McGuireWoods
McGuireWoods LLP is a law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 21 offices worldwide. The firm's largest offices are in Richmond, VA, Charlotte, NC, and Chicago, IL.
Headquarters | Richmond, Virginia |
---|---|
No. of offices | 21[1] |
No. of attorneys | 1000+ |
Major practice areas | General practice |
Date founded | 1834 |
Founder | Egbert R. Watson |
Company type | Limited liability partnership |
Website | www |
History
1800s-1960s
McGuireWoods traces its origins to two lawyers, Egbert R. Watson[2] and Murray Mason McGuire.[3] In 1834, Watson opened a law office in Charlottesville, VA.[2][3] In 1870, he formed a partnership with his son-in-law, George Perkins[2] in what would become Perkins, Battle & Minor.
In 1897, McGuire started practicing law in Richmond, VA.[3] He was joined by John Stewart Bryan in 1898 and the two formed McGuire & Bryan.[3] In the 1960s, the firm became McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson.[3]
1966-2000
In 1966, Charlottesville’s Battle, Neal, Harris, Minor & Williams merged with Richmond’s McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson to create McGuire, Woods & Battle.[3][2] In 1987, the firm merged with Boothe, Prichard & Dudley to create McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe.[2]
In 1991, McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe took over Cable, McDaniel, Bowie & Bond, a Baltimore law firm.[4] After additional mergers, the firm changed its name to McGuireWoods in 2000.[2][5]
In 1998, the firm established its affiliate McGuireWoods Consulting to provide consulting services in government and public relations.[3][2]
2000-Present
In 2003, McGuireWoods merged with Chicago firm Ross and Hardies.[6] In 2006, McGuireWoods merged with Chicago-based Gordon & Glickson.[7]
In 2008, the firm merged with Helms Mulliss & Wicker in North Carolina.[8] In 2009, McGuireWoods opened a London office after a merger.[9]
In 2014, McGuireWoods opened its Dallas office.[10] In 2015, the firm entered into an alliance with FuJae Partners, a Shanghai-based law firm[11] and opened a second office in Los Angeles.[12] In 2016, the firm opened an office in San Francisco.[3][13] As of 2019, the firm has 21 offices worldwide.[1]
In December 2017, Richard Cullen stepped down as chairman of McGuireWoods and partner Jonathan Harmon became the firm’s new chairman.[14] In 2019, Richard Davis was hired as the new chief operating officer.[15]
Notable Cases, Investigations and Transactions
- McGuireWoods represented RMS Titanic, the Atlanta-based company that was granted rights to salvage from the British ocean liner, The Titanic.[16]
- In 2015, FIFA president Sepp Blatter hired McGuireWoods’ attorney Richard Cullen. At the time, several FIFA members had been indicted on corruption charges.[17]
- In June 2017, Vice President Mike Pence retained Richard Cullen, then-chairman of McGuireWoods, as outside legal counsel[18] related to the special counsel investigation into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election.[19]
- In May 2018, Elizabeth Hutson led the McGuireWoods team that represented human trafficking survivor Kendra Ross. Ross was awarded an almost $8 million judgment, the largest civil single-plaintiff human trafficking award in U.S. history, in the suit she brought against the nationwide regimented cult The Value Creators Inc. (formerly known as The United Nation of Islam).[20]
- McGuireWoods attorneys including Richard Cullen represented Cynthia and Frederick Warmbier when they sued North Korea for having “brutally tortured and murdered” their son, Otto Warmbier.[21][22] In December 2018, a federal court ordered North Korea to pay the Warmbiers over $500 million.[22]
- In 2018, McGuireWoods attorney Matthew Fitzgerald represented Ryan Collins in the U.S. Supreme Court case Collins v. Virginia.[23][24] The Court voted in favor of Collins, ruling that the automobile exception to the Fourth Amendment does not permit a police officer to enter the curtilage of a home without a warrant.[23]
- The firm advised Dominion Energy in a transaction valued at more than $14 billion, closing its acquisition of U.S. energy and gas utility Scana in January 2019.[25]
McGuireWoods Alums
- George Allen[26]
- U.S. District Judge Ken Bell, Western District of North Carolina[27]
- Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos Muñiz[28]
- Lewis F. Payne Jr.[29]
- Judge Richard Leroy Williams[30]
- Frank Donatelli[31]
- Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia William C. Battle[32]
- Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr.[33]
- Timothy Flanigan
- Judge Robert E. Payne
Current McGuireWoods Lawyers and/or Consultants with McGuireWoods Consulting (MWC)
- Richard Cullen[34]
- John Adams[35]
- George Terwilliger[36]
- Andrew G. McBride[37]
- Former Gov. Jim Hodges[38]
- Laura Fornash (MWC)[39][40]
- Preston Bryant (MWC)[41]
- William J. Howell (MWC)[42]
See also
- List of 100 largest law firms globally
References
- "McGuireWoods law firm hires new chief operating officer". Richmond Times Dispatch. 2019-10-01.
- "McGuireWoods (1834)". The Daily Progress. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- "McGuireWoods". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- "Major Va. law firm coming to Baltimore McGuire, Woods to merge with Cable, McDaniel as of Nov. 1". Baltimore Sun. October 3, 1991.
- "Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia William C. Battle dies". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- "McGuireWoods merger part of 'ongoing strategy'". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- "Gordon & Glickson Merges With McGuireWoods". 2006-01-19. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
- "McGuireWoods LLP Gains Dominant Position in N.C. Market As Merger With Helms Mulliss & Wicker Is Completed". 2008-04-01. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
- "McGuireWoods to Wed London-Based Law Firm With 36 Attorneys". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- "Why National Law Firms Are Flocking to Texas". D Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
- "Seeking China Beachhead, McGuireWoods Inks Shanghai Deal". Law.com. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
- "McGuireWoods expands in LA with Integer Law deal". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
- "McGuireWoods opening office in San Francisco". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- "Jon Harmon to lead troops as chairman at McGuireWoods as Cullen steps down from role". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
- "McGuireWoods names new COO". Virginia Business. 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
- "RMS Titanic Lawyers: No Basis for Suit". Daily Press. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- "FIFA president Sepp Blatter lawyers up, hires high-powered attorney Richard Cullen". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- "VP Mike Pence retains Richard Cullen of McGuireWoods in Russia probe". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- "Vice President Pence hires outside counsel to deal with Russia inquiries". CNBC. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- "The cult next door: Debunking five misconceptions about human trafficking". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- "Parents of Otto Warmbier sue North Korean government over his imprisonment, death". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- "U.S. judge orders North Korea to pay more than $500 million in death of student Otto Warmbier". ChicagoTribune. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
- "Collins v. Virginia" (PDF). Supreme Court. 2018-05-29.
- "Warrant required: Supreme Court ruling in Albemarle case bolsters Fourth Amendment". C-VILLE Weekly. 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
- "Dominion, SCANA close merger". S&P Global. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
- "Ex-Gov. Allen now `rainmaker' for Va. law firm". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- "Lawyer Who Made Case for Clinton Indictment Confirmed as Judge". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Carlos Muniz Confirmed as Education Department General Counsel". Executive Gov. 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Commending the Honorable Lewis F. Payne". Richmond Sunlight. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- "Richard L. Williams, veteran federal judge, dies at age 87". Times Dispatch. 2013-02-04. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- "New leadership coming to McGuireWoods Consulting". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- "Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia William C. Battle dies". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- Bernstein, Adam (2011-02-09). "Leroy R. Hassell Sr., Virginia's first black chief justice, dies at 55". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
- "Richard Cullen to step down as McGuireWoods chairman but continue law practice". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- "John Adams, the political opposite of Attorney General Mark Herring, wants his job". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- "WV gov. hires former US acting AG for residency lawsuit". Charleston Gazette. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- Russell-Kraft, Stephanie. "McGuireWoods Nabs White Collar Litigator From Perkins Coie". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- "The 50 Most Influential People In Columbia". Columbia Business Monthly. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- "Handshake's latest update lets James Madison University students search for jobs and internships".
- "McGuireWoods".
- "VAS Selects McGuire Woods Consulting for Lobbying Representation". VAS. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- "Former House speaker joins McGuireWoods Consulting". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-06-16.