Curiosity and Growth: Craig Budner’s Legal Journey

In this episode of This Legal Life, Ben Chiriboga sits down with Craig Budner, Global Strategic Growth Partner at K&L Gates, to discuss his 33-year journey in the legal industry. They explore the power of mentorship, the importance of curiosity, and the evolving role of lawyers in today’s dynamic legal landscape.

About Craig:

Craig W. Budner is the Global Strategic Growth Partner for K&L Gates LLP. In this role, he manages the global recruiting and integration functions for the firm. He also manages the firm’s Client Growth department, which provides business development, marketing, and media relations services. Additionally, he plays a key role in managing the firm’s business and operations as a member of the management and advisory committees.

Craig maintains a national practice focused on commercial litigation, arbitration, and strategic counseling, with a strong emphasis on litigation outsourcing. His experience is particularly valuable to clients in the financial services sector, helping them navigate complex sourcing challenges. In addition to his work in outsourcing, Craig has extensive experience representing major creditors and bondholders in bankruptcy-related litigation, as well as handling a wide variety of commercial disputes for technology companies and financial institutions.

In 2020, Craig was recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” in Dallas/Fort Worth for Litigation – Banking & Finance. He was also named to the 2022 inaugural class of D Magazine’s Best Lawyer Hall of Fame. Since 2020, Craig has moderated over 100 panels around the world with leading general counsels and other executives and has moderated the plenary panel for the last seven years at the Association for Corporate Counsel Europe’s Annual meeting. He also hosts a podcast entitled, K&L Gates Client Conversations with Craig Budner that has earned hundreds of thousands of listeners and followers around the globe.

Among his civic and charitable activities, Craig is a Past President of the Vogel Alcove Board, a day care facility for homeless families in Dallas. Craig and his wife Dawn founded, and Craig served as Chair of the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance for 12 years, a program offering debate to inner city students in the Dallas school district. He was awarded the 2013 Ann Loeb Sikora Humanitarian Award and the 2010 Prince Henry Navigator of the Year Award for Public Service. Most recently, Craig was the 2023 Honoree during the National Association for Urban Debate Leagues Annual Dinner at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.