McGuireWoods was selected as a finalist for The National Law Journal’s 2026 Appellate Hot List for outstanding achievements in appellate advocacy. The selection recognizes McGuireWoods as one of the top appellate practices in the United States.
McGuireWoods’ Appeals & Issues Practice Group earned the honor for securing significant victories before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals and state supreme courts in cases involving constitutional law, federal jurisdiction, class actions, bankruptcy, consumer protection, arbitration and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
“We are proud to be recognized among the nation’s leading practices,” said partner Jonathan Ellis, who co-leads the Appeals & Issues Practice Group with partners Katie Barber and Matt Fitzgerald. “This recognition reflects the extraordinary dedication and talent of our appellate team, which combines rigorous advocacy with deep appellate experience to deliver impactful results for our clients.”
Among the firm’s notable achievements:
- Lujan Claimants v. Boy Scouts of America (U.S. Supreme Court) — McGuireWoods successfully opposed Supreme Court review of the Boy Scouts of America bankruptcy plan, preserving more than $6 billion in compensation for tens of thousands of sexual abuse survivors and bringing finality to one of the nation’s largest mass tort bankruptcies.
- Garcia v. American Eagle (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania) — McGuireWoods lawyers secured a landmark decision holding that retailers’ collection of sales tax on allegedly exempt items cannot support claims under Pennsylvania’s consumer protection statute, preventing potentially massive class action exposure for retailers nationwide.
- Lackey v. Stinnie (U.S. Supreme Court) — The firm argued a civil rights case addressing attorney’s fees under the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Awards Act. While McGuireWoods did not prevail on the attorney’s fees question, the original litigation prompted repeal of an unconstitutional Virginia driver’s license suspension statute and inspired successful challenges to similar laws in Tennessee and Michigan.
- FS Medical Supplies LLC v. Tanner Pharma UK Ltd. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit) — McGuireWoods won a precedential decision establishing the first federal appellate guidance on diversity jurisdiction for LLCs with domestic and foreign members, resolving an important issue affecting international commercial litigation.
- Skyline Tower Painting v. Goldberg (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit) — Representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as amicus curiae, McGuireWoods lawyers persuaded the court to recognize defendants’ right to appeal certain remand orders under the Class Action Fairness Act by right, establishing an important jurisdictional precedent.
- United States ex rel. Chiles v. Cooke Inc., No. 25-155 (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit) — McGuireWoods secured a significant victory for Cooke Inc. and other fisheries when the appeals court affirmed the dismissal of a False Claims Act (FCA) suit accusing the companies of misleading the U.S. government to obtain commercial fishing licenses. The court held that wild fish in public waters do not constitute government “property” for purposes of the FCA and that the absence of a government property interest in wild fish was “fatal to any attempt to assert an FCA cause of action.”
McGuireWoods’ Appeals & Issues Practice Group comprises 50 attorneys with appellate experience, including a former assistant to the Solicitor General of the United States, 13 former U.S. Supreme Court law clerks, a former North Carolina solicitor general and two former associate White House counsel. The group works seamlessly across the firm’s litigation departments to build tailored legal strategies and pursue long-term efforts to influence and clarify the law.