Our Firm: Firm Profile

At McGuireWoods, we have one thing on our minds – serving clients. Our commitment to providing them with quality work and personalized service has allowed us to become one of the most client-centric law firms in the country. We deliver exceptional value, use technology to provide effective and efficient legal solutions and employ a diverse workforce to bring real-world and innovative perspectives to meet our clients’ needs.

With approximately 900 lawyers and 17 strategically located offices worldwide, McGuireWoods uses client-focused teams to serve public, private, government and nonprofit clients from many industries including automotive, energy resources, health care, technology and transportation, thus meeting clients’ needs from virtually any area of law.

Client Focus

Ranked No. 8 overall in third quarter 2008 (year-to-date) U.S. capital markets review for U.S. debt, equity and equity-related issuances by issuer. As issuer’s legal advisor: ranked No. 2 overall in U.S. convertible offerings; No. 2 overall in U.S. preferred stock; No. 6 overall in U.S. investment grade corporate debt; No. 7 overall in U.S. straight debt; and No. 9 overall in U.S. asset-backed securities. – Reuters, 2008

Named a "Go-To” law firm and highly valued by Fortune 500 clients. Of 900 firms in the survey, we ranked 22nd in overall mentions, 12th in labor and employment, and 10th in litigation. Also named a “Bet-the-Company” litigation firm. – Corporate Counsel, 2009

158 lawyers named “Best Lawyers” in this leading referral guide to the legal profession in the United States. Also named a “Best Lawyers in America Top Ranked Firm.” – Best Lawyers in America®, 2009

Named one of the "Top Guardians of the IP Nest." In the listing based on a survey of BusinessWeek's 50 most innovative companies, McGuireWoods is one of only 23 firms in the United States named a "go-to firm." - IP Law & Business, 2009

Ranked a "Primary" law firm for pharmaceuticals.– BTI Consulting Group’s Industry Power Rankings, 2008

59 partners recognized as “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.” – Chambers USA, 2008

128 lawyers named “Super Lawyers,” an honor awarded annually to the top 5% of each state’s lawyers. – Law & Politics, 2008

25 lawyers named as Virginia’s “Legal Elite.” – Virginia Business, 2008

Listed in the "Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms," where 19,000 practicing attorneys ranked the top 100 firms based on prestige. – Vault Guide to Top 100 Law Firms, 2007, 2008

Recognized among the “Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity.” – Multicultural Law, 2008

Named one of the "Top 100 Law Firms for Women." – Women 3.0 Magazine, 2008

Ranked 19th of more than 500 core law firms serving Fortune 1000 clients, making us part of the “BTI Client Service A-Team.” This is the third consecutive year we’ve placed in the BTI Client Service 30 – 30 elite law firms performing up to 15 times better than other firms, according to clients. – BTI Consulting, 2008

Named a "Go-To” law firm for financial services by in-house counsel at several leading U.S. financial services companies. – Corporate Counsel, 2007

One of only 50 law firms nationwide named a “Best Law Firm for Women.” – Working Mother Magazine, 2007

Corporate website named one of the top 30 law firm sites out of 250 in the United States.
– InternetMarketingAttorney.com, 2007

Named a “Bet-the-Company” law firm for earning clients’ votes of confidence in critical matters/crisis situations. – BTI Power Rankings, 2007

Completed 58 transactions in 2007 as counsel for the administrative agent in syndicated financings, representing $31,674,000,000 in aggregate credit exposure – placing us 15th in the U.S. market by number of transactions, and 18th nationally by aggregate credit exposure. – Reuters LPC, 2007

Ranked one of the top seven trusts and estates law firms in the country for private wealth services.
– Chambers USA, 2007

Ranked No. 1 bond counsel firm in Virginia, based on dollar amount of bond transactions handled. Also listed as one of the top 10 bond counsel firms in the Southeast. – The Bond Buyer, 2007

Ranked among the top 10 largest health care law firms in the United States.– American Health Lawyers Association

Named on the Pro Bono Initiative’s “Honor Roll” for our commitment to providing legal services to low-income populations and others who can’t afford legal representation. – Pro Bono Initiative Honor Roll, 2005, 2006

Named in "Which Law Firms are at the Top of GCs' Speed-Dial List?" as being among GCs’ speed dial contacts. According to the article, GCs say they want the "massive firepower" of firms like ours on their side. – Corporate Counsel, 2006

Member of DuPont Primary Law Firm Network from inception of DuPont's convergence program. Honored consistently with “Challenge Award,” given to the best in an already elite group of DuPont’s primary law firms for their contributions and support of the advancement of the DuPont Legal Model’s objectives. – DuPont Challenge Awards

Inaugural recipient of International Paper's “Lighthouse Award” for distinguishing ourselves in the area of diversity by example and leadership. – International Paper

Awarded the Thomas L. Sager Award for our commitment to hiring, retaining and promoting ethnic minority lawyers.
– Minority Corporate Counsel Association

Partnering

Having been selected to participate in formal convergence programs with clients such as DuPont and International Paper, McGuireWoods prides itself on “partnering” with clients by listening to their needs, understanding their businesses, and utilizing this knowledge base to provide efficient service. In many cases, we serve as national or regional counsel for corporations such as DuPont, Ford and Siemens.

We apply the lessons learned from these relationships to better manage work for all our clients. Knowing that clients have specific needs, we discuss arrangements with each client to find what best matches each client’s preferences. Our hourly rates are competitive, and we have a number of alternative fee arrangements in place with many clients. We have also worked with clients to determine fixed fees for a portfolio of work or phases of litigation, and have arranged retainers and blended rates when appropriate.

As a leader in the successful implementation of alternative fee arrangements, McGuireWoods was featured on the front page of the Chicago Tribune business section and was highlighted in American Lawyer Media and the Baltimore Business Journal for our commitment to and experience in alternative fee arrangements. Our alternative fee arrangements allow us to work with each client’s individual needs to develop relationships that work.

Technology

At McGuireWoods, technology is one of many tools we use to provide exceptional client service. While we of course use traditional venues such as e-mail and instant messaging, we are particularly adept at creating and using more robust methods of collaboration as well. We bring to bear extranets, case management systems, and real-time online meetings to name a few, all to improve responsiveness, control costs, and increase the depth of our client interactions.

We share knowledge internally through a formal knowledge management initiative that identifies, captures and publishes best practices within the firm. We can summon the institutional knowledge of our entire firm to identify specific experience among our lawyers, or to leverage best practices based on that experience. The end results for clients are consistent work product, incredible responsiveness, and efficient delivery.

Our website provides legal updates in plain language with common sense commentary. We also keep thousands of clients and friends updated on breaking developments through a complimentary e-mail news service, targeted to specific audiences with various interests and needs for legal news. We host regular seminars, live and virtual, on critical aspects of the law in each of our practice areas.

We recognize that sophisticated clients often engage the services of multiple firms. We excel at working alongside other outside counsel to clients’ mutual advantage. For example, we may serve as National Discovery Counsel, coordinating discovery efforts across multiple states with different trial counsel in each. We have shared both technology and access to information with such firms so that clients get the benefit of a coordinated team.

Breadth of Services

To complement our legal services, we offer a number of solutions outside the legal realm, such as those provided by our subsidiaries McGuireWoods Consulting LLC and McGuireWoods Capital Group. These groups offer a wide range of government and public relations services, business advisory services, and other non-legal consulting services.

McGuireWoods is a member of Lex Mundi, a global association of 160 member firms, creators of Hieros Gamos, a comprehensive legal database. We are also members of the State Capital Global Law Firm Group (member firms of the State Capital Law Firm Group practice independently and not in a relationship for the joint practice of law), and a part of the United States Law Firm Group, a network of 19 general practice U.S. law firms, each separate entities that practice law independently. McGuireWoods is a participant in the DuPont Legal Model.