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Craig Owen White is a senior partner in Hahn Loeser’s business transactions group and serves as the firm’s National Chair of Strategic Relations and Community Outreach. Based in the firm’s Cleveland office, Craig guides clients and companies of all sizes through mergers, acquisitions, divestures, strategic alliances, financing, enterprise governance and licensing issues throughout the United States and abroad, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. He has particular experience in serving as outside general counsel to enterprises and as board secretary of the board of directors/managers of privately traded enterprises.
Craig’s experience in enterprise governance includes serving as an independent director on the board of directors of Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc., one the largest privately owned food processing companies in the United States, chairman of the board of trustees of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC), one of the largest land conservancies in the Midwest United States and as vice-chairman of the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), a non-profit providing pro bono services in conjunction with many of the United States’ largest law firms in support of the rule of law throughout the Global South. Craig also served as the Partner in Charge of Hahn Loeser’s Cleveland office from 2019-2025.
Craig’s practice experience includes having served as acting general counsel of Bridgestone Corporation during its acquisition of Firestone and serving as United States counsel for Head Sport GmbH. Throughout his career, Craig has held design and implement asset and stock purchases and sales, trademark licensing, joint ventures, strategic alliances and mergers, consolidations, recapitalizations, workouts, shareholders’ agreements and executive employment and non-competition agreements.
Craig’s public service has included counseling government and quasi-government entities in sophisticated transactions with the private sector. Craig’s service has also included counseling the United States and foreign governments on matters that impact international trade. President Barrack Obama appointed Craig to serve on the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa (TACA), a Congressionally mandated committee created to advise the United States Trade Representative on United States trade policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Craig served on the TACA for eight years, the last two as its chair.
Craig has been an active contributor to the jurisprudence impacting governance of privately-owned and nonprofit enterprises. While a member of the prestigious Committee on Corporate Laws of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, Craig was a contributing author to Managing Closely Held Corporations: A Legal Guidebook. His comment entitled Corporate Goverance: Directors vs. Shareholders was published in the Case Western Reserve Law Review 2005) followed by his presentation of this conclusions at the George W. Leet Business Law Symposium. Craig was also a facilitator at the Answering the Top 10 Questions Facing Family Business Boards, forum sponsored by the National Association of Corporate Directors.
Craig frequently lectures and writes on enterprise governance and business transactions throughout the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular emphasis upon Zimbabwe, Zambia, South African and Ghana. Over 1,000 lawyers in SSA have attended Craig’s lectures and training sessions.
Sugar Maple Award, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, 2024
Most Influential Black Lawyers, Savoy Magazine, 2022
Global Impact Volunteer Award, International Senior Lawyers Project
The National Black Lawyers, Top 100 Black Lawyers in Ohio, 2021, 2024
Fairfax Business 18th Annual Black Tie Affair Award Recognition, 2014
Instructor, Business Law Training Program, International Senior Lawyers Project, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, 2007-present
The Best Lawyers in America®, Corporate Governance Law, 2007-26, Corporate Compliance Law, 2007-26, Corporate Law, 2020-26
Ohio Super Lawyers®, 2004-06, 2010-16
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Central State University
AV Preeminent® Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
Crain’s Cleveland Business 2022 Notables in Law
State of Ohio, 1983
Great Lakes Cheese Co., Inc., Board Secretary; Board of Directors, Member
Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Chairman of the Board, 2022
Alliott Global Alliance, Member, International Business Law and Sanctions Specialty Practice Group
International Senior Lawyers Project, Governance Committee Member, 2025 – present; Executive Committee Member, 2015 – 2024; Executive Committee Vice Chair, 2018 – 2020
Merit Selection Panel for the reappointment of U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth S. McHargh, Member, 2011
Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, Office of the United States Trade Representative
South Africa Commercial Law Task Force, Committee on Corporate Law
Ohio Joint High Tech Start-Up Business Committee of the Ohio General Assembly, appointed by the President of the Ohio Senate, Member
International Rotary, Business to Business Exchange, Taiwan, Delegate
American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, Member
Ohio State Bar Association, Member