Senate Confirms McGuireWoods Partner Michael Easley Jr. for U.S. Attorney

November 23, 2021

The United States Senate has confirmed McGuireWoods partner Michael F. Easley Jr. to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Easley will leave the firm after more than a decade in its Raleigh office.

President Joseph Biden nominated Easley at the recommendation of U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The Senate confirmed Easley by voice vote on Nov. 19, 2021.

“It is a tremendous honor to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina,” Easley said. “I am grateful to my McGuireWoods colleagues for their friendship and support during my 11 years at the firm. It was a wonderful experience that prepared me well for this new role in public service.”

Easley worked with McGuireWoods’ Financial Services Litigation and Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Departments to represent businesses and individuals in complex, high-stakes civil, criminal, and regulatory matters. In addition to work in state and federal trial courts, he advised clients facing inquiries by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, North Carolina Ethics Commission, and other governmental regulatory bodies.

Easley earned his bachelor’s and law degrees at the University of North Carolina and serves on the university’s board of visitors. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Council and its Integration, Equity and Equal Justice Task Force.

McGuireWoods ranks among the world’s leading investigations firms in the GIR 100, a guide to top cross-border investigations practices based on independent research by Global Investigations Review. In addition, Law360 has twice named McGuireWoods a White Collar Practice Group of the Year.

“Michael is an outstanding lawyer and we are proud that he will continue McGuireWoods’ long tradition of commitment to public service,” said J. Tracy Walker IV, the firm’s managing partner. “We thank him for his dedicated service to our clients and wish him the best.”