R. Andrew Austria Associate

Named a “D.C. Rising Star” by the National Law Journal in 2022, Drew draws on his experience as an accomplished trial lawyer and appellate advocate to counsel clients in the defense, healthcare, pharmaceutical, energy, and financial institution industries in a broad range of criminal, civil, and administrative matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and other federal and state investigative agencies. He also regularly assists government contractors with addressing compliance issues related to federal gratuities statutes and ethics regulations.

Drew is committed to increasing diversity in the legal profession and serving his community. He regularly mentors underrepresented law students to pursue judicial internships and clerkships through the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Judicial Intern Opportunity Program. He also routinely handles pro bono matters on behalf of servicemembers, veterans, and their families. He serves as the pro bono coordinator for the firm’s Veteran Lawyers Network, which was recognized in 2021 as Veterans Program of the Year by Chambers and Partners’ Diversity & Inclusion Awards: North America and in 2022 as the Pro Bono Partner of the Year by the National Veterans Legal Services Program.

Prior to joining McGuireWoods’ nationally recognized Government Investigations and White Collar Department, Drew served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Navy. While on active duty, Drew served as a prosecutor, trial defense counsel, appellate defense counsel, and legal advisor to senior flag officers. He has litigated contested courts-martial and argued cases on appeal before the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. As an appellate defense counsel, Drew directed the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Appellate Defense Division’s Supreme Court practice, serving as Counsel of Record for each of the Division’s certiorari-stage filings. He also served as lead counsel in the appeal of a Marine implicated in an international incident involving the desecration of Taliban corpses, securing dismissal of all charges with prejudice due to government misconduct. In 2017, the Federal Asian Pacific American Council awarded him the Military Meritorious Service Award for his zealous advocacy on behalf of Sailors and Marines.

While in law school, Drew served as President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and was a member Vanderbilt’s Moot Court Traveling Team. He also served as a legal intern in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and as an ABA Judicial Intern Opportunity Program Fellow in the Staff Attorneys’ Office of the Arizona Supreme Court.

Before attending law school, Drew served in the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, where he reviewed mergers and acquisitions related to the telecommunications industry.