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

Quality

Best Lawyers in America® – Best Lawyers in America recognized 158 McGuireWoods lawyers in its 2009 edition. Published by Woodward/White, Inc., Best Lawyers is regarded as the leading referral guide to the legal profession in the United States.

Power Rankings – In a 2007 survey of 425 Fortune 1000 corporate counsel, McGuireWoods was named a “Bet-the-Company Law Firm” for earning clients’ votes of confidence in critical matters or crisis situations. Describing the designation as a best-in-class performance, BTI Consulting Group released its findings in The BTI Power Rankings: The BTI Client Relationship Scorecard for Law Firms. The analysis was designed to determine firms best positioned to lead the market.

Power Rankings: Pharmaceuticals – McGuireWoods was recognized by BTI Consulting Group in its 2008 Industry Rankings as a "Primary," "Recommended" and "Short Lister" law firm in the area of pharmaceuticals.

Reuters LPC – According to Reuters LPC, a leading information provider to the financial services industry, in 2007 McGuireWoods completed 58 transactions as counsel for the administrative agent in syndicated financings, representing $31,674,000,000 in aggregate credit exposure. This places the firm 15th in the U.S. market by number of transactions, and 18th nationally by aggregate credit exposure.

Go-to Law Firm for Financial Services – According to a 2007 Corporate Counsel magazine survey, McGuireWoods was selected by in-house law departments at several leading U.S. financial services companies as a "go-to law firm." Clients recognized us for excellence in banking and finance, securities, litigation, and labor and employment.

Go-to Law Firm for Big Ticket Litigation – In the September 2006 issue of American Lawyer, we ranked No. 3 as the most frequently named "go-to" firm for big ticket litigation, according to a survey of general counsel from Fortune 250 companies.

Market Movers – In a 2006 BTI survey of corporate counsel, we were recognized for superior performance as one of 40 market movers in BTI Market Movers: Law Firms Shaping the Legal Market. Within that group, we were distinguished as one of only 10 firms exerting influence over how the legal market will unfold.

Vault Guide to Top 100 Law Firms – McGuireWoods is listed in the 2008 edition of the renowned "Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms," where almost 19,000 practicing attorneys ranked the top 100 firms based on prestige. We were also listed in 2007.

Lawdragon – In the fall of 2006, two McGuireWoods partners were named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America list, and 10 were named to the Lawdragon 3000 Leading Lawyers in America list. The honorees represent less than one percent of the legal profession – one of the most elite groups of legal professionals in the nation.

Leading Lawyers, Chambers USA – Leading Lawyers, Chambers USA – Chambers & Partners recognized 59 McGuireWoods partners as leading lawyers in the 2008 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Chambers publishes the annual guide to highlight the top U.S. business law firms and attorneys.

Top Trusts & Estates Firm, Chambers USA – In 2007, Chambers USA ranked McGuireWoods one of the top seven law firms in the country for private wealth services.

Super Lawyers – For 2007, 125 McGuireWoods lawyers were named “Super Lawyers” by their peers through the independent research of Law & Politics magazine – an honor awarded annually to the top 5 percent of each state’s lawyers.

Virginia 2007 "Legal Elite" – Virginia Business magazine named 31 McGuireWoods lawyers on its annual list.

Service

National Client Service – According to BTI Consulting Group, in the area of client service, clients rank McGuireWoods 19th out of more than 500 core law firms serving Fortune 1000 clients, making us part of the 2008 BTI Client Service A-Team. This is the third consecutive year we have placed in the BTI Client Service 30 – 30 elite law firms that perform 4 to 15 times better than all other firms, according to clients.

The Bond Buyer – The Bond Buyer, the daily newspaper of municipal finance, reported that McGuireWoods has been ranked the No. 1 bond counsel firm in Virginia for 2007, based on the dollar amount of bond transactions handled by the firm. We were also listed as one of the top 10 bond counsel firms in the Southeast for 2007.

American Health Lawyers Association – McGuireWoods is ranked among the top 10 largest health care law firms in the United States by the American Health Lawyers Association – the nation’s largest educational organization devoted to legal issues in health care.

Practical Law Company – McGuireWoods’ Brussels office earned the firm a place on the 2006 Practical Law Company’s “Which Lawyer?” list as “recommended” for its mergers and acquisitions practice, for the fourth year. Our Almaty office earned its first "recommended" ranking for its dispute resolution practice. "Which Lawyer?" is a worldwide, independently researched survey of lawyers practicing in core commercial areas of law. Survey results serve as a guide to lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsels who may be unfamiliar with jurisdictions in the legal markets across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

Pro Bono Initiative Honor Roll – McGuireWoods was named to the Pro Bono Initiative’s Honor Roll for 2006 and 2005, which recognizes the firm’s commitment to providing legal services to low-income populations, and to others who can’t afford legal representation.

DuPont Challenge Awards – McGuireWoods has served as a member of the DuPont Primary Law Firm Network from the inception of DuPont's convergence program. Throughout this period, we have been honored consistently with the Challenge Award, given to the best in an already elite group of DuPont’s Primary Law Firms. The award acknowledges primary outside law firms and service providers for their contributions and support for the advancement of the DuPont Legal Model’s objectives.

Corporate Counsel – Corporate Counsel magazine named McGuireWoods in its August 2006 article "Which Law Firms are at the Top of GCs' Speed-Dial List?" as being among GCs’ speed dial contacts. According to the article, GCs reach out to large firms when there are significant, potentially costly legal issues at stake, because of firms' size, skills, and the strength of their brand names – they say they want the "massive firepower" of firms like ours on their side.

Diversity

Women 3.0 "Top Law Firm for Women" – McGuireWoods has been named one of the "Top 100 Law Firms for Women" in the March 2008 issue of Women 3.0 magazine, a publication that promotes and enhances the importance of continued success for women in the corporate circuit.

2007 Working Mother “Best Law Firm for Women” – McGuireWoods was one of only 50 law firms nationwide named in the August/September 2007 issue of Working Mother magazine as a “Best Law Firm for Women.” Co-sponsored by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers, a consulting firm that advises law firms on the advancement of women, the award honors law firms for demonstrated commitment to the retention and advancement of female talent.

International Paper’s Lighthouse Award – In recognition of our commitment to diversity, we were named the inaugural recipient of International Paper's Lighthouse Award – an award presented to International Paper’s legal department supplier who by example and leadership has distinguished itself in the area of diversity.

Thomas L. Sager Award – McGuireWoods was also awarded the prestigious Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Thomas L. Sager Award for our commitment to hiring, retaining and promoting ethnic minority lawyers. MCCA is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization committed to fostering diversity in the legal profession.

Multicultural Law – For 2008, Multicultural Law magazine has again recognized us in its Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity list. The annual survey ranked law firms based on diversity of their lawyers, use of diversity committees and mentoring programs, and leadership initiatives to support diversity.

Chicago Bar Association Conference – McGuireWoods co-sponsored the bar’s "Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers" 2006 conference that provided the legal community with information on issues of diversity and inclusion, in addition to specialized skills training; strategies; resources and practical guidance for success; and a unique opportunity for women and minority attorneys to establish networks with leading lawyers.

Innovation

InternetMarketingAttorney.com – In 2007, McGuireWoods' website was named one of the top 30 law firm sites in the United States by InternetMarketingAttorney.com. Winners were the result of the careful scrutiny of websites from the country’s largest 250 law firms. IMA’s president said of McGuireWoods’ website “The content never loses steam . . . few have maintained the same standard for so long. Few firms ever beat them to the punch in speed of delivery.”

2006-2007 "Micah's Nifty 50" – McGuireWoods appears in the 2006-2007 "Micah's Nifty 50" listing – an honor roll of innovative sites compiled by Micah U. Buchdahl who runs the Internet Marketing Attorney (IMA). Among this year's top sites, McGuireWoods was cited for “always thinking outside the box." According to the IMA, the Nifty 50 is now used by many law firms and web developers as a tool to monitor the progress of originality and commitment to successful websites in the law firm market.

BTI Consulting Group – BTI recently asked corporate counsels at more than 215 Global 1000 companies to single out law firms they feel excel in the area of technology. McGuireWoods was cited as one of the top Most Tech-Savvy firms. Among other areas, survey respondents identified extranets and database management systems as driving forces behind the savvy distinction.

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.