McGuireWoods Earns Top Practice, Industry Rankings in Respected Legal 500 Europe Guide

April 26, 2018

McGuireWoods was recognized as a leading law firm in multiple practice areas and major industry sectors in The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa 2018, based on feedback from clients and the work of the firm’s Brussels lawyers.

In the respected annual guide to top firms and lawyers, McGuireWoods ranked among the leading law firms in the EU regulatory category for information technology and privacy and data protection and earned high marks for advising clients on sensitive data matters, including the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Companies are seeking guidance on data protection as they face a May deadline to comply with GDPR, The Legal 500 noted.

Brussels partner Paul Van den Bulck was described as “technically outstanding” by a client who spoke to The Legal 500, which also noted his work advising a multinational company on its GDPR compliance project.

For the third year in a row, McGuireWoods earned a Tier 1 rating — the highest possible — for its work representing clients in the retail sector. The firm also ranked among the leaders in information technology and telecommunications industry and in the following practice areas: real estate and construction; and commercial, corporate, and M&A. In recognizing McGuireWoods’ commercial, corporate and M&A prowess, The Legal 500 cited the firm’s “deep expertise in commercial and corporate laws in Africa” and its work in the mining and private equity sectors.

The Legal 500 singled out Van den Bulck and McGuireWoods Brussels lawyers Hubert André-Dumont, Steven Ongena, Timothy Speelman, Pol Cools and Morgane Poppe for market-leading work in these areas. André-Dumont also was recognized for his Africa practice by Chambers and Partners in its recently published Global Guide.

The guide praised the firm’s retail industry work, citing its “strong expertise in distribution and franchising.” In the IT and telecom industry, McGuireWoods “is highly regarded for data protection, data transfers and intra-group agreements and cloud agreements,” The Legal 500 noted.

The Legal 500 EMEA provides an impartial, third-party opinion on the leading law firms and lawyers across the region. Rankings are based on client feedback and The Legal 500’s independent research.