The Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic Education (FREE) presented McGuireWoods partner Jackie Stone with its inaugural advocacy award during its Dec. 16, 2021, annual luncheon at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. Virginia FREE also plans to name the new award after Stone for future presentations.
The Virginia FREE board of directors created the award to recognize a person who exemplifies the best in the field of professional lobbying — someone “of the highest character whose reputation for honesty and integrity should be an example to the rest of the profession and, more importantly, the public.”
“Since 1985, Jackie has served her clients in a wide variety of areas in front of the General Assembly and various regulatory boards as well as with distinction in the field of immigration law,” said McGuireWoods Consulting senior vice president Laura Fornash, who presented the award to Stone on behalf of Virginia FREE. “Jackie, you have served with honor, dignity and grace, and have been a mentor and friend to many of us in the profession.”
In addition to representing corporations and associations on Virginia legislative and regulatory matters, Stone assists companies in immigration-related matters, including advising on immigration compliance and obtaining employment-based visas for employees of multinational companies. She also helps foreign companies and organizations establish U.S. operations and coordinate the transfer of key executives. Based in Richmond, Stone is a partner in McGuireWoods’ Securities & Capital Markets Department.
“I am extremely grateful and humbled by this incredible honor. Receiving this award from Virginia FREE and its leadership is particularly special in light of the highly regarded and effective role Virginia FREE plays to support and promote the integrity of Virginia’s political process. Virginia FREE provides impactful information on critical issues affecting the business community and offers important guidance as our political leaders address issues impacting companies and citizens in our commonwealth,” Stone said.
Among her numerous honors, Stone — a Harvard Law School graduate — has been named one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Influential Women of Law and she received the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities’ Richmond Humanitarian Award for 2020. The Richmond Times-Dispatch selected her for its 2019 “Person of the Year” program. And in 2018, Stone received the prestigious National Women in Law Award for Lifetime Achievement from Corporate Counsel and InsideCounsel, both leading American Lawyer Media publications.
Founded in 1988, Virginia FREE is a coalition of corporations, trade associations and individuals doing business in Virginia, providing political information to businesses and working to ensure that the General Assembly is receptive and responsive to the interests of free enterprise.