After more than nine years as the firm’s deputy managing partner for litigation, Terry Bagley is stepping aside this fall and handing the reins to another nationally accomplished litigator, Tracy Walker.
Managing Partner Tom Cabaniss announced on Tuesday that the change takes effect at the end of the partner admissions process in mid-November. Bagley has been deputy managing partner since 2006.
“Terry has done an outstanding job leading our litigation practice – one of the nation’s very best. There is, however, a silver lining as he again devotes his time and his considerable trial talents to assisting clients on a full-time basis,” Cabaniss said. “This firm is also blessed to have another superb lawyer and proven leader in Tracy ready to take charge.”
“We are grateful for the leadership Terry has provided our litigation group at a time of enormous growth for McGuireWoods,” added Chairman Richard Cullen. “We’re confident Tracy will pick up where Terry leaves off and continue developing our world-class Litigation Department and delivering superior results for our clients.”
Under Bagley’s watch, the litigation group has grown from about 350 lawyers to more than 500 today and has earned widespread recognition. The widely read news service of the legal industry, Law360, ranked McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation practice a 2014 “Practice Group of the Year” for white-collar criminal defense, a recognition made to only five firms nationally. And 42 McGuireWoods litigators were ranked in 2015 by Chambers USA, 16 of them in the elite Band 1.
“It’s hard to imagine a better or more fulfilling job than being head of litigation at McGuireWoods,” Bagley said. “I want to thank Richard and Tom for the faith and trust they put in me when we started this journey together nearly a decade ago. I also want to thank the department chairs, past and present, and all our incredibly talented and dedicated lawyers who have made my job easy and this department second to none. From where I sit, it will only get better from here.”
Bagley is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1977. He earned his law degree in 1982 from Campbell University’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and is chairman of its Board of Visitors.
He has been at McGuireWoods since 1984. His nationally noted practice is focused on commercial, toxic tort and product liability litigation. He has defended clients in state and federal courts across the country facing automotive, asbestos, power products and PCB lawsuits. He has argued appeals for clients on the state and federal level and has served as national and regional counsel in mass tort claims.
Walker is co-chair of the firm’s appeals and issues practice team and a member of the Board of Partners. He is a prior chair of the firm’s Product and Consumer Litigation Department. His practice focuses on appeals, commercial and consumer class-action litigation and product liability litigation. He handles trials and appeals in jurisdictions nationwide.
He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Virginia and a 1990 graduate of Harvard Law School.