Financial Institutions

The firm’s lawyers advise clients in corporate transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and sales of assets and companies, as well as day-to-day matters involving intellectual property, employee benefits, and labor and employment law. McGuireWoods’ experienced banking and finance team provides guidance on commercial and real estate loan transactions, consumer lending advice, organization of proprietary mutual funds, asset securitizations, corporate finance and securities-related transactions. McGuireWoods attorneys also represent financial institutions in litigation and enforcement matters, including regulatory investigations, contract disputes and consumer finance litigation.

How We Help

Regulatory & Compliance

Lending & Finance

Consumer Financial Services

Innovation, Technology & Risk

Litigation, Enforcement & Disputes

Restructuring & Insolvency

Public Finance & Institutional Counsel

Who We Work With

We work with a broad range of financial market participants, including:

Areas of Focus

Banking Regulation & Enforcement

The Banking Regulation & Enforcement Practice Group provides specialized legal services to banks and financial institutions, focusing on regulatory compliance and investigations in areas such as anti-money laundering compliance, the Bank Secrecy Act, securities and derivatives, consumer protection, and data privacy.

Capital Markets

The firm’s Capital Markets Practice Group represents the nation’s largest businesses, financial institutions, healthcare companies and investment banks in securities and capital markets transactions. The team advises Fortune 100 and private capital-raising companies, as well as middle market investment banks, in capital-raising transactions.

Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

McGuireWoods’ Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice Group includes more than 30 U.S. and UK attorneys from transactional and litigation practice areas. Twelve team members hold CIPP/US or CIPP/E certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals, credentialing them as part of an elite group of privacy professionals.

Financial Services Litigation

The Financial Services Litigation Practice Group represents the world’s most prominent financial institutions in high-stakes litigation. The team defends financial institutions against individual and class action claims, including TILA, RESPA, FDCPA and FCRA consumer protection laws. The group also has deep experience in complex cases involving securities, government investigations, white collar criminal matters and shareholder derivative actions.

Private Credit

McGuireWoods’ Private Credit Practice Group advises clients in the growing lending sector, in which nonbank investors lend money directly to businesses or individuals. Anchored by the largest finance practice in the United States, the group offers life-cycle services to private credit funds, leveraging its experience in healthcare, traditional and renewable energy, food and beverage, financial services, and fintech industries.

Public Finance

The Chambers Band 1-ranked Public Finance Practice Group represents issuers, borrowers, investment banks and commercial banks on infrastructure financings. The team counsels local governments and related governmental bond issuers, along with 501(c)(3) and specialty borrowers. With respect to commercial banks and investment banks, the group’s attorneys work with most of the leaders in the tax-exempt bond space.

Restructuring & Insolvency

The Restructuring & Insolvency Practice Group earns global recognition for financial and operational restructurings, distressed situations and workout matters, in and out of court. Clients include secured and unsecured creditors, equity holders, debtors, debt and asset purchasers, estate fiduciaries, and litigation trusts on all sides of litigation and in transactions involving insolvent and special situations.

Securities Enforcement & Regulatory Counseling

McGuireWoods is a national leader in securities enforcement defense and broker-dealer and investment adviser regulatory counseling. Anchored by former SEC and FINRA attorneys, and others from enforcement and trading markets, including prominent federal prosecutors, the team manages complicated securities investigations at every stage — from informal inquiries and routine exams through investigations, litigation and appeals — while staying at the forefront of ever-developing issues confronting the securities industry.

Syndicated Finance

Syndicated finance involves a group of lenders (a syndicate) providing a large secured or unsecured loan to a borrower. The loan is arranged and administered by one lead bank (the administrative agent) and lead arranger. The Syndicated Finance Practice Group structures and negotiates agreements and coordinates among multiple parties with often diverging interests to ensure that a deal is legally and structurally sound; that the borrower’s and each lender’s rights and obligations are clearly defined; and that collateral is properly provided.

Rankings and Recognitions

Client Service Excellence
McGuireWoods is one of only four firms to earn a Top 30 ranking on BTI Consulting’s Client Service A-Team for 10 consecutive years. In 2025, the firm was honored for the 19th time overall, based on unprompted feedback from general counsel and decision-makers at companies with revenue of $1 billion or more.

Innovation in Action
The firm’s commitment to innovation in legal services delivery has been recognized by the Financial Times, which named McGuireWoods among North America’s most innovative law firms in its annual Innovative Lawyers report. This recognition underscores the firm’s ability to adapt, evolve and deliver value in an increasingly complex legal environment.

Market-Leading Finance Practice
McGuireWoods consistently ranks among the top 10 U.S. law firms for representing lenders in debt financings, based on deal count and dollar volume in Bloomberg, Debtwire and LSEG league tables.