December 21, 2014
Editors of Law360, a well-respected and widely read legal news service, have selected McGuireWoods’ Government, Regulatory and Criminal Investigations practice as a White Collar “Practice Group of the Year” for 2014. McGuireWoods is one of only five firms to earn the prestigious honor in this high-profile practice area.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the hard work our lawyers do for our clients in this very important practice,” said John Adams, chair of the firm’s GRCI practice and a former federal prosecutor. “This honor is a reflection of the trust our clients place in them and their commitment to delivering excellent service and results in what are often high-stakes, challenging circumstances.”
“It’s gratifying when independent authorities such as Law360 recognize the excellent work of our lawyers,” said McGuireWoods Chairman Richard Cullen, a former Virginia attorney general and U.S. attorney who helped establish the firm’s GRCI practice. “I see our incredible commitment to advancing our clients’ interests every day. It’s great when others acknowledge it as well.”
Law360 editors based their selections on the impact of a practice group’s work, considering factors such as high-profile matters, large dollar amounts, and compelling or precedent-setting decisions arising from cases argued.
McGuireWoods’ accomplished white collar lawyers earned the Law360 award for their work in a wide array of high-stakes matters throughout the country during the past year. Their triumphs included securing acquittal for a senior bank executive in a federal fraud trial in which other targets were convicted; defending a top BP executive in connection with the Deepwater Horizon disaster; obtaining a novel resolution to a long-running Justice Department investigation of one of the nation’s largest financial institutions; acting as the court-appointed receiver serving victims of the largest known Ponzi scheme in U.S. history by number of victims; and winning significant judgments under federal racketeering statutes against personal injury lawyers who fabricated asbestos claims against CSX Transportation.
Deputy Managing Partner for Litigation Terry Bagley was pleased that the work resulted in the firm being recognized among the profession’s elite.
“We have assembled a firmwide team made up of some of the country’s best practitioners in this important and growing area of the law,” he said. “Given the keen competition in the market, we are excited to be honored in this manner.”
McGuireWoods’ GRCI practice includes several lawyers who held leadership positions in federal and state law enforcement agencies and other governmental bodies before joining the firm. Four of the firm’s white collar practitioners are ranked by Chambers USA in its 2014 guide. Law360 recently recognized McGuireWoods as one of the top 20 U.S. law firms with the most partners in the securities and white collar category.
Law360 is an online daily news service read widely throughout the legal profession. It publishes breaking news and analysis of high-stakes litigation and major transactions. It is operated by Portfolio Media, a subsidiary of LexisNexis.