By any measure, McGuireWoods has established itself as a go-to law firm for M&A and private equity transactions. In 2018, the firm again earned top five rankings for U.S. M&A deals in league tables published by Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters, as well as top 10 rankings for global M&A and mid-market private equity deals.
“The league table rankings reflect the depth and breadth of our transactional capabilities,” said David Pusateri, deputy managing partner for McGuireWoods’ corporate practice. “McGuireWoods has become an M&A leader because our lawyers understand our clients’ industry-specific challenges and have a track record of developing innovative strategies to help them achieve their business goals.”
McGuireWoods lawyers closed more than 400 M&A deals in 2018. Nearly one-third of those transactions were in the healthcare industry, where the firm excels in guiding clients through a gauntlet of regulatory, market and financial challenges. The firm’s longstanding leadership in the industry was on display when it held its 16th annual Healthcare and Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference in Chicago Feb. 20-21, bringing together hundreds of companies and investors to explore new strategies for closing deals and achieving growth.
The firm also saw significant deal activity in the technology and energy sectors. Notably, McGuireWoods served as legal adviser to Dominion Energy in completing its $13.4 billion merger with South Carolina-based SCANA Corp. Lawyers from multiple practices and government relations and grassroots advocacy teams from the firm’s public affairs arm, McGuireWoods Consulting, assisted Dominion in negotiating the merger and securing approvals from three federal agencies and regulators in three states, showcasing the firm’s comprehensive client service capabilities.
But the league tables only tell part of the story. McGuireWoods stands apart with innovative, industry-focused initiatives that have been praised by respected authorities and clients alike, and with a collaborative approach that leverages the firm’s wide-ranging capabilities to tackle all aspects of a transaction.
Two initiatives launched by the firm’s corporate practice were recognized in Financial Times’ North American Innovative Lawyers report: a nationwide program that connects independent sponsors with capital providers , and a business development strategy that helps transactional lawyers pitch for deals quickly and effectively. Mergers & Acquisitions magazine singled out the firm’s independent sponsor initiative when it named McGuireWoods “Law Firm of the Year” in its Mid-Market M&A Awards.