McGuireWoods partner Jacquelyn E. Stone won the award for Best Mentor: Law Firm in The American Lawyer Industry Awards, an annual program honoring exemplary advisers and innovators in the legal profession. Winners were announced at American Lawyer Media’s Jan. 14, 2021, virtual awards ceremony.
Based in Richmond, Virginia, Stone joined McGuireWoods in 1985 and later became the first African-American woman to be named a partner at a major Virginia law firm. She served as McGuireWoods’ firmwide hiring partner for more than 20 years and has mentored countless lawyers in the firm and elsewhere throughout her career. She created McGuireWoods’ Diversity & Inclusion Committee in 2006 and served as its chair until 2017. To honor her, the firm presents the Jacquelyn E. Stone Diversity & Inclusion Award to lawyers who make positive contributions to diversity and inclusion. Stone also is a former member of the firm’s Board of Partners.
“Jackie is a trailblazer who is devoted to identifying and mentoring talented students and lawyers, many of whom have ascended to leadership in top law firms, academia and corporate America,” said McGuireWoods managing partner J. Tracy Walker IV. “We are proud that her decades-long commitment to fostering the future success of young and aspiring lawyers has been recognized.”
Stone first mentored aspiring lawyers while attending Harvard Law School, serving as a pre-law adviser to undergraduate students. She has since played major roles in organizations dedicated to helping young people succeed professionally.
As a board member of Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization, she helps create opportunities for minority and other underrepresented groups of students to pursue legal careers through law school internships, judicial clerkships and other initiatives. Under her leadership, McGuireWoods hosts the annual Just the Beginning U.S. Supreme Court Day, where high school students meet with U.S. Supreme Court justices in Washington, D.C.
As co-founder of Partnership for the Future, Stone helped establish a college preparation and workforce development program for Richmond-area high school students to break the cycle of poverty by providing training and educational opportunities.
“Mentoring and sharing insights are among my most important and gratifying responsibilities,” Stone said. “I am deeply honored to be singled out among a distinguished group of lawyers who have done so much to champion our future leaders in law.”
Stone has more than 34 years of experience advising clients on government relations, including legislative matters before the Virginia General Assembly. A member of McGuireWoods’ Securities & Capital Markets Department, she also represents clients in regulatory, immigration and worksite enforcement matters.
She was honored among Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Influential Women of Law and is a recipient of The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities’ Richmond Humanitarian Award for 2020. Richmond Times-Dispatch selected her for its 2019 “Person of the Year” program. In 2018, she became one of only six women to receive the prestigious National Women in Law Award for Lifetime Achievement by Corporate Counsel and InsideCounsel, both leading American Lawyer Media publications.