CHICAGO, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- William J. Griffin, a lawyer and former journalist who served as Press Secretary and Chief of Staff for a Chicago mayor, will join Hill & Knowlton as senior vice president and practice leader, Midwest Public Affairs, effective January 1. Griffin will be based in the Chicago office of Hill & Knowlton, an international public relations and public affairs consultancy.

"Hill & Knowlton and its clients will be extraordinarily well-served by Bill Griffin's depth of knowledge, expertise and judgment," said Gene Reineke, chief operating officer for Hill & Knowlton/USA. "Bill is a trusted advisor whose experiences in media, government and the legal and corporate worlds are exceptional. We are delighted to have him on board."

Griffin's career in public affairs began in 1979, when he became Press Secretary and later Chief of Staff for then-Mayor Jane Byrne. In 1981, he formed his own public affairs firm, Brady Griffin, Inc. After earning his law degree in 1988 from the Illinois Institute of Technology-Chicago Kent College of Law, Griffin became a law partner in the firm of Lison & Griffin, P.C. Griffin joins Hill & Knowlton after running his own law office since 1998.

Griffin worked as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune from 1974 until 1979, and for the City News Bureau of Chicago from 1971 until 1974. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Northeastern Illinois University.

Griffin's experience in the corporate sector is extensive. He has represented American Airlines for 28 years before the city of Chicago, State of Illinois and the Illinois Congressional Delegation. He developed and implemented a grassroots campaign to amend federal rules that allowed American Airlines to replace small turboprop commuter planes with new large jets, allowing the carrier to achieve near-parity with rival United Airlines.

He also organized and coordinated efforts to oppose moves by downstate and suburban lawmakers in Illinois to have the state take over O'Hare Airport. Griffin's other long-time clients have included Allied Tube & Conduit Corp., for whom he worked to maintain strong building codes in the Chicago area that require electrical cable to be installed in steel pipe. He also represented the company in the drafting in 2003 of the City of Chicago Electrical Code, and in securing wiring requirements in the city's subsequent high-rise safety ordinance. He successfully lobbied Congress in 1994 to change a key provision in anti-dumping laws that strengthened the ability of U.S. steel producers to bring cases in the World Trade Court.

"I am very excited at the opportunity to lead the Hill & Knowlton Public Affairs staff in Chicago," Griffin said. "It's an opportunity for me to use my experience as a newspaper reporter, government official and an advisor to corporations on government regulation in developing and implementing successful strategies in these difficult economic times."

About H&K

Hill & Knowlton (www.hillandknowlton.us) is a leading international communications consultancy, providing services to local, multinational and global clients. The firm is headquartered in New York, with 80 offices in 43 countries, as well as an extensive associate network. The agency is part of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY, www.wpp.com), the world's largest communications services group.

SOURCE Hill & Knowlton