Mr. Schewel joined McGuireWoods in 1979. His practice focuses principally on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, and the development and financing of energy projects. He has also been involved in economic development work in Virginia and across the country.

In the energy area, he has represented owners, investors and lenders in the development, acquisition and/or financing of biofuel facilities, landfill gas facilities, industrial processing facilities, and coal-fired, gas-fired, nuclear, wood-fired, biomass and hydroelectric power generating facilities throughout the United States. He has also represented electric and gas utilities, as well as non-utility energy companies, in connection with the acquisition and sale of gas pipeline and electric generation and distribution companies and assets across the United States and in Canada, Central America, South America, Australia and Europe.

In January 2002, Mr. Schewel was appointed Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade by Governor Mark Warner. In that capacity until January 2006, he was responsible for 16 state agencies with approximately 3,000 employees and a budget of more than $800 million. In charge of Virginia’s economic development agencies and programs, his efforts helped to create more than 125,000 new jobs and attract more than $13.4 billion of new business investment.