Overview
Introduction
McGuireWoods, home to over 1,000 attorneys in 21 offices worldwide, is a full-service firm that provides legal and public affairs solutions to corporate, individual, and nonprofit clients across a range of industries, including the banking and financial services, energy, healthcare, and private equity sectors. The firm is regularly recognized by BTI Consulting for client service and by The Financial Times for innovation. Associates have reported that McGuireWoods offers a welcoming environment ...
Firm Stats
Total No. Attorneys (2024)
No. of Partners Named (2023)
Featured Rankings
No. of 1st Year Associates Hired (2024)
No. of Summer Associates (2024)
Base Salary
Vault Verdict
As the oldest law firm in Virginia, McGuireWoods has come a long way from its small beginnings thanks to strategic mergers and growth. Still, the firm retains its Southern charm; associates praise the firm’s collegial, pleasant culture which, while not overly social, is very much a welcoming environment. Hiring is holistic, and the firm casts a wide net across law schools to find the right candidates, with a particular focus on local law schools near firm offices as well as top-rated schools. While firm management is not always transparent about decision making, associates appreciate being treated with respect by partners across the board, and annual performance reviews are thorough. The billable hour requirement is considered reasonable at 1,950 hours, although associates would a...
About the Firm
McGuireWoods, home to over 900 attorneys in 21 offices worldwide, is a full-service firm that provides legal and public affairs solutions to corporate, individual, and nonprofit clients across a range of industries including banking and financial services, energy, healthcare, and private equity.
McGuireWoods’ Mergers
The firm’s history dates back to 1834 in Charlottesville, Virginia, with the founding of Egbert R. Watson’s law practice. Since then, the firm has strategically expanded from coast to coast and overseas—largely via mergers. In the past decade, McGuireWoods has joined North Carolina firm Helms Mullins & Wicker, U.K. firm Grundberg Mocatta Rakison, Texas-based Nickens Keeton Lawless Farrell & Flack, and litigation boutique Integer Law Corp.
<...
2025 Vault Rankings
Associate Reviews
- “The firm is collegial, and respectful of people's lives outside of work. Most social events happen during the workday, and are well attended. The firm has grown rapidly in the last few years, but still feels cozier than a lot of other BigLaw shops.”
- “The firm is generally very pleasant but businesslike, in that most interactions occur in the workplace, with relatively few formal socializing events after hours. However, it works very well for me, and the environment is extremely collegial and positive.”
- “Traditionally, the firm's culture has been very collegial. The pandemic put a bit of a damper on that, as we stopped seeing each other in the office as regularly as we did before; however, many partners at the firm are affirmatively encouraging us to socialize more, in the office and out of the office. Attorney interactions with support staff have always been excellent—indeed, I think most of us recognize that we could not have adopted a work-from-home culture during the pandemic without their very active support.”
- “It's very chill here. People could definitely socialize a little more outside of work, but it sure beats being forced to do so when your workload is already huge. People are really nice, and open to mentoring younger associates when possible.”
Why Work Here
At McGuireWoods, our attorneys and staff can expect to be part of a diverse culture built on respect, unwavering client service and a collective desire for professional excellence. With an exciting work environment that features new and innovative technologies, career advancement training, top-of-the-line benefits options, and the opportunity to engage with our many communities across the U.S. and overseas, our employees gain the experience they need to excel as part of one of the world’s most sought-after law firms.
An evolving career is a strong career, and we encourage our employees to take advantage of the professional development services offered to them, including training and advancement opportunities designed to encourage leadership, promote collaboration and teach better use of technology. McGuireWoods employees benefit from on-the-job training, in-house seminars, courses in continuing legal education and an array of career development programs through Practising Law Institute.
Diversity at McGuireWoods
Getting Hired Here
- “The firm looks for people that fit into its culture of working well with others and being collegial. It will hire from all over the country, but there are certain schools that it draws from more than others, specifically, those near their regional offices. Clerkships and journals help, but are not required.”
- “McGuireWoods does a great job of hiring from different types of law schools, including the traditional top-rated schools, but also from schools local to the office (i.e., SMU in Dallas, or Richmond in Richmond). Grades and diversity will be huge factors for landing a summer associate position, and the firm also engages in 3L hiring.”
- “My understanding is that the firm considers a variety of factors in its hiring/summer associate decisions, including law school, grades, honor experiences (journal/moot court/clerkship), prior work experience, personality, and other circumstantial factors. Though the firm does tend to start its searches at top law schools (at least for summers/first-year associates), it definitely considers candidates from other schools and backgrounds based on other factors—like their overall fit. Typically, it seems that the more experience a lateral has, the less ‘prestige’ and ‘numbers’ tend to matter—i.e., our hiring decision makers appear to really consider every candidate from every spectrum.”
- “In my experience, referrals from other attorneys employed by the firm will play a huge role in the recruitment process. I typically refer one or two law students a year from my alma mater, who impress me as folks with whom I'd want to practice law.”
Perks & Benefits