher Bryant and Christo Lassiter as the recipients of the Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching Award. The ceremony is the culmination of the law school’s year-long 175th Anniversary celebration, which featured visits from numerous alumni and dignitaries, including attorney/authors Scott Turow and John Grisham.

Martin, a member of the UC Law Class of 1976 and the son of a Pittsburgh steelworker, is a partner in the Washington D.C. division of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. He heads the litigation group, leading the firm’s white collar criminal defense practice. Martin began his legal career in Cincinnati as an assistant city attorney. From there, he went to the U.S. Attorney’s offices in Dayton, Ohio, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. While working for the Justice Department, he handled high-profile cases such as the investigation of a top Chicago crime family; the oversight of the organized crime task force in San Francisco, including the federal witness-protection program; and the prosecution of former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry, arrested in a FBI drug sting and eventually convicted.

In 1990, Martin went into private practice. Since then, his cases have included a large number of high-profile assignments. He served as counsel for Marcia Lewis, Monica Lewinsky’s mother, after her grand jury testimony; provided legal representation for murdered student Chandra Levy’s parents; represented former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell on racketeering, bribery and wire fraud charges; defended former NBA player Jayson Williams in his manslaughter trial and former NFL star Michael Vick during his dog-fighting investigation; and, most recently, represented Idaho Senator Larry Craig in his efforts to have his disorderly conduct conviction overturned and expunged.

Martin is best known in Cincinnati as the top Washington lawyer who helped guide the city through the Justice Department’s investigation of the city’s police division earlier this decade.