The American Lawyer, Law360, Global Investigations Review and Reuters published stories on Nov. 16, 2021, covering the arrival of McGuireWoods partner Laura Colombell Marshall, who joined the firm’s Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department in Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Marshall’s move to McGuireWoods was a homecoming. She began her career as an associate at the firm as it was beginning to build a government investigations practice that achieved national prominence. She went on to serve for 15 years as a federal prosecutor and to lead the white collar defense and internal investigations team at an Am Law 100 firm before returning to McGuireWoods.
“Being able to come back now at this stage where [the firm] has grown into a national powerhouse in this space is really special,” Marshall told Reuters.
Marshall said her experience working with former federal prosecutors and U.S. attorneys as an associate helped prepare her for her own career as an assistant U.S. attorney. She told Law360 her McGuireWoods colleagues “were very supportive of me going after that goal.”
Marshall represents businesses on criminal, civil and regulatory enforcement matters. In an interview with The American Lawyer, she emphasized the importance of being proactive and assisting clients with compliance monitoring and risk assessment and mitigation.
“I look at compliance and best practices as a big component of how you defend a company,” said Marshall. “I look at compliance in terms of not only prevention, but also the best defense in the event that [enforcement issues arise].”
Marshall’s arrival also was covered in Bloomberg Law’s Nov. 17, 2021, “Wake Up Call” column and by Corporate Counsel Business Journal.