Atlas

Why they matter

Just became Martin Marietta's top lawyer after 28 years as Cravath's M&A co-chair, giving him direct insight into MLM's legal risk tolerance and deal appetite.

Background

George F. Schoen was appointed Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE: MLM) effective March 2026, joining from Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where he spent 28 years and rose to Co-Chair of the firm's Global Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. He is widely regarded as one of the top M&A and corporate governance lawyers of his generation, having advised on some of the largest and most contested public-company transactions of the past two decades. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University (1995) and a J.D. with honors from the University of Chicago Law School (1998).

Notable deals

2019
Led the Cravath team advising Occidental Petroleum on its $57 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum, including the contingent $8.8B sale of African assets to Total and $10B Berkshire Hathaway investment
2019
Named a 2019 'Dealmaker of the Year' by The American Lawyer for advising The Walt Disney Company on its $85 billion acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox
2022
Led the Cravath team representing IBM in its acquisition of Octo, a federal IT modernization and digital transformation services provider
2022
Named a 2022 'Dealmaker of the Year' by the New York Law Journal, recognizing his transactional practice at Cravath

Call-prep brief

Background

Joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore in 1998, made partner in 2005/2006, became Co-Chair of the firm's Global M&A Practice.
Appointed EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE: MLM), effective March 2026 — his first in-house role after nearly three decades in Big Law.

Current focus

Building out Martin Marietta's legal function amid the company's ongoing roll-up strategy in aggregates, cement, and building materials (M&A, litigation, board governance, regulatory/antitrust for bolt-on acquisitions).

What he cares about

Deal discipline and process rigor — his Cravath practice centered on contested/hostile deals, shareholder activism defense, and complex regulatory carve-outs (e.g., Total/Berkshire tri-party structuring on Anadarko).
Corporate governance and board-level counseling, a recurring theme across his client roster (Disney, IBM, J&J, Northrop Grumman).

Recent moves

Left Cravath after 28 years to go in-house at Martin Marietta — a notable signal that MLM is investing in top-tier deal talent to lead its next phase of M&A-driven growth.

Potential sensitivities

Very new in the seat (started March 2026); unlikely to speak on active/pending MLM transactions or share privileged deal terms.
May be reluctant to discuss former Cravath clients' confidential matters.

Questions to ask

How is Martin Marietta's legal/M&A team structured differently than under his predecessor, and does that signal a faster or slower acquisition cadence?
What lessons from contested deals like Occidental/Anadarko is he applying to MLM's bolt-on aggregates strategy?
Given his activism-defense background, how is he thinking about shareholder engagement and takeover defense at MLM going forward?

Outreach draft

Subject

Congrats on the Martin Marietta move

Hi George, Congratulations on joining Martin Marietta as General Counsel — quite a move after such a distinguished run leading Cravath's M&A practice. Your work on deals like Occidental/Anadarko and Disney/Fox gives you a rare vantage point on how large industrials structure and defend complex transactions. We're a private equity team focused on building products and distribution, and we'd value a short call to hear your perspective on deal dynamics in the space, particularly around aggregates and materials consolidation. No specifics on active matters needed — just your general read on the market. Would you have 20 minutes in the coming weeks? Best, [Placeholder Name]

Linked companies

Sources

Strongest evidencePage title6 public sourcesVerified2026-08-10How the grades work