McGuireWoods Achieves Top Rankings In Chambers USA Leading Lawyers Guide

Firm’s Practices Honored 38 Times, Lawyers 98 Times

May 26, 2017

Chambers and Partners recognized McGuireWoods lawyers 98 times and firm practice areas 38 times in 2017’s “Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business,” the widely read and respected guide to top firms and lawyers.

The firm earned nationwide recognition for Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation); Financial Services Regulation: Banking – Enforcement & Investigations; Food & Beverages: Regulatory & Litigation; Healthcare; Products Liability & Mass Torts; Transportation: Aviation Finance; and Transportation: Road – Carriage/Commercial.

To give just one example of the feedback clients provided to Chambers researchers, the firm’s products liability and mass torts practitioners are described as “excellent trial lawyers who know their way around a courtroom” who have “a lot of common sense and are good at understanding what works and what doesn’t.”

McGuireWoods’ stellar Chambers USA recognition follows the recent Band 1 nationwide ranking for its Private Wealth Services Group — one of only two firms to receive the top honor in Chambers’ first “High Net Worth Guide.” The firm’s international trade and energy practices also were highly ranked in 2017’s “Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Business Lawyers.”

McGuireWoods received a dozen Band 1 state practice rankings, the highest that Chambers USA awards, reflecting the depth and breadth of the firm’s capabilities. The firm earned top honors in Banking and Finance (North Carolina), Bankruptcy and Restructuring (North Carolina and Virginia); Corporate M&A (Southern Virginia); Environment (Virginia); Intellectual Property (Southern Virginia); Labor & Employment (Virginia); Litigation: General Commercial (North Carolina and Virginia); Litigation: Products Liability (Virginia); and Real Estate (Northern Virginia and Southern Virginia).

The firm’s food and beverage lawyers are described as “very responsive, which is what you expect of your firm, but they do go above and beyond to get us what we need quickly.”

“The firm is very knowledgeable in this space and they have built up a real understanding of the issues,” one client said. “We know our case is in good hands.” 

The firm’s healthcare practice also received high praise, with one source telling Chambers: “It’s a terrific firm and they do great work. They go out of their way to get to know the client.”

Individually, McGuireWoods lawyers earned 27 Band 1, “Star Individual,” “Eminent Practitioner” or “Senior Statesman” rankings, indicative of their market-leading reputations in their practice areas. Charles D. Case of Raleigh was named a “Star Individual” in the Environment category and Douglas W. Ey Jr. of Charlotte was singled out as an “Eminent Practitioner” for Litigation: General Commercial.

In its numerous guides, Chambers and Partners ranks top lawyers and practices in 185 countries based on in-depth interviews with clients and lawyers and independent research.

Practice Rankings
McGuireWoods earned state recognition in the following practices:

  • Antitrust (Illinois)
  • Banking & Finance (North Carolina, California, Georgia, Illinois)
  • Bankruptcy/Restructuring (North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania)
  • Corporate/M&A (includes private equity) (Southern Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Texas)
  • Corporate/M&A and Private Equity (Western Pennsylvania)
  • Environment (Virginia, North Carolina)
  • Healthcare (Illinois, North Carolina)
  • Insurance (Texas)
  • Intellectual Property (Southern Virginia)
  • Labor & Employment (California, Virginia, North Carolina)
  • Litigation: General Commercial (North Carolina, Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, Illinois)
  • Litigation: Products Liability (Virginia)
  • Real Estate (Northern Virginia, Southern Virginia)
  • Technology & Outsourcing (Illinois)

 

Individual Rankings
McGuireWoods lawyers received individual recognition in Chambers USA in the following categories:

Antitrust
Illinois – Amy Manning of Chicago

Banking and Finance
California – Hamid Namazie and Mark Spitzer of Los Angeles-Downtown; Neil Rust of Los Angeles-Century City; Gregory Clore and Peter Szurley of San Francisco
Georgia – Hilary P. Jordan of Atlanta
Illinois – Philip Perzek of Chicago
North Carolina – Eric Burk, Rebecca Chaffin and W. Kent Walker of Charlotte

Bankruptcy/Restructuring
Georgia – Thomas Walker of Atlanta
Illinois – Brian Swett and Aaron McCollough of Chicago
District of Columbia – Douglas Foley of Washington, D.C.
Maryland – James Van Horn of Baltimore
North Carolina – J. Trevor Johnston, Robert H. Pryor and Scott P. Vaughn of Charlotte
Pennsylvania – Mark Freedlander of Pittsburgh
Virginia – Sarah Boehm, Dion Hayes and John Maddock of Richmond; David Swan of Tysons

Corporate/M&A
Maryland – Cecil Martin III of Baltimore
New York – Jeffrey L. Rothschild  of New York
North Carolina – Chris Scheurer, E. Lynwood Mallard (Senior Statesman), and David B. Whelpley Jr. of Charlotte
Southern Virginia – Robert L. Burrus Jr. (Senior Statesman), Clifford A. Cutchins IV and Joanne Katsantonis of Richmond
Texas – Jon Finger of Dallas

Energy & Natural Resources – Regulatory
Illinois – Mark R. Johnson of Chicago

Energy: Electricity (Regulatory & Litigation) 
Todd Mullins and Noel Symons of Washington, D.C.

Environment
North Carolina – Charles D. Case of Raleigh (Star Individual)
Virginia – David E. Evans (Senior Statesman ), John Lain, Dale Mullen, Daniel K. Slone and James Thornhill of Richmond

Financial Services Regulation: Banking Enforcement & Investigations
New York – Noreen Kelly of New York

Food & Beverages: Regulatory & Litigation
Nationwide – James Neale of Charlottesville and Angela Spivey of Atlanta

Healthcare
Illinois – James B. Riley Jr. and Scott Becker of Chicago
North Carolina – Bart Walker of Charlotte (Up and Coming)

Healthcare: Regulatory & Litigation
Nationwide – Scott Becker of Chicago

Healthcare: Transactional
Nationwide – Scott Becker of Chicago

Insurance
Texas – J. Mark Lawless of Austin

Intellectual Property
Southern Virginia – David E. Finkelson, Janet P. Peyton and Brian C. Riopelle of Richmond
Texas – Darren Collins of Dallas

Labor & Employment
Georgia – Richard B. Hankins of Atlanta
Illinois – Joel Spitz of Chicago
North Carolina – Bruce M. Steen of Charlotte
Virginia – Gary Marshall and Carter Younger (Senior Statesman) of Richmond; Stephen W. Robinson of Tysons

Labor & Employment: Employee Benefits & Compensation
Virginia – James McElligott of Richmond

Litigation: General Commercial
Illinois – Marta Stein of Chicago
Maryland – Ava Lias-Booker of Baltimore
North Carolina – Douglas W. Ey Jr. (Eminent Practitioner) and Bradley R. Kutrow of Charlotte
Virginia – J. William Boland and Richard Cullen of Richmond
Texas – Thomas Farrell and Ronald Franklin of Houston

Litigation: Healthcare & Medical Malpractice
North Carolina – Mark Anderson of Raleigh

Litigation: Products Liability
Virginia – Terrence Bagley, Stephen Busch, Samuel L. Tarry Jr., J. Tracy Walker IV and Steven R. Williams of Richmond

Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations
North Carolina – Ken Bell of Charlotte
Virginia – John Adams, Richard Cullen and Howard C. “Toby” Vick Jr. of Richmond

Product Liability & Mass Torts
Nationwide – Samuel L. Tarry Jr. of Richmond

Projects
Nationwide – Timothy P. Callahan of Chicago

Real Estate
Georgia – John Grieb of Atlanta
Southern Virginia – Nancy Little of Richmond

Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use
Northern Virginia – Jonathan Rak, Gregory Riegle and Kenneth Wire of Tysons
Southern Virginia – D. Brennen Keene of Richmond

Tax
Georgia – Gerald Thomas of Atlanta

Technology & Outsourcing
Illinois – Steve Gold and Derek Roach of Chicago

Transportation: Aviation Finance
Nationwide – Patricia Hosmer of Charlotte

Transportation: Road (Carriage/Commercial)
Nationwide – J. Brian Jackson of Charlottesville

Transportation: Shipping/Maritime: Regulatory
Nationwide – John Padgett of Norfolk

Three McGuireWoods lawyers were named “Associates to Watch” in their respective  practice areas: Ashley Winsky of Charlottesville for Transportation: Road – Carriage/Commercial (Nationwide); Becky Diffen of Austin for Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation – Electricity (Texas); and Kathryn Keane of Tysons for Bankruptcy/Restructuring (Virginia).