McGuireWoods traces its origins to two lawyers, Egbert R. Watson and Murray Mason McGuire. In 1834, Watson opened a law office in Charlottesville, VA. In 1870, he formed a partnership with his son-in-law, George Perkins in what would become Perkins, Battle & Minor. In 1897, McGuire started practicing law in Richmond, VA. He was joined by John Stewart Bryan in 1898 and the two formed McGuire & Bryan. In the 1960s, the firm became McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson.
1966-2000
In 1966, Charlottesville’s Battle, Neal, Harris, Minor & Williams merged with Richmond’s McGuire, Woods, King, Davis & Patterson to create McGuire, Woods & Battle. In 1987, the firm merged with Boothe, Prichard & Dudley to create McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe. In 1991, McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe took over Cable, McDaniel, Bowie & Bond, a Baltimore law firm. After additional mergers, the firm changed its name to McGuireWoods in 2000. In 1998, the firm established its affiliate McGuireWoods Consulting to provide consulting services in government and public relations.
2000-Present
In 2003, McGuireWoods merged with Chicago firm Ross and Hardies. In 2006, McGuireWoods merged with Chicago-based Gordon & Glickson. In 2008, the firm merged with Helms Mulliss & Wicker in North Carolina. In 2009, McGuireWoods opened a London office after a merger. In 2014, McGuireWoods opened its Dallas office. In 2015, the firm entered into an alliance with FuJae Partners, a Shanghai-based law firm and opened a second office in Los Angeles. In 2016, the firm opened an office in San Francisco. As of 2019, the firm has 21 offices worldwide. In December 2017, Richard Cullen stepped down as chairman of McGuireWoods and partner Jonathan Harmon became the firm’s new chairman. In 2019, Richard Davis was hired as the new chief operating officer.
Notable Cases, Investigations and Transactions
McGuireWoods represented RMS Titanic, the Atlanta-based company that was granted rights to salvage from the British ocean liner, The Titanic.
In 2015, FIFA president Sepp Blatter hired McGuireWoods’ attorney Richard Cullen. At the time, several FIFA members had been indicted on corruption charges.
In June 2017, Vice President Mike Pence retained Richard Cullen, then-chairman of McGuireWoods, as outside legal counsel related to the special counsel investigation into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election.
In May 2018, Elizabeth Hutson led the McGuireWoods team that represented human trafficking survivor Kendra Ross. Ross was awarded an almost $8 million judgment, the largest civil single-plaintiff human trafficking award in U.S. history, in the suit she brought against the nationwide regimented cult The Value Creators Inc..
McGuireWoods attorneys including Richard Cullen represented Cynthia and Frederick Warmbier when they sued North Korea for having “brutally tortured and murdered” their son, Otto Warmbier. In December 2018, a federal court ordered North Korea to pay the Warmbiers over $500 million.
In 2018, McGuireWoods attorney Matthew Fitzgerald represented Ryan Collins in the U.S. Supreme Court case Collins v. Virginia. The Court voted in favor of Collins, ruling that the automobile exception to the Fourth Amendment does not permit a police officer to enter the curtilage of a home without a warrant.
