October 26, 2026
Craig C. Martin, Partner and Chairman, Americas, and Sara Tonnies Horton, Co-Chair of Willkie’s IP Litigation Practice Group, have again been named to the 2026 edition of the Irish Legal 100, an annual series recognizing leaders in the law of Irish descent.
They were recognized among the nation’s foremost attorneys, legal scholars and members of the judiciary of Irish heritage. The publication highlighted Craig and Sara’s leadership and accomplishments in the law as well as their civic engagement and service to the Chicago community. Craig has been named to the Irish Legal 100 every year since 2021, and this is the fourth year in a row Sara has been recognized.
“It is an honor to once again be part of the Irish Legal 100,” Craig said. “My Irish heritage has always been a source of pride for me.”
Craig, a member of Willkie’s Executive Committee, is widely recognized as a “courtroom to boardroom” lawyer who represents clients in their most important strategic, reputational and economic matters. In addition to excelling as a first-chair trial lawyer, Craig regularly counsels corporate boards and provides legal and business advice to the Fortune 100, family offices and private investors on transactions globally. Craig launched Willkie’s Chicago office in 2020 with five other partners and has grown it into a market leader with approximately 130 lawyers.
Sara Tonnies Horton is recognized among the leaders of the patent bar and has extensive experience in complex disputes before trial courts across the country, the Federal Circuit, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. She has demonstrated first-chair trial skills in scores of patent litigation matters and has tried several high-stakes trials in recent years. She has represented clients in disputes involving a variety of technologies including pharmaceuticals, polymers, packaging, alloys, and food manufacturing. In addition to patent matters, Sara has tried antitrust, actuarial malpractice, anti-dumping and transshipment, and other types of cases to juries. In addition, Sara teaches trial advocacy at the Harvard Law School and is an active member of the Richard Linn American Inn of Court.
The Irish Legal 100, founded in 2008 by the Irish Voice newspaper, honors the most distinguished legal professionals in the United States of Irish descent. The honorees are to be recognized at an event at the residence of the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States in Washington, D.C.
View the 2026 Irish Legal 100 here.
