McGuireWoods Richmond partner Jacquelyn E. Stone has been selected one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Influential Women of Law.” The awards program honors women lawyers and judges for professional excellence and contributions to their communities.
The publication announced the 2020 honorees in partnership with the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Old Dominion Bar Association.
“It is an honor to be recognized with respected lawyers who are showing future generations of women that they too can have successful legal careers,” said Stone.
Stone has decades of experience advising clients on government relations, concentrating on legislative matters before the Virginia General Assembly. She also represents clients on regulatory, immigration and worksite enforcement matters as a member of the firm’s Securities & Capital Markets Department.
The creator and former chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Stone became the first African-American woman to be named a partner at a major law firm in Virginia. She also was McGuireWoods’ firmwide hiring partner for more than 20 years.
The Harvard Law School graduate has served on numerous state and local boards and commissions, including the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Science Museum of Virginia Board of Trustees and the Richmond Forum.
Stone co-founded Partnership for the Future, a college preparation and workforce development program for Richmond-area high school students. Nationally, she sits on the board of Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization, encouraging minority and low-income students to pursue legal careers.
The honorees will be celebrated at a Feb. 18 reception in Richmond and profiled in a special VLW supplement.