McGuireWoods Elevates 16 Lawyers to Partnership

McGuireWoods promoted 16 lawyers to the firm’s partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2016, marking a record number in the firm’s partner promotions over the past decade. The new partners span eight offices and 11 litigation and corporate practice areas, reflecting the depth and breadth of the firm’s capabilities.

“This is an outstanding group of lawyers whose experience, ability to build strong client relationships and professionalism are tremendous assets to McGuireWoods,” said Tom Cabaniss, managing partner of McGuireWoods. “These promotions recognize lawyers who exemplify our core values and whose strong performance augments our ability to provide the highest level of service to clients. We could not be prouder.”

Three newly elected partners are in the Dallas corporate practice, further strengthening the firm’s partnership roster in the vital markets of Texas and the Southwest. The rapid expansion of the firm’s Dallas office, opened in 2014, led Texas Lawyer last year to name McGuireWoods the state’s fastest growing firm. Four new partners are based in Richmond, three in Chicago and two in Charlotte, North Carolina. The remaining four work in Washington, D.C., Jacksonville, New York and Raleigh.

The new partners are:

Jeffrey D. Brooker (Corporate – Dallas) advises private equity funds, venture capital funds and institutional investors in connection with mergers and acquisitions, investments, buyouts and other transactions.

 

Meadow Clendenin (Corporate – Dallas) advises lenders and borrowers in all types of financing transactions, including senior secured and junior capital investments. She has a particular focus on mezzanine finance.

 

Joan S. Dinsmore  (Product & Consumer Litigation – Raleigh) represents businesses and institutions in a wide range of litigation matters, including product liability, toxic torts, professional malpractice, business torts and contract disputes.

 

Jennifer L. Farer (Government Investigations & White Collar – Washington, D.C.) represents companies and individuals in criminal and civil enforcement matters before the Department of Justice and other federal and state government agencies. She manages internal investigations, advises clients on regulatory compliance matters, and litigates securities and other complex commercial and class actions in federal and state courts.

 

Matthew A. Fitzgerald (Business & Securities Litigation – Richmond), a former clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, focuses his practice on appellate matters, constitutional issues, and major motions. He has argued complex cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second, Fourth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits as well as the Supreme Court of Virginia.

 

Ryan D. Frei (Business & Securities Litigation – Richmond) centers his practice on commercial, business, and securities litigation, with considerable experience prosecuting and defending business tort and complex breach-of-contract disputes and litigating environmental matters in federal and state courts.

 

Jodie Herrmann Lawson (Complex Commercial Litigation – Charlotte) concentrates her practice on a diverse range of litigation matters involving business torts, contract disputes, mortgages and banking, energy transmission and storage, and real property.  She represents clients in federal and state courts and arbitrations and advises clients on matters involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Ryan Mitchell (Corporate – Dallas) focuses on private equity and corporate transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions across a diverse range of industries including technology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy, manufacturing, consumer goods, telecommunications and financial services.

 

My T. Ngo (Debt Finance – Charlotte) concentrates his practice on corporate and commercial lending transactions. He represents agents, lenders, borrowers and participants in both cash flow and asset-based financings. He has a particular focus on healthcare finance and restaurant franchise finance.

 

David J. Pivnick (Business & Securities Litigation – Chicago) is focused on complex commercial litigation with an emphasis on healthcare litigation. He represents healthcare entities in complex litigation arising under the False Claims Act, as well as in litigation relating to ownership and non-compete disputes.

 

Matthew P. Rash (Real Estate & Land Use – Richmond) represents both lenders and borrowers in banking and finance matters, including secured commercial loan transactions, real estate purchases and sales, financing, leasing and management of real estate projects.

 

Elizabeth M. Rothenberg (Regulatory & Compliance – Jacksonville) concentrates her practice on environmental, health and safety law and has experience in compliance and regulatory counseling and in litigation and enforcement defense.

 

John J. Semeniak (Public Finance – New York) focuses his practice on public finance transactions and has served as bond counsel, underwriter's counsel, placement agent’s counsel, borrower’s counsel and special tax counsel on numerous tax-exempt and taxable bond financings.

 

Brian D. Sorkin (M&A & Cross-Border Transactions – Richmond) concentrates his practice on corporate, securities, private equity and other transactional matters. He represents both private and public domestic and international companies in a wide range of business transactions.

 

Stephanie A. Zabela  (Debt Finance – Chicago) focuses her practice on commercial finance transactions, real estate matters and general corporate law. She regularly represents lenders and borrowers in asset-based lending, cash-flow lending and acquisition financing in a variety of industries.

 

Sarah A. Zielinski (Antitrust & Trade Regulation – Chicago) focuses on class action litigation, complex commercial litigation, and compliance counseling. Her areas of expertise include antitrust laws and consumer protection statutes such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

 

Respected, independent authorities have recently taken note of McGuireWoods’ excellence across a wide range of practices. McGuireWoods is ranked among the top six law firms in the 2016 Client Service A-team survey published by Boston-based BTI Consulting Group. In addition, the firm earned first-tier national rankings in 21 practice areas − including “Law Firm of the Year” in the category of Litigation - Banking and Finance − in the 2016 edition of U.S. News-Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.”

 

McGuireWoods LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers in 21 offices worldwide and a newly established strategic alliance in China with FuJae Partners of Shanghai. For more information, visit www.mcguirewoods.com. Its full-service public affairs arm, McGuireWoods Consulting LLC, offers infrastructure and economic development, strategic communications and grassroots advocacy, and government relations solutions.