McGuireWoods Chicago partner Amber McGraw Walsh has been included on The American Lawyer’s inaugural list of 2021 Midwest Trailblazers. The list recognizes lawyers based in the Midwest who have moved the needle in the legal industry and been agents of change.
As chair of McGuireWoods’ Healthcare Department, Walsh is one of few women in the United States to be the leader of a top-ranked healthcare practice. She advises clients on joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions that transform how healthcare is delivered in the nation.
Walsh is a nationally recognized thought leader in healthcare, M&A and private equity. Working with her McGuireWoods colleagues, she established the firm’s award-winning Women in Private Equity & Finance initiative designed to promote the advancement of women in those industries. Through the initiative, McGuireWoods female lawyers have built a network of more than 1,100 female investors and lenders. The initiative includes the “Deal Us In” podcast series, which features conversations with women leaders and rising stars in private equity and finance.
Walsh co-founded and co-chairs the firm’s annual Healthcare and Life Sciences Private Equity and Finance Conference, one of the largest private equity events in the U.S. healthcare market. She co-writes McGuireWoods’ The Healthcare Investor blog covering issues and trends affecting investments in healthcare and life sciences. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Walsh helped launch an alert and video series to provide clients with guidance in response to the upsurge in pandemic-related regulations. She also hosts the firm’s “Healthcare Headlines” video series, which provides insight on business, litigation and regulatory developments affecting healthcare providers and investors.
“It is an honor to be recognized among such prominent and talented leaders,” Walsh said. “My commitment to my clients and to the advancement of women is very important to me, and I am privileged to be able to contribute to their success.”
In recognition of her outstanding leadership, Walsh was named to The National Law Journal’s inaugural list of Healthcare Law Trailblazers in 2019 and to Mergers & Acquisitions magazine’s list of “The Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A” in 2017.