McGuireWoods Partner Leonard Marsico, Leader of Firm’s Coal Team, Brings Vast Industry Experience to American Coal Council Board Post

December 9, 2014

McGuireWoods partner Leonard Marsico has been elected to the board of directors of the American Coal Council, the premier trade association representing the mutual interests of the nation’s coal producers, utilities, transporters and coal support industries. Marsico’s three-year term on the board begins Jan. 1.

Founded in 1982, the ACC provides educational programs, market intelligence, advocacy support and peer-to-peer networking forums to advance the commercial and professional development interests of its members. McGuireWoods is a member of the ACC and regularly represents some of the council’s member companies as part of a diverse energy practice that also serves companies involved in solar power, oil and natural gas suppliers and electrical utilities.

Marsico will be the only practicing lawyer on the ACC’s 18-member board, which includes representatives of coal suppliers, coal consumers, transportation companies, energy traders and coal support services. He has been active in the organization for 10 years and will hold one of three board seats reserved for representatives of coal support services.

“This is a crucial time in the history of the coal industry,” Marsico said. “I’m ready to do all I can to help the ACC build its membership and protect the interests of those who are working to keep coal as an important part of America’s energy mix.”

With working offices in McGuireWoods’ Washington and Pittsburgh offices, Marsico chairs the firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation Department and leads the firm’s coal industry team. He has represented scores of energy industry clients, including dozens of coal companies, in a career that has spanned more than a quarter-century. He provides general corporate counsel to industry players and has led bet-the-company litigation and arbitrations on behalf of clients in more than 25 states and before several foreign tribunals. Marsico is a sought-after advisor on major litigation, new laws and government regulations affecting the coal industry. He was named to the Pittsburgh Business Times’ 2014 “Who’s Who in Energy” list and has been listed by Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation since 2007.

“Len’s election to the American Coal Council board is a real testament to his stature in the industry,” said Joanne Katsantonis, chair of McGuireWoods’ energy industry team. “We’re proud that he is taking on this important leadership role.”

McGuireWoods’ energy team includes more than 80 lawyers working across multiple sectors and legal practice areas. The team represents 20 energy companies listed in the Fortune 500.