February 11, 2015
McGuireWoods partners Jonathan T. Blank, Geoffrey C. Cockrell and John D. Wilburn are among an elite group of lawyers recognized for client service excellence in BTI Consulting Group’s annual Client Service All-Stars report, which is based on unprompted feedback from leading corporate decision makers.
Boston-based BTI Consulting interviewed more than 300 corporate counsel from large and Fortune 1000 companies to research all aspects of client relationships for its report, which was published this week.
“These exceptional lawyers pride themselves on delivering the highest level of service to their clients, and it is gratifying to see them earn this praise from them,” said Tom Cabaniss, the managing partner of McGuireWoods. “Jonathan, Geoff and John personify the excellence that is the hallmark of this firm.”
Blank is managing partner of McGuireWoods’ Charlottesville office. His energy focus is on natural gas litigation, including shale, coal bed methane, conventional, and propane. He has litigated mineral rights, royalty, transportation, construction, consumer protection, antitrust, fraud and other complex matters in this arena. This is the second time in the past three years that Blank has made the Client Service All-Stars list. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation each year since 2009.
Blank’s energy litigation successes include a major 2014 victory for McGuireWoods client CNX Gas Company and the coal and gas industry in the 4 th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a closely watched case, the appeals court rejected a lower court’s certification of five related class action lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege that they have been deprived of royalties for coal bed methane gas extracted from their properties. Blank successfully argued that the federal district court did not conduct a sufficiently rigorous analysis to determine whether requirements for class certification had been met. Blank was nominated for the Client All-Stars by a leading energy company.
Cockrell, a partner in McGuireWoods’ Chicago office, chairs the firm’s private equity group. He has a wide scope of experience that includes mergers and acquisitions, senior and mezzanine lending, venture capital investments and private equity fund formation. His mergers and acquisition experience, representing private equity and strategic purchasers, extends across a diverse number of industries from healthcare and energy to manufacturing and agriculture. He was nominated by a large agricultural company. Cockrell also made the Client Service All-Stars list in 2009.
Cockrell’s recent significant transactions include representing GROWMARK, Inc., a large agricultural supply cooperative, in numerous strategic acquisitions, including its acquisitions of retail agriculture businesses along the eastern seaboard. He also has represented numerous middle market private equity funds in their acquisitions of target companies in healthcare and other industries.
Wilburn, an accomplished first-chair trial attorney in the firm’s Tysons Corner, Virginia office, concentrates his practice in construction, commercial and products liability litigation. He has represented clients in all aspects of the construction industry, and he frequently litigates complex commercial matters for financial industry clients.
Wilburn’s recent successes include securing favorable outcomes for Hilton Worldwide in construction disputes involving the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City and the Union Square Hotel in San Francisco. Wilburn was nominated by a leading hospitality company.
BTI has repeatedly cited McGuireWoods for its client service excellence. Positive client feedback propelled McGuireWoods to a top 20 performance in the 2015 Client Service A-Team rankings, which was published in December. In addition, BTI listed McGuireWoods’ commercial litigation team on the honor roll in the 2014 edition of its BTI Litigation Outlook. McGuireWoods also was recognized in the 2013 edition as a “standout” for complex commercial litigation, and listed on the honor roll for routine commercial litigation and “Most Feared Litigation Firms.”
The BTI Consulting Group is a leading strategic research provider to the legal community. It performs in-depth analysis of client experiences for firms through more than 14,000 independent interviews with top executives of Fortune 1000 corporations. Click here to view the report.