McGuireWoods explained

Firm Name:	McGuireWoods LLP
Firm Logo:	McGuireWoods LLP logo.svg
Headquarters:	Richmond, Virginia
Num Offices:	21^[1]
Num Attorneys:	1000+
Practice Areas:	General practice
Founder:	Egbert R. Watson
Company Type:	Limited liability partnership

McGuireWoods LLP is a US-based international law firm. Their largest offices are in Richmond, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chicago, Illinois.

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. In 1870, he formed a partnership with his son-in-law, George Perkins in what would become Perkins, Battle & Minor.

In 1897, McGuire started practicing law in Richmond, VA. He was joined by John Stewart Bryan in 1898 and the two formed McGuire & Bryan. In the 1960s, the firm became McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson.

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. In 1987, the firm merged with Boothe, Prichard & Dudley to create McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe.

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.^[5]

In 1998, the firm established its affiliate McGuireWoods Consulting to provide consulting services in government and public relations.

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.^[13] As of 2019, the firm has 21 offices worldwide.

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]

McGuireWoods was named one of the most innovative law firms in North America by Financial Times in 2018 and 2019.^{[16] [17]}

In June 2020, the Open Technology Fund (OTF) asked McGuireWoods, which had been advising it pro bono, for help in a conflict with the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its then-director Michael Pack. McGuireWoods advised it could not help in the case. OTF learned in December 2020 that the reason for the refusal was that McGuireWoods had decided to investigate OTF on behalf of USAGM and Pack instead.^[18] The Government Accountability Project, citing records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, claimed McGuireWoods had billed USAGM $1.625 million at an average rate of $320 an hour after receiving a no-bid contract to investigate OTF as well as Voice of America employees.^[19]

In 2022, Trump's Save America political action committee paid McGuireWoods almost $900,000 in legal fees.^[20]

Notable cases

• In June 2017, Vice President Mike Pence retained Richard Cullen, then-chairman of McGuireWoods, as outside legal counsel^[21] related to the special counsel investigation into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election.^[22]
• 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).^[23]
• 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.^{[24] [25]} In December 2018, a federal court ordered North Korea to pay the Warmbiers over $500 million.
• In 2018, McGuireWoods attorney Matthew Fitzgerald represented Ryan Collins in the U.S. Supreme Court case Collins v. Virginia.^{[26] [27]} 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.
• McGuireWoods lawyers were part of the defense team hired to represent Boeing in a federal criminal investigation related to the 737 MAX aircraft.^[28] In January 2021, Boeing entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.^[29]
• McGuireWoods represented mining company Asarco LLC in litigation related to the ongoing cleanup of a former lead and zinc smelting site in western Montana. In May 2021, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen ruled that Atlantic Richfield Co. must pay Asarco $16 million and 25 percent of future sums to contribute to ongoing cleanup.^{[30] [31]}

McGuireWoods Alums

• George Allen^[32]
• Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia William C. Battle^[33]
• Cheri Beasley
• U.S. District Judge Ken Bell, Western District of North Carolina^[34]
• John N. Dalton
• Chief Judge Mark Steven Davis, Eastern District of Virginia.^[35]
• Frank Donatelli^[36]
• U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easly Jr., Eastern District of North Carolina
• Timothy Flanigan
• Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr.^[37]
• Jack McLean, former mayor of Tallahassee^[38]
• Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos Muñiz^[39]
• Robert H. Patterson Jr.
• Lewis F. Payne Jr.^[40]
• Judge Robert E. Payne
• Jacob Rooksby
• David L. Richardson
• Paul Van den Bulck, former president of Royal Belgian Football Association.
• Judge Richard Leroy Williams^[41]

Current McGuireWoods Lawyers and/or Consultants with McGuireWoods Consulting (MWC)

• Richard Cullen^[42]
• John Adams^[43]
• Scott Becker (partner in the Healthcare Department and founder and publisher of Becker's Hospital Review^[44]
• George Terwilliger^[45]
• Andrew G. McBride^[46]
• Former Gov. Jim Hodges^[47]
• Laura Fornash (MWC)^{[48] [49]}
• Preston Bryant (MWC)^[50]
• William J. Howell (MWC)^[51]
• Bernard L. McNamee, Former Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission^[52]
• Robert J. Bittman^[53]
• G.K. Butterfield, Former Member of the U.S House of Representatives^[54]

See also

• List of law firms globally

External links

• • McGuireWoods Consulting website
• FuJae Partners website

Notes and References

1. Web site: McGuireWoods law firm hires new chief operating officer. 2019-10-01. Richmond Times Dispatch.
2. Web site: McGuireWoods (1834). The Daily Progress. 2020-04-21.
3. Web site: McGuireWoods. Richmond Times-Dispatch. en. 2020-04-21.
4. Web site: Major Va. law firm coming to Baltimore McGuire, Woods to merge with Cable, McDaniel as of Nov. 1.. October 3, 1991. Baltimore Sun.
5. Web site: Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia William C. Battle dies. Richmond Times-Dispatch. en. 2020-04-30.
6. Web site: McGuireWoods merger part of 'ongoing strategy'. Washington Business Journal. 2020-05-26.
7. Web site: 2006-01-19. Gordon & Glickson Merges With McGuireWoods. 2020-06-04. en.
8. Web site: 2008-04-01. McGuireWoods LLP Gains Dominant Position in N.C. Market As Merger With Helms Mulliss & Wicker Is Completed. 2020-06-08. en.
9. Web site: McGuireWoods to Wed London-Based Law Firm With 36 Attorneys. 2020-06-11. ABA Journal. en.
10. Web site: Why National Law Firms Are Flocking to Texas. 2020-06-11. D Magazine. en.
11. Web site: Seeking China Beachhead, McGuireWoods Inks Shanghai Deal. Law.com. 2020-05-05.
12. Web site: McGuireWoods expands in LA with Integer Law deal. Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2020-05-05.
13. Web site: McGuireWoods opening office in San Francisco. 2020-07-22. Richmond Times-Dispatch. en.
14. Web site: Jon Harmon to lead troops as chairman at McGuireWoods as Cullen steps down from role. Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2020-05-13.
15. Web site: McGuireWoods names new COO. 2019-10-01. Virginia Business. en-US. 2020-05-22.
16. Web site: 2019-12-10. FT North American Innovative Lawyers Awards 2019. 2020-08-19. Financial Times. en-GB.
17. Web site: 2018-12-12. FT North America Innovative Lawyer Awards 2018. 2020-08-19. Financial Times. en-GB.
18. News: Folkenflik . David . 'I Was Speechless': Law Firm Investigated Its Own Ex-Client For Trump VOA Chief . 20 March 2021 . National Public Radio . 10 March 2021.
19. Web site: Press Release: Whistleblowers Reveal More Alarming Details About Law Firm Contracts Awarded by Voice of America Overseer to Investigate Federal Employees . whistleblower.org . Government Accountability Project . 20 March 2021.
20. Web site: Trump leadership PAC spent more than $16 million on legal services in 2022 . Katelyn. Polantz. February 22, 2023. CNN.
21. Web site: VP Mike Pence retains Richard Cullen of McGuireWoods in Russia probe. 2020-07-09. Richmond Times-Dispatch. en.
22. Web site: 2017-06-15. Vice President Pence hires outside counsel to deal with Russia inquiries. 2020-07-09. CNBC. en.
23. Web site: The cult next door: Debunking five misconceptions about human trafficking. 2020-06-29. MarketWatch. en-US.
24. Web site: Parents of Otto Warmbier sue North Korean government over his imprisonment, death. 2020-07-16. POLITICO.
25. Web site: U.S. judge orders North Korea to pay more than $500 million in death of student Otto Warmbier. 2020-07-16. ChicagoTribune.
26. Web site: 2018-05-29. Collins v. Virginia. Supreme Court.
27. Web site: 2018-06-05. Warrant required: Supreme Court ruling in Albemarle case bolsters Fourth Amendment. 2020-07-27. C-VILLE Weekly.
28. Web site: 2019-06-06. Boeing turns to high-powered defense attorneys in 737 MAX investigation. 2021-10-08. The Seattle Times. en-US.
29. News: 2021-01-08. Boeing to pay $2.5 billion to settle U.S. criminal probe into 737 MAX crashes. en. Reuters. 2021-10-08.
30. News: 2021-05-27. ARCO must pay Asarco $16 mln over Superfund. Reuters. 2021-10-26.
31. Web site: Atlantic Richfield Owes Asarco $16 Million in Montana Cleanup. 2021-10-26. Bloomberg Law. en.
32. Web site: Ex-Gov. Allen now 'rainmaker' for Va. law firm. 2020-07-20. Washington Business Journal.
33. Web site: Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia William C. Battle dies. 2020-07-01. Richmond Times-Dispatch. en.
34. Web site: Lawyer Who Made Case for Clinton Indictment Confirmed as Judge. 2020-06-25. news.bloomberglaw.com. en.
35. https://www.justice.gov/archive/olp/davisresume.htm
36. Web site: New leadership coming to McGuireWoods Consulting. 2020-06-25. TheHill. en.
37. News: Bernstein. Adam. 2011-02-09. Leroy R. Hassell Sr., Virginia's first black chief justice, dies at 55. 2020-08-01. The Washington Post.
38. News: Scott J. . Bryan . Jack Is Back - Former Quincy manager, attorney is back in charge . The Gadsden County Times. June 5, 2019 .
39. Web site: 2018-04-19. Carlos Muniz Confirmed as Education Department General Counsel. 2020-06-25. Executive Gov. en-US.
40. Web site: Commending the Honorable Lewis F. Payne.. 2020-07-13. Richmond Sunlight.
41. Web site: 2013-02-04. Richard L. Williams, veteran federal judge, dies at age 87. live. https://archive.today/20130204082841/http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/richard-l-williams-veteran-federal-judge-dies-at-age/article_26351232-222e-58ef-aff7-6265e5b4fdb4.html. 2013-02-04. 2020-07-13. Times Dispatch.
42. Web site: Richard Cullen to step down as McGuireWoods chairman but continue law practice. Richmond Times-Dispatch. 2020-05-07.
43. Web site: John Adams, the political opposite of Attorney General Mark Herring, wants his job. Richmond Times-Dispatch. en. 2020-05-07.
44. Web site: Scott Becker. McGuireWoods. March 7, 2022.
45. Web site: WV gov. hires former US acting AG for residency lawsuit . Charleston Gazette . 2020-05-11.
46. Web site: Russell-Kraft . Stephanie . McGuireWoods Nabs White Collar Litigator From Perkins Coie . Bloomberg Law . 2020-05-19.
47. Web site: The 50 Most Influential People In Columbia . Columbia Business Monthly . 2020-05-28.
48. Web site: Handshake's latest update lets James Madison University students search for jobs and internships .
49. Web site: McGuireWoods .
50. Web site: VAS Selects McGuire Woods Consulting for Lobbying Representation. 2020-06-16. VAS.
51. Web site: Former House speaker joins McGuireWoods Consulting. 2020-06-16. Richmond Times-Dispatch.
52. Web site: Bernard L. McNamee . 2022-04-07 . www.mcguirewoods.com . en.
53. Web site: Ken Starr deputy who once grilled Bill Clinton before grand jury is now defending Mark Meadows in Trump RICO case. 28 August 2023. 1 December 2023. Law and Crime. Matt Naham.
54. Web site: G. K. Butterfield . 2024-05-21 . McGuireWoods . en-US.