McGuireWoods LLP issued the following announcement on June 3.
McGuireWoods was recognized as a leading law firm in 30 nationwide practice areas in The Legal 500 United States, the respected independent guide to the country’s top firms and lawyers. The 2019 rankings reflect the firm’s litigation and transactional prowess in major industries and practice areas, including energy; banking and finance; M&A and private equity; healthcare; corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense; technology; and transportation.
In its strongest showing to date in The Legal 500, the firm earned Tier 1 rankings in four industry-focused categories: Energy Litigation: Conventional Power; Energy Regulation: Conventional Power; Transport: Rail and Road – Litigation; and Transport: Shipping – Regulation. The guide noted the firm’s work providing regulatory guidance to Dominion Energy in its merger with SCANA Corporation, which required approvals from several federal agencies and regulators in three states. It also cited the firm’s “strong track record” handling litigation for railroads, automakers and trucking companies.
The Legal 500 praised McGuireWoods for its strength in middle-market private equity deals, saying it has “a fast-growing practice driven by independent sponsors” and “the breadth of resources to serve all the needs of a private equity firm.”
The firm received high marks for its commercial lending capabilities, particularly its “strong healthcare-focused finance team” and its relationships with leading financial institutions. McGuireWoods also was commended for the “exceptional quality” of its white-collar litigation practice. The Legal 500 highlighted the firm’s representation of former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, which resulted in the dismissal of all criminal charges after a long-running federal case focused on his alleged misuse of campaign and government funds.
McGuireWoods lawyers were individually recognized 115 times in this year’s guide, with five singled out as “Leading Lawyers” in their respective practice areas: Michael Woodard, M&A: Middle Market; David Reidy, Fintech; Brian Jackson and Eric Bilik, Transport: Rail and Road – Litigation; and John Padgett, Transport: Shipping. This is the third consecutive year that Padgett, managing partner of the firm’s Norfolk, Virginia, office, has made the elite “Leading Lawyers” list.
For the second year in a row, partner Rakesh Gopalan was named a “next generation lawyer” in Technology: Transactions. In addition, associates Patrick Dover and Ashley Matthews were recognized as “rising stars” in Transport: Rail and Road – Litigation and Cyber Law, respectively.
McGuireWoods earned rankings in the following nationwide practice areas:
- Antitrust – civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Commercial lending – advice to lenders
- Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to individuals
- Cyber law (including data protection and privacy)
- Energy litigation: conventional power
- Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Energy regulation: conventional power
- Energy: renewable/alternative power
- Energy transactions: conventional power
- Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment: litigation
- Fintech
- General commercial disputes
- Healthcare: service providers
- Investment fund formation and management: private equity funds (including venture capital)
- M&A: middle-market (sub-$500 million)
- Private equity buyouts
- Product liability, mass tort and class action: automotive/transport – defense
- Product liability, mass tort and class action: consumer products – defense
- Product liability, mass tort and class action: toxic tort – defense
- Project finance: advice to lenders
- Project finance: advice to sponsors
- Securities litigation: defense
- Sport
- Technology: outsourcing
- Technology: transactions
- Transport: aviation and air travel – finance
- Transport: rail and road – litigation
- Transport: shipping – regulation
Antitrust – civil litigation/class actions: defense
Amy Manning, Angelo Russo and Sarah Zielinski of Chicago; Howard Feller of Richmond
Commercial lending
Chris Molen of Atlanta; Raj Natarajan of Charlotte
Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
Benjamin Hatch of Norfolk; John Adams and Richard Cullen of Richmond; Emily Gordy, Patrick Rowan, Todd Steggerda and George J. Terwilliger III of Washington
Cyber law (including data protection and privacy)
Ashley Matthews of Charlottesville; Nathan Kottkamp of Richmond; Andrew Konia of Tysons
Energy litigation: conventional power
Ryan Purpura of Pittsburgh; Todd Mullins, John Perkins and Noel Symons of Washington
Energy litigation: oil and gas
Jonathan Blank of Charlottesville; Thomas Farrell and Yasser Madriz of Houston; Megan Haines of Pittsburgh; Ryan Frei of Richmond
Energy regulation: conventional power
Ryan Purpura of Pittsburgh; Joseph K. Reid III and Elaine Ryan of Richmond; Todd Mullins, John Perkins and Noel Symons of Washington
Energy: renewable/alternative power
Becky Diffen of Austin; Timothy Callahan of Chicago; Michael Woodard of Richmond
Energy transactions: conventional power
Brian Kelly of Baltimore; Ryan Purpura of Pittsburgh; Joanne Katsantonis of Richmond
Energy transactions: oil and gas
Anthony Carna and Ryan Purpura of Pittsburgh
Environment: litigation
David Franchina of Charlotte; Diane Flannery, John Lain, Vishwa Link, Eugene Mathews III and Scott Oostdyk of Richmond
Fintech
Susan Rodriguez and Richard Viola of Charlotte; Sarah Zielinski of Chicago; David Reidy of San Francisco
General commercial disputes
Cheryl Haas of Atlanta; Ava Lias-Booker of Baltimore; Robert Muckenfuss of Charlotte; Jonathan Blank of Charlottesville
Healthcare: service providers
Bart Walker of Charlotte; Amber McGraw Walsh of Chicago; Thomas Zahn of Pittsburgh
Investment fund formation and management – private equity funds (including venture capital)
Bryan Bylica and Mark Kromkowski of Chicago; Kevin Boardman of Dallas
M&A: middle-market (sub-$500 million)
Chris Scheurer of Charlotte; Geoffrey Cockrell of Chicago; Thomas Zahn of Pittsburgh; Joanne Katsantonis and Michael Woodard of Richmond
Private equity buyouts
Christopher Nesbit of Charlotte; Geoffrey Cockrell of Chicago; Jon Finger and David McLean of Dallas; Thomas Zahn of Pittsburgh
Product liability, mass tort and class actions – automotive/transport – defense
Courtney Shytle of Columbia; Diane Flannery, Perry Miles, Samuel Tarry and J. Tracy Walker IV of Richmond
Product liability, mass tort and class actions – consumer products – defense
Courtney Shytle of Columbia; Terrence Bagley, Diane Flannery, Perry Miles and Samuel Tarry of Richmond
Product liability, mass tort and class actions – toxic tort – defense
Stephen Busch and Diane Flannery of Richmond
Project finance
Becky Diffen of Austin; Brian Kelly of Baltimore; Adam Greene, Marvin Rogers and Kate Watlington of Charlotte; Timothy Callahan of Chicago; Joanne Katsantonis of Richmond
Securities litigation – defense
Noreen Kelly of New York; Emily Gordy of Washington
Sport
Richard Grant of Century City; Kevin McGinnis of Charlotte
Technology: outsourcing
Rakesh Gopalan of Charlotte; Steve Gold and Derek Roach of Chicago
Technology: transactions
Rakesh Gopalan of Charlotte; Steve Gold and Gregory P. Hawver of Chicago; Stuart M. Rasley of Dallas; Rebecca A. Brophy of Raleigh; Michael Woodard of Richmond
Transport: aviation and air travel – finance
Patricia Hosmer, Preston Hurrell and David Whelpley Jr. of Charlotte; Peter Szurley of San Francisco
Transport: rail and road – litigation
Brian Jackson of Charlottesville; Eric Bilik, Patrick Dover and Christopher Thanner of Jacksonville; Bryan Brantley and Matthew Monsour of Pittsburgh; Terrence Bagley, Perry Miles and J. Tracy Walker IV of Richmond
Transport: shipping – regulation
John Padgett of Norfolk