McGuireWoods LLP is a leading U.S. law firm with more than 1,000 attorneys in 23 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. March 2016 saw the opening of McGuireWoods’ San Francisco office — its 22nd location worldwide and third in California. Read our Partner Spotlight with trial lawyer David Powell, managing partner of McGuireWoods’ San Francisco office.
Why was it important for McGuireWoods LLP to open an office in San Francisco?
McGuireWoods had sought the right opportunity to open an office in the San Francisco market for some time. It knew that the city is an epicenter for international businesses and technology companies, and California is generally regarded as a class action litigation hotbed. McGuireWoods has a deep bench of top-notch class action and appellate trial lawyers, many of whom had spent significant time practicing here. After launching the firm’s strategic alliance last year with Shanghai-based FuJae Partners, it was the right time to expand the firm’s presence on the West Coast to bolster the work we do in the Pacific Rim.
McGuireWoods opened its San Francisco office with the addition of a team of complex commercial and financial services litigators whose diverse experience in class actions, financial services, and food and beverage litigation build on the firm’s strengths in these areas.
What is your personal history practicing law in the Bay Area?
I am a third generation San Franciscan and I have spent the entirety of my nearly 30-year career practicing in the city. I have built a broad commercial and financial services litigation practice, including extensive experience leading class action and other significant cases.
I joined McGuireWoods in March as managing partner of the firm’s new office here. The firm has one of the nation’s most respected litigation practices and is a leader in financial services litigation. It’s one of only two firms recognized in all eight practice areas in the 2016 BTI Litigation Outlook report and the firm was named “Law Firm of the Year” for banking and finance litigation on the 2016 U.S. News-Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms” list. The firm’s strong, international platform complements the work I do for clients in San Francisco and around the world, so I was excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the firm’s West Coast expansion.
What is unique about the team of partners in the San Francisco office?
We have an exceptional team of litigation partners in our office. They bring a broad range of litigation experience to the firm, but they share an important commonality—their careers and experiences are deeply rooted in the city.
David Reidy is a leading financial services litigator with a cutting-edge FinTech practice. He advises financial services companies and other clients in consumer class action and individual privacy cases, debt collection and unfair business practices claims, and Telephone Consumer Protection Act and California Invasion of Privacy Act matters. He has held numerous leadership positions with the Bar Association of San Francisco, and he’s a member of the Litigation Section’s Executive Committee.
Marc Lackner has 33 years of in-house and law firm experience advising financial institutions on consumer finance class-action litigation and enforcement matters, particularly mortgage, credit card and deposit banking issues. When he was in house at Bank of America, Marc had responsibility for the bank’s mortgage litigation, which grew to more than 7,000 open litigation matters, including over 200 class actions. He’s a board member of the San Francisco Legal Aid Society.
Carolee Hoover focuses on complex commercial litigation and has extensive experience managing litigation related to mortgages, automobile and marine vessel and aircraft loans. She also handles contract and disputes. Carolee is a very active member of the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Our partners are supported by a strong team of associates and staff who we recruited because we know they were the best at what they do.
How is McGuireWoods LLP involved in the San Francisco community?
McGuireWoods partners with clients to give back to communities and advance our mutual desire to increase diversity in the profession. Since the San Francisco office opened in March, we have become an active member of several local legal and civic nonprofit organizations, including the Bar Association of San Francisco, the San Francisco Legal Aid Society, the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, the San Francisco Bank Attorneys Association, and La Raza Lawyers of California, an organization the supports Latino and Chicano lawyers and legal community statewide.
Earlier this year, McGuireWoods hosted a California Women Lawyers conference in San Francisco and we are looking forward to hosting a second program this fall.
We are a Bar Association of San Francisco Leader’s Circle firm and are proud to be among the top three fundraising firms for the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Annual Bike-A-Thon/Walk-A-Thon held in July. Donations support pro bono legal service programs for low-income individuals living in San Francisco.
We are also a proud sponsor of the Jensie Gran Fondo of Marin cycling event to be held on September 24. The event supports the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, the premier bicycle advocacy group of Marin County, which organizes “Safe to School” programs and maintains bike paths throughout the county.
How has being a San Francisco Chamber of Commerce member helped McGuireWoods LLP?
The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce provides a wealth of opportunity to expand our relationships with the business and civic community. We are proud to partner with the Chamber and look forward to working with its members to better serve the San Francisco community.