Washington Partner George Terwilliger to Leave McGuireWoods at Year’s End  

October 30, 2023

McGuireWoods partner George J. Terwilliger III — an accomplished litigator, strategic adviser and public servant — has announced he will be leaving McGuireWoods at year end to pursue a broader range of pursuits and matters of public interest.

Terwilliger has been among Washington, D.C.’s most sought-after litigators. His clients have included global corporations, public institutions, and leading business and government officials, including a president, members of Congress and Cabinet officers. He also counsels government officials, Congress and private organizations on national security, homeland defense, terrorism, and other public policy and legal issues.

Terwilliger spent a total of 16 years at McGuireWoods. He joined the firm in 1993 and was instrumental in establishing its nationally recognized government investigations and white collar litigation practice. He served as managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office and as a member of the firm’s executive committee. He left the firm in 2000, but returned in 2015 and led white collar and civil litigation teams in major cases. He also guided the firm’s strategic response and crisis management practice group, drawing on his experience in private practice and high-level government service.

Before entering private practice, Terwilliger served for 15 years in the U.S. Department of Justice, including 10 years as a frontline federal prosecutor. President Ronald Reagan appointed Terwilliger U.S. attorney for Vermont and President George H.W. Bush named him deputy U.S. attorney general. Terwilliger served as acting U.S. attorney general before leaving the Justice Department to join McGuireWoods.

“George has had a distinguished career in public service and private practice,” said J. Tracy Walker IV, McGuireWoods’ managing partner. “He played a vital role in growing our government investigations and white collar litigation practice into a national powerhouse, and he did so while handling clients’ most difficult matters. We are grateful for his wise counsel and friendship.”

Terwilliger said he will continue to work with the firm on certain client matters, but he plans to devote more time to other interests, including private business interests and his service on the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Board.

“My years at McGuireWoods have been the best I have had in private practice and that is because of the people and culture that make our firm unique,” Terwilliger said. “I want to thank the firm for giving me a wonderful opportunity to work for great clients with talented colleagues. I intend to continue to practice but selectively as to matters of interest.”