Responsive, client-focused, and results-driven, Ginnie is a trial and appellate lawyer who works hard to understand each client’s needs. She has a proven track record as lead counsel in high-exposure aerospace, defense, commercial litigation, product liability, and mass tort matters. Ginnie splits her national practice between trial and appellate work, and she always feels at home litigating in her home state—the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Ginnie represents clients at both the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts. Her split-practice allows Ginnie to offer unique advice to her clients with an eye towards what may happen on appeal as well as the practical implications of appellate rulings on the trial courts.
At the trial level, Ginnie routinely advises clients regarding litigation strategy, discovery, and litigation avoidance to reduce risk. Ginnie often advises companies regarding responsive pleadings, fact and expert discovery, and dispositive motions. She takes and defends critical fact and expert depositions across the country. She also has first-chair experience litigating matters for defense contractors in federal and state courts as well as before the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals (“ASBCA”). Ginnie is sensitive to the complex issues that can arise during litigation in the aerospace and defense sector, such as discovery involving materials protected by ITAR, EAR, and other export controls. She has also secured an order closing a federal courtroom for trial and pretrial proceedings involving ITAR and export-controlled materials.
As an appellate lawyer, Ginnie is a member of the firm’s Appeals and Issues practice team. She has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division, and the California Court of Appeals, Second District, Division 4.
Ginnie has significant experience serving as outside national coordinating counsel – she has handled nationwide dockets of high-exposure product liability cases. Additionally, Ginnie has extensive experience representing healthcare providers in medical malpractice actions and on regulatory issues, including complaints made against health care providers’ licenses.
Pro bono matters are near to Ginnie’s heart. She focuses her pro bono practice on civil, criminal, and habeas corpus appeals before the Court of Appeals of Virginia and Supreme Court of Virginia.
Prior to entering private practice, Ginnie served as a law clerk to the Honorable Donald W. Lemons of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She previously served as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, teaching legal research and writing to first-year law students, and she is a past-president of the John Marshall Inn of Court.
Ginnie is also a member of The Boyd-Graves Conference.
Events
- Speaker, Food and Consumer Product Litigation and Regulatory Update: Halloween Edition, October 30, 2024
- Speaker, "Personal Jurisdiction and Modern Medicine: Can Your Doctors Be Sued Out of State?," Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys 2024 Annual Meeting, CLE, October 24, 2024
- Moderator, "State & Federal Civil Practice – 'The New Appeal of Right to the Court of Appeals: What Have We Learned?'," Bench-Bar Conference 2024, Richmond Bar Association, October 17, 2024
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling and Sales Practices Litigation and Regulatory Update: Halloween Edition, October 31, 2023
- Panelist, "Appeals as a Matter of Right – How is it Going One Year In?," Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys 2023 Annual Meeting, CLE, October 26, 2023
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling and Sales Practices Litigation and Regulatory Update: March Radness Edition, March 23, 2023
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, October 20, 2022
- Speaker, "The 2030 Project: Time-Traveling into the Future to Prepare for Retailers’ Coming Challenges," RILA Retail Law Conference, October 13, 2022
- Speaker, "What D.C. Lawyers Should Know about Maryland and Virginia Appeals," DC Bar CLE, August 24, 2022
- Faculty, "Appellate Advocacy Academy," Appellate Advocacy Academy Virginia CLE, August 4-5, 2022
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, June 8, 2022
- Speaker, Emerging Trends in Sales Practices Litigation, May 25, 2022
- Speaker, "Effective Appellate Advocacy in the New Appellate Landscape” and “Appealable Orders Under Rule 1:1," Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Spring Sections Seminar, May 5, 2022
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, March 29, 2022
- Co-speaker, "Civil Litigators: Are You Ready for Appeals of Right?," Continuing Legal Education by the Virginia Law Foundation, February 17 and March 22, 2022
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, December 2, 2021
- Panelist, Big Changes Ahead for Civil Appeals in Virginia, October 27, 2021
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, September 23, 2021
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, May 26, 2021
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, February 18, 2021
- Speaker, The Times They Are A-Changing, January 27, 2021
- Speaker, "Labeling During COVID-19: Recalls, Class Actions, and Hand Sanitizer," Law Over Lunch, November 5, 2020
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, Complimentary Webinar, October 15, 2020
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, Complimentary Webinar, June 24, 2020
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, Complimentary Webinar, February 19, 2020
- Speaker, CBD Class Actions — Growing Concerns for the Industry and the Next Big Target for the Plaintiffs’ Bar, Complimentary Webinar, Thursday, January 16, 2020
- Speaker, Food and Product Labeling Litigation and Regulatory Update, Complimentary Webinar, May 15, 2019
- Panelist, "Show and Tell – Accident Reconstruction and the Admissibility of Direct Evidence, Opinion Testimony and the Use of Demonstrative Exhibits in Product Liability Cases," Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Annual Meeting, 2018
- Panelist, "Panel Discussion of Recent and Upcoming Decisions Impacting the Business Community ," U.S. Supreme Court Review and Preview, McGuireWoods LLP Complimentary Webinar and Live Presentation, October 2014
- Co-speaker, "Analyzing Causation in Product Liability & Toxic Tort Cases: Whom are Plaintiffs Targeting and How Can We Best Defend Our Clients on Causation Issues," Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Annual Meeting, 2013
- Speaker, "Abuse of Discretion: Landrum v. Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hosps., Inc. ," Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Annual Meeting, October 15, 2012
Insights
- Author, Product Liability and Mass Tort Monitor: June 2026, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, June 17, 2026
- Author, Going Beyond Federal Class Action Rule Kills Virginia’s Bill — For Now, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, May 20, 2026
- Author, Product Liability & Mass Tort Monitor: July 2025, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 21, 2025
- Co-author, "Restaurant Industry May be Next Battleground in Fight over PFAS," QSR Magazine, June 21, 2022
- Author, Got More Hand Sanitizer? (Part 2) More Legal and Business Considerations for New Market Entrants, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, July 14, 2020
- Author, Got Hand Sanitizer? Business and Legal Considerations for New Market Entrants, McGuireWoods Legal Alert, March 24, 2020
- Co-author, The Impact of Melendez-Diaz on Health Care Providers-Testimony or Treatment?, 60 Va. Lawyer 36, December 31, 2011
- Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants, 2022-2026; Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants, 2025, 2026
- Selected for inclusion as a “Recognized Individual,” Product Liability, Mass Tort and Class Actions – Automotive/Transport – Defense, 2023, 2024, 2025, “Recognized Individual,” Product liability, mass tort and class action: consumer products (including tobacco), 2026, Legal 500 US
- Named to “Legal Elite: Appellate Law,” Virginia Business, 2022-2025
- Named to “Virginia Rising Stars,” Appellate, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2013-2019, 2021, 2022
- Named to “Legal Elite,” Young Lawyer (Under 40), Virginia Business, 2015