Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on McGuireWoods LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
McGuireWoods
- Designation: Richmond
- Head Count: 941
- Gross Revenues: $599,500,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $635,000
- Profits Per Partner: $945,000
- Year Over Year Change: 2
While its roots go back to 1834, McGuireWoods needed 150 years before it branched out beyond Virginia (it opened a Washington, D.C., office in 1984). But once it did, the firm did so in style, merging with a long list of other firms—many of them small, regional outfits, but others, like 155–lawyer Ross & Hardies, with which McGuireWoods merged in 2003, boast substantial multioffice practices in prime locations like New York and Chicago. Today McGuireWoods counts nearly 900 lawyers in 19 offices (including Brussels and London). It ranked fifty–fourth on the 2011 Am Law 100, with $532 million in revenue.
The Richmond–based firm may regularly fall outside the top 100 firms on profits per partner and average partner compensation, but it fared better than many of its peers during the economic crisis. Indeed, McGuireWoods ranked third of 84 firms on The American Lawyer’s Recession Performance Index, which looked at how firms performed between 2007 and 2009, a particularly trying period for the industry. During that period of time, revenue at McGuireWoods actually increased by a compound annual growth rate of 11 percent (lawyer head count and profits per partner made healthy gains as well). The firm’s 2011 revenue jumped by 7 percent over the previous year, and net income by a robust 9 percent, bolstered by busy health care, energy, government investigations, and transactional practices.
Not faring quite as well is the firm’s record on diversity. It ranked 128th of 194 firms in 2011, with minorities accounting for less than 6 percent of U.S. partners. Pro bono marks are middling, too: McGuireWoods came in 144th of 200 firms on The American Lawyer’s 2011 survey, with the average lawyer performing just 22 hours of annual pro bono work (more than 100 hours below the industry’s leaders).
The firm has been an enthusiastic proponent of alternative fee arrangements—a factor that may have served it well during the downturn. It has also created a D.C.–based public affairs arm, McGuireWoods Consulting, to assist clients who want to bend the ears of legislators. Among the group’s advisers is former Indiana governor and senator Evan Bayh. One person you probably won’t spot around the McGuireWoods offices, however, is golfer Tiger Woods. The firm represented his ex–wife in their divorce.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 51 | 2 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 51 | 2 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 26 | 3 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 144 | 15 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 133 | 5 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | NR | N/A | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | NR | N/A | Summer programs |
In the News
Lawyer for Rothstein investors wants case sent to state court
Julie Kay : Daily Business Review : March 7, 2013
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Raymond Ray was asked to send a lawsuit filed by victims of the Scott Rothstein's Ponzi scheme against TD Bank back to Broward Circuit Court.
Reverse Commute
Elliott Hurwitt : Corporate Counsel : March 1, 2013
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : March 1, 2013
Cooley loses two real estate partners to New York real estate boutique Duval & Stachenfeld; a group of five Gordon & Rees commercial litigators leave for SNR Denton; and McGuireWoods gains a former Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom partner. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
Reed Smith Enters Houston Market With 17 Attorneys
Gina Passarella : The Legal Intelligencer : February 27, 2013
After leasing space in Houston last month and working the lateral market, Reed Smith has announced it will officially open its first Texas office with 17 attorneys from seven different firms in the region.
Reed Smith Enters Houston With 17 Attorneys
Gina Passarella : The Legal Intelligencer : February 26, 2013
After leasing space in Houston last month and working the lateral market, Reed Smith has announced it will officially open its first Texas office with 17 attorneys recruited from seven different area firms.
MOVERS
: The National Law Journal : February 25, 2013
David Kappos joins Cravath, Swaine & Moore as partner in the New York office. Plus more law firm movers in this week's column.
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : February 15, 2013
Kirkland & Ellis makes an M&A push on the West Coast; Venable adds four lawyers; and Greenberg Traurig loses four partners, including a finance duo to Troutman Sanders in New York. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
9th Circuit Revives Suitable Seating Suit
Scott Graham : The Recorder : February 13, 2013
K&L Gates Snags Fulbright Corporate Partner for Houston Office Opening
Zack Needles : The Legal Intelligencer : February 13, 2013
Pittsburgh-based K&L Gates is opening its fourth office in Texas with the addition of corporate partner Charles Strauss.
K&L Gates Opens Houston Office
Zack Needles : The Legal Intelligencer : February 12, 2013
Pittsburgh-based K&L Gates has opened an office in Houston with the addition of corporate partner Charles L. Strauss. It's the firm's fourth Texas office.
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