Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, a full-service business law firm with operations throughout New York, announced that Craig S. Wittlin has been elected as the firm’s new managing partner. Wittlin succeeds Michael R. McEvoy. As managing partner, Wittlin will be responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and day-to-day operations of its five offices.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to build upon the remarkable legacy that Harter Secrest & Emery has established over the course of the past 123 years,” said Wittlin. “We have a rich culture based on partnering with our clients to create legal and business solutions. Harter Secrest & Emery has a very bright future and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Wittlin, who joined Harter Secrest & Emery in 1992, is a corporate attorney and advises clients on a wide range of matters including mergers, acquisitions, securities, and capital markets transactions. Over the last decade, he has led teams on transactions with an aggregate value of more than $10 billion. Wittlin also has substantial experience advising executives and board members of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies on matters related to corporate governance, risk assessment, and disclosure obligations under federal securities laws.
For several years, he was the only Rochester attorney, and one of only two attorneys outside of Manhattan to be recognized by Chambers USA as a Notable Practitioner in the Mergers & Acquisitions category. Additionally, The Best Lawyers in America® recognizes Wittlin in the fields of Corporate Law and Mergers & Acquisition Law, and recognized him as the Rochester area’s “Lawyer of the Year” for Mergers & Acquisition Law for 2016 and for Corporate Law in 2013. He has also been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers® from 2009-2015, and was a recipient of the 40 Under 40 Award from the Rochester Business Journal in 2004.
“Craig has long demonstrated his leadership skills through his client service, legal acumen, and contribution to our firm,” said McEvoy, who served as managing partner since 2013. “As a very forward thinking attorney, there is no doubt that Craig will be able to lead Harter Secrest & Emery to new successes in the coming years.”
At 48, Wittlin is the youngest managing partner in the firm’s recent history. He is assuming the leading management role at a time of significant change in the legal industry.
“Just like other businesses, law firms need to adapt and evolve,” he said. “Harter Secrest & Emery has been built on a foundation of extraordinary legal professionals providing outstanding service and value to our clients, as well as a unique law firm culture that allows our lawyers to truly collaborate with each other and our clients. Those are things that will never change.”
Wittlin is a graduate of Syracuse University and Albany Law School. A resident of Pittsford, he has served in leadership positions with many local organizations including the GEVA Theatre Center, YMCA’s Camp Gorham, and CP Rochester.
Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
Founded in 1893, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP is a full-service law firm providing legal services to clients ranging from individuals and family-owned businesses to Fortune 100 companies and major regional institutions. With offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Corning, and New York, NY, the firm comprises more than 125 attorneys and total staff of 260.