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LAWYERS

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Firms with thoughtful leaders and great partners grow and prosper. That makes the duty of developing our best associates into strong, productive partners and attracting top-quality laterals essential to McGuireWoods’ success.

We have hours and revenue targets. But we’re also dedicated to the growth of your practice and the development of your career through training and mentoring.

At McGuireWoods we challenge ourselves to recruit, develop, advance and retain the best lawyers and we have a formal lateral process to ensure a smooth, successful transition. We also identify and promote associates who understand the need to go the extra mile, who take a result from good to great. We ensure a stimulating work environment and we reward associates who provide the highest level of client service and who demonstrate a skill for cultivating new clients.

Diversity and inclusion are core values at McGuireWoods. Together, we continue to build an inclusive culture at all levels within the firm that supports and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. We recognize that diversity and inclusion are central to our success. McGuireWoods encourages qualified applicants of every race, ethnicity, culture, gender and sexual orientation to apply for a job and grow their careers with us.

We also care about the health and well-being of our lawyers and staff. The firm offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package with the kind of support needed for busy professionals — such as back-up care and flexible hours.

Key to our success is colleagues who care about their work, their clients and each other. If this sounds like you, take a look at our open positions.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

To retain and advance the best lawyers, McGuireWoods provides training and development to equip lawyers with the knowledge and skills to advance their careers and achieve our clients’ goals. Associates gain real experience by working closely with partners and other lawyers in their practice group.

The firm’s Associates Committee promotes continued satisfaction and professional growth with a partner liaison from each practice group overseeing associate issues and ensuring constant communication with committee members. The committee hosts quarterly informational meetings via videoconference that update associates on topics such as productivity and profitability, training and development, mentoring and compensation.

The Associates Committee presents Excellence Awards to recognize outstanding lawyers who demonstrate McGuireWoods’ core values : excellence, integrity, client service, diversity and inclusion, community and collegiality.

We invest in your career. Our Professional Development Department facilitates lawyers’ professional growth offering:

Mentoring and Career Development

First-year associates are assigned mentors to help with the transition into law firm life. Lateral associates can select their own mentors. The program is intentionally flexible so lawyers can shape the mentoring experience to their individual needs.

McGuireWoods encourages firm lawyers to seek and provide career-related feedback. Formal evaluations are conducted each spring for associates. Individual meetings to discuss performance and goals for the upcoming year are scheduled with the associate’s supervising lawyer and the Associates Committee liaison for their practice group. The goal of these evaluations is to provide associates with constructive feedback on how to further their careers.

Associates are also required to prepare development plans in consultation with their mentors and their supervising attorney, focusing on skill and knowledge development. This provides a great opportunity for everyone to be on the same page about career goals and what you need to do to achieve them.

Formal Training and Retreats

In-house seminars and CLE courses educate lawyers on firm operations, skills development and practice-specific topics. Operational topics include partnership track expectations, billing and collections, and firm finances. Skills development covers client development, client relations and service, negotiations and writing analysis. Practice-specific topics include trial advocacy, credit and loan agreements, and M&A transactions. McGuireWoods’ Practising Law Institute membership provides firm lawyers access to an array of programs. Associates also can use their firm-provided annual professional development funds to attend external programs.

McGuireWoods’ lawyer retreats promote collegiality and provide learning opportunities for lawyers as their careers progress. The junior associate retreat covers risk management, business development and management skills. The midlevel associate retreat focuses on the firm’s strategic plan, business development and law firm economics.

Benefits

We care about you, your family and your career. McGuireWoods is committed to providing the very best employee experience drawing upon people with diverse backgrounds. We provide the resources people need to focus on client service, their careers as well as balance their home and work lives.

We provide for your basic needs:

  • Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits
    The firm offers comprehensive medical, dental, vision coverage and health savings accounts to eligible employees and their families.
  • Flexible Spending Accounts for Dependent Care
    This plan allows you to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for the care of a dependent whether a child or disabled adult for whom you are responsible.
  • Life and Accident Insurance
    The firm automatically provides group term life insurance for all eligible employees at no cost to the individual employee.
    Supplemental Life & Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance plans are also available.

And for when you need a little extra support:

  • Back-Up Care
    This program is designed to provide support to employees when experiencing a temporary interruption in their normal care arrangements allowing alternative services, whether that's a parent or a child. The service even provides assistance for care arrangements for our four-legged family members.
  • Employee Assistance Program
    This resource offers employees and their eligible dependents with confidential professional counseling, legal and financial consulting and referral services.
  • Health Advocate
    This service provides attorneys and staff with expert help and support with a variety of healthcare needs from finding doctors and specialists to assisting with eldercare issues to ways to maximize all of your health related benefits.
  • Adoption Assistance
    The firm recognizes that people take different avenues in forming their families. For those seeking to start or expand their family through adoption, the Firm provides eligible employees with financial assistance to help with related expenses.

Or when you need time for yourself, your family or your community:

  • Annual Leave
    The firm provides a very generous paid time off bank for vacation, sick and personal time. Additionally, new parents are able to take paid parental leave to bond with their newborns.
  • Paid Service Days
    In support of our core value of community, the firm allows full-time employees paid time to engage in voluntary service to the community.
  • Pro Bono Opportunities
    As part of our commitment to client and community service, our lawyers are involved in significant pro bono work, including death penalty cases, child support enforcement prosecutions, housing law cases, battered spouse representations, wills and powers of attorney, court-appointed criminal defense, and general counseling for nonprofit groups. Our values shine bright when we engage with pro bono cases and it’s incredibly rewarding, too.
  • Wellness Program
    When it comes to improving your health, you don’t have to do it alone! Our healthcare support vendor, managed by Health Advocate is here for you and your eligible dependents. The Well-Being Program offers a personal health profile, wellness programs along with emotional well-being. There is a full range of online tools such as wellness challenges, healthy recipes, wellness workshops and many more resources to help you manage your health.

And for the times when you just want to focus on your career and your future:

  • Retirement Savings Plan
    The firm's 401(k) savings plan enables participants to provide for their future retirement security through voluntary pre-tax and/or Roth contributions. The firm also makes very competitive contributions to employee accounts on an annual basis.
  • Educational Assistance
    We are committed to helping employees further their careers through formal education. The firm provides tuition reimbursement for those seeking to enhance their performance or develop their career.
  • Professional Development Opportunities and Budgets
    We recognize professionals must commit to continuous learning to thrive and succeed. The firm provides an array of courses, seminars and online learning opportunities for professional and administrative staff to remain relevant in a fast-moving field. Attorneys also have budgets to pursue continuing education and our new attorneys can take advantage of bar review tuition and expense reimbursement.

For complete details on applicant disclosures, please click here.

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