Martin Vanderweil

Martin Vanderweil, a character in the Laws of Attraction series, is one of your professional rivals and McGraw Byrne's acting CEO as of Book 2. He is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 1.

Appearance

Martin has short brown slicked hair, tanned skin and brown eyes. He wears a grey suit with a white shirt and a red and white dotted tie.

Personality

He is arrogant, believing that his credentials put him above the rest of his competition. He also acts rude and condescending towards others. Despite these qualities, he is also smart, realistic, and practical. He understands what jurors look for in plaintiffs and defendants, and what it takes to win them over.

According to Joaquin, Martin doesn't know what the word "friend" means and only sees people as superiors, subordinates, and allies. Although he is not ordinarily superstitious, he has a lucky rabbit's foot which he had used during his law school years, keeping it with him during exams and mock trials.

According to Henry and what he has heard, Martin's promotion came too soon which makes him an easy target and a dangerous adversary.

Background

Martin is a graduate of Princeton (majoring in sociology, almost a decade ago) and Yale. He did a federal clerkship and was most recently an associate at Williams Fischer Burnhardt before joining McGraw Byrne.

Chapters

Laws of Attraction

Book 1

Chapter 1: Jury of Your Peers
Chapter 2: Burden of Proof
Chapter 3: Parentis Loco
Chapter 4: The Issue is Moot
Chapter 5: Day in (Moot) Court
Chapter 6: Age of Majority
Chapter 7: What's Mine is Yours
Chapter 8: Commingling
Chapter 9: Scene of the Crime
Chapter 10: Strategic Retreat
Chapter 11: Reasonable Doubt
Chapter 12: Probative Value
Chapter 13: Prior Restraint
Chapter 14: Nondisclosure
Chapter 15: Clear and Present Danger
Chapter 16: Collusion

Book 2

Chapter 1: Jury's Still Out
Chapter 2: Identity Crisis
Chapter 3: Ivy League
Chapter 4: Off The Record
Chapter 5: Ricci & Associates (Mentioned; Determinant)
Chapter 6: Sorcha (Mentioned)
Chapter 7: Heavy Hitters
Chapter 8: Pulling The Thread (Mentioned; Determinant)
Chapter 9: You've Got Mail (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)
Chapter 10: Dance with the Devil (Mentioned)
Chapter 11: Yacht Crashers
Chapter 12: Trail of Corruption (Mentioned)
Chapter 14: Inadmissible Evidence
Chapter 15: Leverage
Chapter 16: All Rise

Relationships

Your Character

You meet him and the other associates in Chapter 1 when Sadie McGraw announces the competition to become partner. Of all your competitors, he is the most vocal in wanting to beat the group to win the position. If you try to make small talk, he seems annoyed but tells you that he lives nearby because commuting wastes time. In Chapter 2, he criticizes you for not being as well-versed on law as he is and tells you that you don't belong at McGraw Byrne. He states that your opposing counsel in your small town case could have cited Bates v. Arnoldson or Ruiz v. Elsop Arboretum that established previous maintenance costs aren't covered under tree law.

If you decide to go with Aislinn and the rest of the attorneys to Ten Mae without Gabe, he refuses to play the game of "Screw, Dump, Marry." He says that he would not screw any of his colleagues because it would be wildly unprofessional. If you choose to dump Sadie though, he believes that would be a bold move on your part.

At the end of Chapter 16, depending on your choices throughout the competition, either you or Martin will be named junior partner. If you are the winner of the junior partnership, Martin is not discouraged or depressed. If he is the winner, he tells the group that he doesn't need it and that you can have it. Instead, he announces that the partners unanimously voted to offer him a senior partnership and he accepted. He tells you that as senior partner, he plans to make some big changes around the office and you will not be able to have a say in them.

In Book 2, Chapter 1, he becomes your supervisor, stating that as the newest senior partner, he oversees all the junior partners and senior associates. He tells you that he won't let you make the same "mistakes" you did when Sadie was in charge. After you convince a client with an unwinnable case to drop his lawsuit against his wife, Martin attempts to convince the other senior partners that he should oversee your cases. In Chapter 3, he becomes furious after you "make him look like a fool" again.

In Chapter 4, the tension boils over when Martin sends you to an interview and has already fed the reporter scandalous information and accusations anonymously. Depending on how you answer the questions and if you decide to dress up for the interview in a premium outfit, the article written can either make you look like the star of a doomed firm or just as bad as the firm you represent. This damage to the firm's reputation gets your partnership revoked. When talking to Aislinn, you can choose to refer to Martin as a scumbag, showcasing how you feel about his actions and behavior. At the end of chapter, you decide to resign from McGraw Byrne, feeling that the firm isn't what it once was, and that Martin only cares about rich and powerful clients.

In Chapter 16, after you get Colby indicted on RICO charges, you tell Martin that he may want to help the District Attorneys when they go after Colby for Hank Lovell's murder. He tells you that he will be disbarred, but you tell him that Colby will probably turn on him and the choice is up to him.

Beau McGraw

Beau McGraw is also one of Martin's associates and fellow rivals in the competition.

Gabe Ricci

In Book 1, Gabe Ricci is Martin's direct supervisor. Throughout the competition, Martin constantly asks Gabe for the update list of rankings. When Martin is promoted to senior partner, the two men become equals in terms of office hierarchy which allows Martin to boast and tell Gabe that he no longer has to listen to the other man's rhetoric.

In Book 2, after Gabe leaves McGraw Byrne to start a firm with you and Aislinn Tanaka, Gabe tells you that Martin wouldn't have turned down Aislinn's request to help her grandmother with her conservatorship without looking into the matter and realizing there was more money to be made on the other side.

Sadie McGraw

"Being a good lawyer isn't just about feeling morally superior, it's about knowing when to cut a deal."

—Martin

In Chapter 16, he tells you that he brokered a deal with Sadie McGraw to minimize the damage she would leave in her wake upon leaving the firm.

Gallery

Other Looks

Miscellaneous

Trivia

The name Martin is of Latin origin and means: Warrior, of Mars, warlike.
- He shares the same name as Martin Stafford from The Freshman series, Martin from the LoveHacks series, Martin Silva from the High School Story: Class Act series and Martin Schmidt from Red Carpet Diaries, Book 3.
At the end of Book 1, Chapter 16, he replaces Sadie as senior partner after Sadie is ousted.
His crimes include aiding and abetting and obstruction of justice.
Although not shown, it is implied by your character that he will face charges for being complicit in Hank Lovell's murder.