Richard W. Viola will succeed David P. Pusateri as deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods’ corporate practice, maintaining the firm’s tradition of regularly rotating key leadership positions. The appointment is effective May 2.
Viola, based in Charlotte, co-leads the firm’s financial institutions industry team and formerly chaired the Securities & Capital Markets Department. He represents public and private companies in securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. Viola joined McGuireWoods in 2008.
During Viola’s tenure as an industry team co-leader, the firm earned national recognition for its representation of financial institutions. Law360 named McGuireWoods a “Banking Practice Group of the Year” and U.S. News-Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms” recognized it as “Law Firm of the Year” for banking and finance law.
“Rick has done an outstanding job as a practice chair and industry team leader. He is ideally suited to lead our corporate practice and continue Dave Pusateri’s tremendous success,” said McGuireWoods managing partner J. Tracy Walker IV. “We thank Dave for his leadership and many contributions as a deputy and are pleased clients will continue to benefit from his counsel.”
“Dave led our corporate practice through an era of enormous growth that has us poised to be a powerhouse for years to come,” Viola added. “I am proud to have the opportunity to build on such a strong foundation with this talented team.”
Pusateri has guided the firm’s corporate practice since 2011, a period in which McGuireWoods established itself as a top firm for deal work and excellent client service. The firm consistently ranks among the leaders in league tables for M&A, private equity, syndicated lending and capital markets transactions. Mergers & Acquisitions magazine named McGuireWoods “Law Firm of the Year” in its 2017 Mid-Market M&A Awards, recognizing the firm for its transactional work and client-focused innovations.
Pusateri joined McGuireWoods in 2001 and served as managing partner of the Pittsburgh office for a decade before becoming deputy managing partner of the firm’s corporate practice. Pusateri will continue his practice in environmental, real estate and business law.
“It has been an honor to lead McGuireWoods’ corporate practice during a transformational period in the firm’s history,” Pusateri said. “I am grateful to the firm’s leadership for the trust placed in me, and to the dedicated lawyers who have positioned us for a very bright future.”