Gretchen E. Woodruff Partner

Gretchen is the lawyer clients want in the room when personnel issues threaten enterprise value and brand reputation.  A partner at McGuireWoods, Gretchen brings poise, pragmatism, and precision to high-profile labor and employment matters requiring discretion and strategic control. Her practice sits at the intersection of litigation, transactional strategy, and crisis management, giving clients a single point of contact when legal risk, leadership, and business performance converge.

A sharp and sophisticated problem solver, Gretchen takes a holistic approach that blends litigation discipline, transactional insight, and business acumen. Drawing on her background in corporate finance, she understands how companies create value, manage risk, and make strategic decisions under pressure. She is known for her ability to synthesize complex issues quickly, appreciate nuance, and execute with judgment, providing clarity and confidence when reputational or financial stakes are high.

Gretchen represents private-equity funds, portfolio companies, and corporate clients across industries including financial services, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and communications. She advises boards and investors on executive mobility, restrictive-covenant enforcement and defense, trade-secret protection, board-level investigations, and the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, while managing crises involving misconduct, retaliation, or reputational exposure. She also negotiates executive and employment agreements and counsels clients on sensitive personnel and governance matters where discretion, judgment, and alignment with business strategy are paramount. Her work often extends beyond the workplace, coordinating with law enforcement and regulators on matters involving threats, harassment, and executive protection.

As a trial-tested and formidable advocate, Gretchen prosecutes and defends high-stakes restrictive-covenant, trade-secret, and executive-mobility disputes, and defends companies in high-stakes litigation involving discrimination, retaliation, and wage-and-hour collective actions under the FLSA and state law. She serves as both architect and executor, crafting and implementing strategies that advance business objectives while safeguarding her clients’ brands.

Whether advising a board, counseling through a crisis, or litigating in court, Gretchen delivers the steady judgment and strategic foresight clients rely on to protect what matters most. She is also deeply committed to giving back, devoting significant time to pro bono representations and community initiatives that expand access to justice and strengthen the legal profession.