About Traci

Traci Martinez is the firm’s global managing partner, with responsibility for the business, strategy and operations of 36 offices across the US, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.

A nationally recognized trial lawyer, strategic adviser and community leader, she is known for helping organizations navigate complex business challenges while fostering relationships where people and organizations can thrive.

Traci maintains an active practice focused on labor and employment law, complex litigation and strategic business counseling. She serves as a trusted adviser to employers, boards of directors and executive leadership teams across the US and internationally on their most significant and sensitive matters, including executive employment and compensation issues, workplace investigations, organizational transitions, governance matters and high-stakes disputes.

Trial work remains one of Traci’s greatest professional passions. She has successfully tried cases and secured favorable verdicts in multiple jurisdictions involving employment discrimination claims, contract disputes, class actions and mass torts.

As a former and current member of the firm’s Global Board, Traci has led key initiatives involving partner evaluation and advancement, leadership development, global partner engagement and long-term investment in the next generation of lawyers. Within the firm, she served as co-chair of the Advancing Women’s Task Force and as champion sponsor of the firm’s LatinX Hispanic Attorney Resource Group. Her efforts have earned numerous recognitions, including being named a Top Latino Lawyer and one of the Most Powerful Women in Law by Latino Leaders, receiving Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching Leadership Award, and being shortlisted for the Chambers Women in Law Awards USA.

A dedicated civic leader, Traci serves on the Executive Committee of the Columbus Partnership and is the immediate past chair and executive committee member of the Experience Columbus Board of Directors. She is a trustee of Columbus State Community College, serves on the boards of Downtown Columbus, Inc., Columbus State Community Partners and Future Ready Five, and is co-chair of The Ohio State Moritz College of Law National Advisory Council. Through these roles, she works alongside business, civic and educational leaders to help shape the future of the Columbus region.

Before beginning her legal career, Traci was an elementary school teacher. The lessons she learned in the classroom – listening, guiding and helping others reach their full potential – remain central to her practice, her leadership and her commitment to strengthening the communities she serves.

Credentials

Education
  • The Ohio State University, J.D., formatting editor, I/S: A Journal of Law and Policy for the Information Society, 2008
  • University of Houston, M.A., 2001
  • University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1998
Admissions
  • Missouri, 2015
  • Ohio, 2008
Courts
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., E. Dist. of Missouri
  • U.S. Dist. Ct. W. Dist. Of Missouri
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of Ohio
  • U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of Ohio
Memberships & Affiliations
  • Member, Ohio State Bar Association
  • Member, Columbus Bar Association

Recognitions

  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Labor Law – Management, Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • Selected, Lawyers of Color Power List, 2020
  • Selected, Harvard Business School’s Young American Leaders Program, 2020
  • Shortlisted for Inspiring Role Model in Promoting Gender Diversity in the Legal Profession – Chambers Women in Law Awards: USA 2018
  • Selected, Latino Leaders magazine, Top Latino Lawyers, Super Lawyers, Most Powerful Women in Law, 2018
  • Selected, Profiles in Diversity’s Women Worth Watching Leadership Award, 2018
  • Pathfinder Facilitator, Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity, 2017 – 2018
  • Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2016 – 2017
  • Named, Columbus Business First’s “Forty under 40” Class of 2016
  • Selected, Leadership Columbus Class, 2015 – 2016
  • Recognized in Ohio Super Lawyers –Rising Stars, 2014 - 2018

Expertise

Community Involvement and Volunteer Work

  • Chair of Board of Directors, Experience Columbus, 2023 – present
  • Trustee, Board of Trustees, Columbus State Community College, 2023 – present
  • Member, Columbus Partnership, 2021 – present
  • Board and Executive Committee Member, Experience Columbus, 2018 – 2023
  • Chair, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Experience Columbus, 2021 – 2023
  • Member, National Hispanic Bar Association, 2015 – present
  • Volunteer, The Ohio State Moritz College of Law to advance diversity initiatives, 2008 – present
  • Board Member, HandsOn Columbus, 2017 – 2019
  • Volunteer, American Immigration Lawyers Association Citizenship Day (assisting Cuban Permanent Resident with completing documentation needed to apply for US citizenship), 2016
  • Board Member, Delaware County Foundation, 2014 – 2016
  • Deputy President, Region X Hispanic National Bar Association, 2013 – 2015
  • Mid-Ohio Foodbank: Squire Patton Boggs Campaign Organizer and Volunteer, 2012 – 2015
  • Adjunct Professor, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, teaching Appellate Advocacy, 2011 – 2015
  • Member, Delaware County Foundation Scholarship and Grants Committees, 2013

Publications & Speaking Engagements

  • Presenter and moderator, “Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: What are the complexities to navigate for your organization and the future of abortion protections in the US?” August 12, 2022.
  • Featured, “Big Cities Talk Return to Office. Rest of the U.S. Is Already There,” The New York Times, August 2, 2022.
  • Guest speaker, “Implications of Being a First Generation Lawyer,” LegalSpeak Podcast, 2019.
  • Presenter, “The End Game: Employment Law Year in Review,” L&E Annual Seminar (CLE), October 22, 2019.
  • Presenter, “Sometimes, Even Superheroes Need Leave: A Discussion on Leaves and Accommodations,” L&E Annual Seminar (CLE), October 22, 2019.
  • Panelist, “Top Employment Law Mistakes Even Superheroes Make,” L&E Annual Seminar (CLE), October 22, 2019.
  • Moderator, “International Women’s Day Celebration: Navigating Current Social Issues,” San Francisco, California, March 8, 2018; Los Angeles, California, March 7, 2018.
  • Presenter, “Phone a Friend: Your Lifeline to Navigate Gender Issues,” L&E Annual Seminar (CLE), October 25, 2017.
  • Presenter, “Deal or No Deal: Legal and Practical Advice for Dealing with Employee Leave Issues,” L&E Annual Seminar (CLE), October 25, 2017.
  • The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law: Sidebar article, 2016.