“What’s past is prologue.”
- William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Standing the test of time requires deep roots and mastering change. If the past is indeed prologue, then McGuireWoods’ past 175 years spell a strong today and tomorrow.
For nearly two centuries, we have expanded our presence and enhanced our capabilities to keep pace with our clients’ needs — both in the United States, as well as in the global marketplace. Today we have more than 900 lawyers in 19 offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Brussels and elsewhere in Europe. We do business where our clients do business.
Milestones
1834: Egbert R. Watson, previously private secretary to former president James Monroe, starts his Charlottesville, Virginia, practice. In 1870, after a career that includes serving as a circuit court judge and six years in the Virginia General Assembly, Watson forms a partnership with his son-in-law, George Perkins, which becomes Perkins, Battle & Minor in 1936.
1897: Murray Mason McGuire begins practicing law in Richmond, Virginia. The following year he is joined by John Stewart Bryan. By the 1960s, the firm of McGuire & Bryan has become McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson.
1937: T. Nelson Parker and John J. Fairbank form a partnership in Richmond, which after Parker leaves in 1956 to accept a government appointment, becomes Bremner, Neal, Harris & Williams.
1950: Perkins, Battle & Minor partner John S. Battle is sworn in as governor of Virginia.
1961: Two Perkins, Battle & Minor lawyers are tapped for positions in the Kennedy administration. The firm merges with Bremner, Neal and becomes Battle, Neal, Harris, Minor & Williams.
1966: The modern McGuireWoods is born through the merger of Battle, Neal, Harris, Minor & Williams with McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson to become McGuire, Woods & Battle.
1987: McGuire, Woods & Battle merges with prominent Northern Virginia firm Boothe, Prichard & Dudley to become McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe, with offices in Alexandria, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Richmond and Tysons Corner, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
1990: McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe LLP opens its first overseas office in Brussels, Belgium.
1991: The firm expands to Maryland after merging with Baltimore’s highly regarded Cable, McDaniel, Bowie & Bond.
1994: The firm opens an office in Jacksonville, Florida.
1998: McGuireWoods Consulting LLC is established to provide services in government and public relations. McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe continues to expand, opening offices in Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; and Atlanta, Georgia.
1999: Two well-established Atlanta firms join McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe LLP. The firm expands again by adding a New York City office.
2000: The firm opens its final office under the name McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe LLP, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In July, McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe LLP starts doing business as McGuireWoods LLP.
2001: The firm establishes McGuireWoods Capital Group to advise emerging to mid-market enterprises on corporate development, business performance enhancement and capital market relations. McGuireWoods LLP expands its presence in Pittsburgh through merger with 17-lawyer business law firm Sable, Pusateri, Rosen, Gordon & Adams.
2003: McGuireWoods adds to its Chicago and New York strength by merging with 155-lawyer firm Ross and Hardies.
2005: McGuireWoods LLP opens an office in Los Angeles, California.
2006: Van Etten Suzumoto & Becket, a 40-lawyer Los Angeles firm, becomes part of McGuireWoods LLP, enhancing the firm’s capabilities on the U.S. West Coast. Gordon & Glickson LLC, an internationally known law firm serving the information technology marketplace, joins McGuireWoods in Chicago.
2008: McGuireWoods merges with Helms Mulliss & Wicker, PLLC, a 145-lawyer North Carolina firm with offices in Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington.
2009: McGuireWoods merges with Grundberg Mocatta Rakison, a firm with more than 25 lawyers in London, England, to form McGuireWoods London LLP.
2011: Nickens, Keeton, Lawless, Farrell & Flack, a 12-lawyer firm with offices in Austin and Houston, Texas, joins McGuireWoods LLP.
Recognition
- Vault Law 100, 2012 – Ranked McGuireWoods as one of the “most prestigious” firms in the world by the Vault guide to the top 100 law firms.
- Corporate Counsel, 2012 – Listed among the 2012 “Top 500 Go-To Law Firms” for Litigation by the publishers of Corporate Counsel magazine, which selected firms by surveying general counsel and analyzing key databases. The listing was published in a spring supplement to The American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel.
- Chambers USA, 2012 – Recognized McGuireWoods’ lawyers 76 times and practice areas 22 times in 2012 guide, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
- Best Lawyers in America®, Woodward/White, Inc, 2013 — 201 lawyers were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for 2013.
- BTI Consulting Group “A-Team Stalwart,” 2011 – Listed as a top “Client Service A-Team” law firm, based on results of independent client surveys. McGuireWoods is among a select group of law firms in the country to make the list for 11 consecutive years. BTI said, “Of the 650 law firms serving the Fortune 1000, only 8.3 percent of law firms earn this prestigious recognition. These firms demonstrate their proven skill and finesse at delivering and maintaining exceptional client service year after year.”
- Belgian Legal Awards Group, 2010 – Brussels office named “The Best United States Law Firm in Brussels.”
Our strength is reflected in continued growth and high-profile recognition for our firm, our lawyers, our practices and industries, and our diversity and inclusion, pro bono, and community programming. Please tour our website to learn more about our firm and our lawyers.