Born on October 29, 1949, William R. Martin, commonly known as Billy Martin, is an African-American high-profile defense lawyer who obtained his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1976. Billy Martin currently practices his law profession in the Washington, D.C. office of the Atlanta-based law firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, where he is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Group and where he also leads the firm’s White Collar Criminal Defense Practice. Billy Martin has an extensive record of trial practice, which includes considerable jury trial experience as well as representation of individuals and companies involved in civil and criminal cases brought before federal and state courts.

Billy Martin has handled about 65% criminal cases and 35% civil cases such as improper employment practices, complex commercial arguments, financial fraud allegations, and civil rights violations. Having received a number of national recognitions, Billy Martin is ranked fourth in The Washingtonian magazine’s list of Top Lawyers and he was chosen as one of the “50 Most Influential Minority Attorneys” by The National Law Journal. Billy Martin was also one of only three lawyers in private practice listed in the Politics and Law section of Ebony magazine’s Power 150.

Billy Martin has quite an impressive list of notable clients including NBA star Allen Iverson; NFL quarterback Michael Vick, for his involvement in the Bad News Kennels dog fighting investigation both before the federal and state courts; former heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe; NBA star Jayson Williams, who was acquitted on charges of aggravated manslaughter in the 2002 shooting of his chauffer; other NBA stars Juwan Howard and Rod Strickland; Idaho Senator Larry Craig; former Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell, who was acquitted on charges of racketeering and bribery; actor Wesley Snipes, who was acquitted on charges of tax fraud; the parents of Chandra Levy, an intern at Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, D.C. who was murdered; and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and mother, Marcia Lewis, during the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, where Billy Martin managed to protect her clients from the rigidity of the prosecution.

In an interview, Billy Martin referred to his representation of Lewinsky as his toughest case, recognizing that while he was protecting a witness holding evidence that could impeach the President; he also counted it as one of the proudest moments in his law practice.