McGuireWoods is a finalist in five award categories, including Law Firm of the Year and M&A Deal of the Year, in the 2023 M&A Advisor Awards. The annual awards program recognizes top corporate transactions from the past year and the firms involved in closing them.
The firm is a finalist for M&A Deal of the Year between $500 million and $1 billion for advising longtime client Dominion Energy in its sale of Hope Gas, a West Virginia-based natural gas utility, to Ullico. The transaction also is a finalist for Utilities Deal of the Year, Energy Deal of the Year (over $100 million) and Corporate/Strategic Deal of the Year ($500 million to $1 billion).
The $690 million deal closed in August 2022 after obtaining regulatory approvals. Joanne Katsantonis, the firm’s deputy managing partner for development, led the McGuireWoods team advising Dominion on the transaction. The deal team also included Michael Woodard, chair of the firm’s M&A and Energy Transactional Department, partner Daniel Howell and associate Arrion Dennis.
“This recognition illustrates the talent of our transactional practices and the value of our industry-focused approach to client service,” said Richard W. Viola, deputy managing partner of the firm’s corporate practice.
McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the leading law firms for U.S. and global M&A deals, including private equity transactions, and earned top 10 ratings for U.S. M&A deals in year-end league tables published by Refinitiv, Bloomberg and Mergermarket.